I had an opportunity to view this at the drive-in last weekend, the way God intended, and seeing it on the big screen under the stars is really the best way to view something like this. Like most of director Lucio Fulci's 80s gorefest this one doesn't really make much narrative sense and is more of a spectacle showing off some crazy fx. The most noteworthy of which, to me, is the intestines puking scene which I guess technically isn't even a special effect since they just had an actress vomit up some some sheep intestines which seems a pretty hardcore way to treat your actors. There's also a great super-realistic head-drilling bit, a hanging priest, the horror of being buried alive, bleeding eyeballs, maggot-rain and lots of zombie hijinks. While the movie is technically a zombie film you don't get the usual gut-munching and these ghouls prefer ripping heads apart which means they must be pretty friggin strong. I have read that Mr. Fulci didn't even want zombies in this at all and was going for a more supernatural horror vibe but the producers insisted so they could make this part of his "zombie" trilogy which includes the movies ZOMBIE and THE BEYOND even though they don't really have much connection besides these creatures appearing in them. While for my money HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY is Fulci's best from this period they are certainly all worth a look for gorehounds and 80s horror creeps. AKA CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD
Known in Germany as A ZOMBIE WAS HANGING ON THE BELL ROPE??
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