City of the Living Dead (1980)
A minor masterpiece from Lucio Fulci. Nightmarish, bloody and supremely atmospheric not to mention utter nonsense.
For every piece of gob smacking brilliance (The drill sequence for one) there's sheer incompetence to match it (Supposedly set during the couple of days leading up to All Saints Day (Nov 1st) and there's not a Halloween decoration to be seen) occasionally the two meld together in the same sequence such as the girl vomiting her guts up which looks superb whilst actress Daniela Doria holds the sheep intestines in her mouth but looks so clunky when her head becomes a prosthetic - those teeth. Were they drawn on?
However there's no point being critical as most of Lucio's films are flawed so it's best not to think about it and simply go along for the ride.
And what a ride it is.
Not sure what to make of the 4K Arrow blu-ray print. The print that features heavily in the extras interview footage seemed a superior one to the film itself. Didn't look as bright or pasty faced.
Speaking of extras, the wealth of additional material on the Arrow Blu-ray makes it worth the purchase price alone. There's hours of interviews, from people who worked on the production to author Stephen Thrower and director Andy Nyman. Arrow have come up with a superb pacjage.
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