EXPLORING: What’s with all the Zombie sequels?

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In the spirit of my deep dives into Demons and La Casa, I was excited to discover just how many movies use the title Zombi or Zombie. As I learned which ones were which, I figured it would be a good idea to share my scholarly research.

Dawn of the Dead (1978): Obviously, Zombi is Dawn of the Dead. It was released under that title in Italy and features an international cut by producer Dario Argento that is nine minutes shorter. Debuting nine months before the film played its native country, Zombi: L’alba dei Morti Viventi (Zombies: Dawn of the Dead) has more music by Goblin, less exposition and a faster pace, as well as dialogue and gore that never appeared in any version of Romero’s cuts.

Speaking of that Goblin score—The Goblins—three of their songs are in the U.S. version, and much of the soundtrack would show up in Bruno Mattei’s Hell of the Living Dead (as well as Tsui Hark’s Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind; Hark was a zombie fan, one assumes, as he made another film around this time called We’re Going to Eat You).

It’s intriguing to me that Dawn is the next part of the story in America. For Italy, it was the first part of their consciousness. While it would be followed by four official sequels and a remake in the West, the unofficial world of Italian exploitation would soon take over and create an entirely new monster from the shambling corpse that originated in Western Pennsylvania.

Zombi 2 (1979): When Enzo G. Castellari stepped away from making an Italian sequel to Zombi , the rules regarding intellectual property rights for installments to movies in Italy were quite hazy. This allowed for Lucio Fulci to be hired to continue the story. His film would sail away from the scientific explanation of zombies in Romero’s work and goes to voodoo for its origins, taking the ultraviolence that Tom Savini created in Monroeville and amping it up for the island of Matul.

Writer Dardano Sacchetti, who wrote this movie as Nightmare Island, said his influences included The Island of Doctor Moreau and classic zombie tales like I Walked with a Zombie, The Walking Dead and Voodoo Island.

I don’t need to sell you the magic of this movie. Romero told Paul Weedon when asked, “So I didn’t pay attention to it and I didn’t go to see them. I’ve seen them since, of course, and I think they’re sort of fun. But I had no particular care or concern about it at all.

I’ve always been sort of off in my corner doing my thing. And I’ve just hit the point where I can’t do that anymore, you know? I can’t hide and just bring the zombies out. I used to be the only guy working with zombies, except for those guys, like Fulci. And that died quickly.”

In Germany, Day of the Dead was Zombi 2.

Zombi 3 (1988): Directed by Fulci and/or Bruno Mattei, written by Claudio Fragasso and Rossella

Zombi 3 (1988): Directed by Fulci and/or Bruno Mattei, written by Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi, and all sorts of strange, Zombi 3 was shot in the Philippines. That’s where either Fulci got sick before it was finished or fought with producers. Either way, Mattei finished Strike Commando 2, went home to spend the holidays with his family, and returned to finish the movie with Fragasso.

In the magazine X-Rated, Mattei was diplomatic and even complimentary of Fulci, saying, “…the film’s soul is from Fulci. It was his object, not mine. I only took it over after the main production was finally finished. Fulci was informed about everything, and there was little discussion about it.”

While charitably a mess, the film does have a standout moment with a great flying zombie head attack. This scene, despite the film’s overall quality, is a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of the filmmakers. Additionally, the film features a DJ narrating the movie, a nod to The Warriors, which adds a unique and entertaining element to the viewing experience.

This is not the only movie listed as Zombi 3. Others include Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City, which was released as Zombi 3: Efialtis stin poli (Zombies 3: Nightmare In the City) in Greece; Andrea Bianchi’s Burial Ground, which was released as Zombie 3 in Japan, Zombi Horror on Italian video and Zombie 3 – Die Rückkehr der Zombies (Zombie 3: Return of the Zombies) in Germany; Marino Girolami’s Zombie Holocaust (remixed in the U.S. as Doctor Butcher, M.D.) was released as Zombie 3, José Luis Merino’s The Hanging Woman (AKA Orgy of the Dead, Beyond the Living Dead, Return of the Zombies and Bracula: Terror of the Living Dead) was sold as Zombie 3 and Jorge Grau’s Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (AKA The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, Don’t Open the Window, Don’t Speak Ill of the Living Dead and Breakfast at the Manchester Morgue) was released in Greece as Zombi: Epidromi apo to nekrotafeio (Zombies: Graveyard Raid) and in Brazil and Italy as Zombi 3, despite being made four years before Dawn.

Zombie 4: After Death (1989): Claudio Fragasso, who directed this, refers to it as the “last gasp” of Italian zombie movies. The movie starts as researchers discover that the natives are practicing voodoo. They kill the priest, who places a curse that brings the dead back to life before he dies. Only a young girl named Jenny survives thanks to an enchanted necklace her parents gave her.

