Film #27: City of the Living Dead (1980)

Plot - The first of Fulci's '80s classics, it's definitely comparable to The Beyond in theme, motif, scoop, etc. For the uninitiated, that means the film is barely sensical film that relies wholly on atmosphere and imagery, so no plots allowed. This excuse for a story is effective enough for me.

Form - Lots of gloriously atmospheric shots. My favorites are when the zombies mystically teleport in and out of shots. The copious amounts of fog also help.

F/X - Not as good as The Beyond, although it definitely has a nice bag of tricks. Drills through the face, spitting up random flesh and organs, etc.

Acting - Everyone just talks like they're scared the whole movie, which makes sense to me. Teleporting zombies are scary as hell.

Mise en scene - Good. The placement of the maggots in the maggot wind sequence are phenomenal.

Quotables - They talk a lot about the Book of Enoch if you're into that sort of thing.

Cool stuff - The soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal, and the gruesome scenes are all on point. No silly spider sequences from the Beyond, no obnoxious bat squealing death from House by the Cemetery. I get sucked into this film like no other Fulci film because it manages to never break the atmosphere. Easily my favorite Fulci.

6.5/7