Office zombie vs shark! What?! We are of course referring to the Zombie flick classic - 'Zombie Flesh Eaters' also confusingly known as 'Zombi 2', or… um, 'Zombi'… Nice and simple, see, like the naming conventions used for the Rambo films.
Being some sort of quasi sequel to Dawn of the Dead, it's a visceral slice of visceral cinema by shock Italian film maker Lucio Fulci. His films are so weird and unnerving, but at the same time so odd that you have to keep on watching, eyes transfixed to the screen. The way he shoots the scenes, and the eerie score by Fabio Frizzi which stays in your head long after viewing the film, all add to the general weirdness. Also, the use of part English and part Italian speaking actors means that dubbing is used in the relevant places. This adds an eclectic edge to the sound design, and leads you to never quite trust any character whose voice never quite matches their 'look'. So, that's the titling, sound design and the look of Fulci's work all adds to the mix to make us freak out on every level.
Then there is the boat scene with the infamous Zombie vs Shark. The origin for this surely must have come from some drunken conversation where someone knew a shark trainer or something. A zombie in the sea, a topless girl and a shark - pitch that! Well, OK I guess these days we have Tornado + shark = Sharknado, I suppose. Is this the films very own way of jumping the shark?
Fulci's other works such as 'City of the Living Dead', 'The Beyond' and a personal favourite - the bizarre 'House by the Cemetery' (check out the dubbing on that one. The kid is the strangest!) contain the same off beat traits. Odd incoherent story lines, synth spook music and gore by the plenty. Love it. Honestly, sometimes I have not a clue what is going on in Fulci's films, but I like it. Beats work.
The need for these films characters to keep sticking sharp implements into their eye balls is, however, just unpleasant.
