Who else found Zombi 2 to be majorly disappointing?

[Vendaval Este]

A question like that is probably blasphemous around these parts, but I feel I have to say it.

The good parts of this film are obvious; the make-up still holds up very well, the gore is creative and very nasty, the cinematography and music are both nice, and the zombies themselves have a very haunting feel to their shamble.

Now, the rest of the movie is where I found things disappointing. Fulci seems to be praised for his atmosphere in his horror films, for the most part, there seemed to be absolutely no atmosphere throughout this one; the build-up gets stagnant when very upbeat music plays over sunny locations, while I think it's good later events in the movie get to contrast to this notably, it doesn't have much of a great effect.

The characters are tough to care about, especially when the journalist and the daughter of the scientist seem to randomly get horny before a zombie attack after knowing each other for about a day, or just over. Also, as much as I like the music, the soundtrack is very limited; when it cuts to the characters on the boat just after the shark scene, the way the music bluntly ends from the shark sequence steals any effect it was holding.

A bit more of a minor complaint now but the dub is very distracting, I think I would have rather have seen it dubbed into Italian to be honest, because then I don't think I would notice their inflections and intonations. Also, I really wish the model used for the eye-penetration sequence had a bit more work done on it, because the colour of the skin just doesn't seem human at all. The sequence is still very cringeworthy, but I can't help but wish they had a bit more budget to make it into an uncut shot that manages to make it look like the woman's face is really being punctured.

It has to be said though, the first scene with the boat, the final struggle, and the ending in New York are excellent scenes, and when you take into the account the film was made on a very low budget, it's very startling. I just can't shake the ineffective screenplay and how the film bluntly isn't scary, and despite my earlier complaint about atmosphere, I quite like how this is a very colourful-looking zombie movie. I only felt the atmosphere was good though when more zombies began to appear toward the end. I don't hate this film, but I think it's very overrated.

On a crazy note, the massively technically-inferior Zombi 3 is something I almost consider to be a better film, if not for entertainment value alone (cheap call I know), but having a few more unsettling gross-out moments in it, along with a better soundtrack. If Zombi 3 had the same level of seriousness as this one (and was generally better made) I'd probably call it a decent film.

On the other hand, City of the Living Dead is one of my favourite zombie movies, but I can't help but feel this one reflects badly on it, because City seems to lift that "you shouldn't drink so much" scene along with the ending, granted, City's ending is definitively more grim, there was a chance in Zombi 2 there was still a slim chance of survival for humanity.

I would liked to have been shocked by this, oh well, maybe if I have kids...

I have to give all my praise for that shark scene though!

[Ashy]

Originally Posted by Vendaval Este

On a crazy note, the massively technically-inferior Zombi 3 is something I almost consider to be a better film

Sacrebleu (pardon my french) blasphemous indeed. Nah everyone has their own opinion, For me Zombi 2 is a classic plain and simple. It probably has to do with watching it at a young age and it having a big impact on me. Zombi 3 on the other hand I found utterly terrible, I couldn't wait for it to finish.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

I agree with you to some degree, VE.

I personally don't understand the huge love this film sometimes gets - I consider it vastly inferior to The Beyond and COTLD.

However, that said, I still consider it to be a definitive classic of both zombie, and Italian horror cinema.

Like you, I also have a soft spot for Zombi 3, although I do prefer Zombi 2.

[Vampix]

Zombi 2, or Zombie Flesh Eaters as I prefer to call it, is my favourite ever Fulci horror film, closely followed by City of the Living Dead.As Ashy says it probably has a lot to do with nostalgia as it was the first video nasty I ever saw back in the early days of home video, but I also think it's a bona fide horror classic! I personally find The Beyond the most overrated of Fulci's films.

[Andra Jai]

Zombie flesh eaters would be in my top 20 favourite films of all time. It is my second favourite zombie film after Dawn of the dead.


The zombie make up has never been equalled never mind bettered, and the atmosphere I have always found to be outstanding.

Add to this, that it was one of the first horror films I ever saw (at the age of 8) and one of only 2 horror films to truly terrify me on first viewing (the other being the hills have eyes)

It is also my favourite Fulci film as I have always found The Beyond and City of the Living the Dead, a little slow moving.

To me a perfect double bill would be zombi 2 and zombie holocaust thankfully both of which should be on blu-ray by next year.

[Vendaval Este]

When I first watched Zombi 3, as Zombie Flesh Eaters 2, I thought it was actually pretty unmemorable and considered it more of a Fragasso film than a Mattei one. After seeing After Death, it's definitely a Mattei film now in my eyes, and as painfully stupid as it times (even for a Mattei and Fragasso collaboration) I have it reserved as a pleasure now.

I wish I had seen Zombi 2 when I was younger, I feel a lot of gory flicks (I actually hate calling it, really cheapens it) are much more shocking when you're growing up and the zombies would have no doubt had a bigger impact on me (granted, I got a small chill seeing some of them).

To be honest, I never liked Dawn of the Dead upon first screening either, I grew to like it more when I took into account it had depth for a horror film at its time, and would like to re-evaluate it still. I wouldn't doubt Zombi 2 definitely stands above many, many other zombies and it does have a great charm to it.

[dis]

love zombie2/zfe.this was my first zombie film i think,then it was dawn of the dead.always wanted to see zombie swamp when i was a kid,and now i own it i have to admit i wasnt missing much!!!

[Splatterdragon73]

Imo ZFE is one of the all-time great gut-munchers but the film simply wouldn't exist if the original Dawn Of The Dead didn't take the first bite out of the box-office. Success breeds imitation.

Also, Fulci's vintage gorefest takes a good while to get going after the harbour cop comes a cropper on the boat in the movie's opening moments. However, once the blood starts to run and the flesh starts getting ripped then there's no stopping those Zombie Flesh Eaters.

"I've just been informed that zombies have entered the building! They're at the door!! They're coming in!!! AAAARRRGGHH!!!!"

An overrated film? Personally i believe so but still a must-see grand and grisly slice of Italian splatter.

[pedromonkey]

im not a huge fan of Zombie Flesh Eaters or Zombi 2 as i find the film a bit of a chore to watch and i think his 3 gothic 'zombie films', the Beyond, City of the Living Dead and House by The Cemetery are often over shadowed by Zombie which is a shame because i feel they are better made films.

[Vampix]

The Beyond & House by the Cemetery are the ones I find a chore to sit through, especially Cemetery.