Jess Franco’s and Jean Rollin’s A Virgin Among the Living Dead may have been made in 1974, but it was released on video in the U.S. as Zombie 4: A Virgin Among the Living Dead.

In Greece and Australia, Panic (AKA Bakterion) was released as Zombi 4, and Bruno Mattei’s Hell of the Living Dead was also released as the fourth movie in this series.

Zombi 5: Killing Birds (1987): Whether this was directed by Joe D’Amato, Claudio Lattanzi or Claudio Fragasso, this movie has zombies killing people, birds eating eyeballs and the same house from The Beyond. It somehow also has Robert Vaughn in the cast. I still can’t figure out how they got him.

Jess Franco’s Revenge In the House of Usher was also released as Zombie 5: Revenge in the House of Usher (that title is on the video box only, not the actual movie); Hell of the Living Dead (which was released as Zombi 4 as well) was retitled Zombi 5: Ultimate Nightmare in America. Seeing as how it rips off Dawn‘s soundtrack, that actually makes sense.

Zombi 5 in Australia is really León Klimovsky’s Revolt of the Zombies (which was re-released in 1980 by Independent Artists as Walk of the Dead complete with red flashes during the gore; it was picked as a Dog of the Week by Siskel and Ebert; it also has the title Invocation of the Devil so that it could be mistaken as an Exorcist movie).

Zombi 6, anyone?:  In Australia, Zombi 6 is a movie that desperately wishes it were Zombi, Dawn of the Mummy. It even has the same markup artist as Fulci’s movie, Maurizio Trani. The Down Under version of Zombi VII: Last Rites is from another entirely different film series. It’s the fourth Blind Dead movie, Night of the Seagulls. Finally, Zombi VIII: Urban Decay is an Australian-made movie.

Jess Franco’s Oasis of the Zombies AKA The Abyss of the Living Dead is also Zombi 6.

Strangely enough, Absurd might be a sequel to Antropophagus, but it was sold on video as Zombie 6: Monster Hunter. That’s OK. Antropophagus came out as Zombie 7.

Even more Zombi: The North Korean kaiju film Pulgasari is a big story in and out of itself — director Shin Sang-ok was kidnapped and taken to North Korea by Kim Jong-il to make the movie — but for our purposes, it was called Zombi 34: The Communist Bull-Monster in Pakistan.

Andreas Schnaas’ Zombie ’90: Extreme Pestilence was also released as Zombi 7.

How does each country number the movies? Glad you asked.

Italy

Note: While Zombi 4 is titled Zombi 4 in America, in Italy, the film is titled Oltre la more (After Death), while Zombi 5 is Uccelli assassin (Killing Birds).

Great Britain

  • Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979) — Zombi 2
  • Zombie Flesh Eaters 2 (1988) — Zombi 3
  • Zombie Flesh Eaters 3 (1989) — After Death

Thailand

Germany

Australia

  • Zombi IV: Bakterion (1982) — Panic AKA Bakterion
  • Zombi V: Vengeance (1973) — Vengeance of The Zombies
  • Zombi VI: The Mirage (1981) — Dawn of The Mummy
  • Zombi VII: Last Rites (1975) — Night of The Seagulls
  • Zombi VIII: Urban Decay (2020)

America

T-Z Video/Eddie’s Entertainment also released these movies on VHS in America as Zombi sequels.

Greece

  • Zombi 2: To nisi ton zontanon nekron (Zombies 2: The Island of the Living Dead) (1979) — Zombi 2
  • Zombi 3: Efialtis stin poli (Zombies 3: Nightmare In the City) (1980) — Nightmare City
  • Zombi 4: Meta thanaton (Zombis 4: After Death) (1989) — After Death
  • Zombi 4 (1982) — Panic AKA Bakterion
  • Zombi 5: Matomena nyhia thanatou (Zombies 5: Bloody Claws of Death) (1988) — Killing Birds
  • Zombi: Epidromi apo to nekrotafeio — Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

In summary, I’m sure I missed something, so please add your notes in the comments, and you’ll be credited.

Sources

Wikipedia: Zombi film series

Zombi 3 – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombi_3

Rate Your Music: “The Confusing as Fuck Zombi Series”

Matul Island | Rotten Ink. https://rottenink.wordpress.com/tag/matul-island/

One thought on “EXPLORING: What’s with all the Zombie sequels?”

  1. I’m still waiting for a Zombi 2 sequel or reboot that begins with the boat zombie coming up out of the harbor, leading to the fall of New York. And it should end with zombies entering the studio of the radio announcer. “I’ve just been informed that zombies have entered the building. They’re at the door… they’re coming in! YAARRRRGGHHHHHH!”

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