Search - Hell of the Living Dead on DVD

Fabian C. (todayandalways) from WILDOMAR, CA
Reviewed on 12/17/2008...

Don't expect something groundbreaking when you watch this film. Hell of the Living Dead is good clean fun. Hell is a Dawn of the Dead rip-off, the SWAT team members have identical outfits to the ones in Dawn and it even has the same Goblin soundtrack that Dawn used. Hell's zombies don't act like it, they can climb through windows, open doors to get inside a car while it is in motion and even move out of the car's way. Hell does manage to put a smile on your face with it's bad dubbing, terrible acting and even worse unrealistic gore. All imperfections aside, Hell has the best quote in a zombie film when an onlooker claimed the zombies were just drunk. You will not be disappointed with this film, it is so bad that it's good.

4 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

"Why the long face, something eating you?"

Crypt | Arkham | 03/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So far most people reviewing this film are pretty much picking out its flaws, which are many indeed, so I won't bother re-listing them. I will say this though; Bruno Mattei's blatant and shameless ripping off of Goblin's Dawn of the Dead and Alien Contamination soundtracks would have certainly made Edward D. Wood Jr. proud. From reading the reviews I was prepared for the worst when I purchased this dvd. I was actually surprised that it was better than most people seem to give it credit for! Sure it has an amazingly inept "Ed Wood-ian" sort of quality... ok yes, it IS in fact a terrible film, but it does have a lot going for it. #1 - The entertainment value. Like Ed Wood's "classics" this film remains totally enjoyable and even has a certain lovable quality despite the fact that it's such an awful film. It's lots of fun and there's never a dull moment.
#2 - There are some truly effective Zombie sequences. The scenes involving the zombie priest at the mission, the zombie kid coming to life in his fathers arms, the dead native coming to life after his "funeral ceremony". Also the zombie hag with a cat inexplicably ripping out through her stomach made me laugh. It made no sense, but it was still cool. #3 - Last but not least, the gore. As the producers said, without blood and entrails, a film like this would be pointless. This film will make your stomach turn. It goes far beyond Dawn of the Dead as far as blood and guts. Even farther than Lucio Fulci's Zombie. The gore is probably not as disturbing as in Day of the Dead because Tom Savini's fx were just so realistic in that one. However the use of real raw meat and pig guts definitely helped "Hell" live up to the splatter genre and then some. The extreme close-ups of maggots crawling through rotting flesh and a native picking them off and eating them were absolutely nasty! Also there are some well done exploding zombie heads. The zombie attack and gut munching scenes are hit or miss. Sometimes they come off as startlingly realistic, other times they are obviously fake. But this film doesn't skimp on the blood and guts. Also towards the end, there's a facial "violation" scene that rivals Fulci's "splinter through the eye" sequence.
Overall, if you're looking for Zombie crème de la crème, stick to Romero and Fulci, but if you're just in the mood for something gross and fun, check "Hell" out."

"I don't like the sound of those drums..."

Crypt | 07/11/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is a classic! Full of wonderfully cheesy diologue, extremely gory special effects, horrible editing, terrible dubbing, and hilarious melodrama, this movie is a high-point in bad zombie film history. It's like "Dawn of the Dead" meets "The Gods Must Be Crazy", complete with out of place stock footage that doesn't even match the quality of the actual film...you've gotta love it! The poster art bears a striking resemblance to Fulci's "Gates of Hell" ( I think that might actually be the same zombie). There are 2 classic vomiting scenes which I laughed so hard at I replayed again for a second laugh. The gore in this movie is so over-the-top and some of it is actually shown in the stock footage. Even the make-up on the living dead is inconsistant. The majority of this film takes place on an island, which adds to the fun. Lots of stock footage of actual tribes dancing in their native dress (these scenes have been edited into the movie to make you actually believe that the cast is witnessing this). The two main actors look so much alike that at times it looks as though the same actor is playing 2 parts. Gratuitous nudity is also involved when the female lead sheads her clothing and dons herself with tribal art to fit in with the natives. Unfortunately, she puts it on her face so badly it makes her look almost dog-like. I'm a huge fan of zombie and cannibal movies and am giving this movie ***** for it's campy entertainment value, unintentional humor, over-the-top gore sequences, and the fact that there actually ARE zombies in this movie. I watched it alone for the first time to spare myself the embarrassment of having wasted money on such a dull film (like I did with the dreadfully boring, unfunny and zombieless "Cannibal Apocalypse"), but now I am going to have to share this one with friends. Yes, this is a bad film, but there's never a dull moment here."

Not as Bad as You Think!

Janus Jess Franco | Mardela Springs, MD | 03/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For ZOMBIE MOVIE Lovers Only! Besides the bad acting, plot,
camerawork, and countless stock footage of wild animals,
HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD can be enjoyed, ecspecially if you
like watching how much Director Mattei stole the exact
same soundtrack by Goblin off of George Romero's DAWN OF THE
DEAD. But overall, I laughed and found this movie to be
quite amusing."