Zombi Holocaust (1980)

Country of Origin: Italy
Year of Production: 1980
Running Times: 77 mins (UK)     81 mins (USA)     84 mins     88 mins (Australia)
Format: Technicolor
Ratio:
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Flora Film/Fulvia Film/Cico Cinematografica
Executive Producer (US version): Ron Harvey
Producers: Gianfranco Couyoumdjian, Fabrizio de Angelis
Producer (US Version): Terry Levene
Unit Manager: Paolo Gargano, Pasbuale (Pasquale?) Vannini
Production Co-Ordinator: Aroldo Mogiani

SCRIPT
Script: Romano Scandariato
Idea: Fabrizio de Angelis

DIRECTION
Director: Frank Martin (real name: Marino Girolami, aka: Franco Martinelli)
Assistant Director: Romano Scandariato
Title Sequence (US Version): Roy Frumkes
Continuity: Marisa Merci

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Fausto Zuccoli
Camera Operator: Guglielmo Vincioni
Assistant Camera: Luigi Conversi
Key Grip: Giuseppe Gabrielli
Gaffer: Alberico Novelli
Stills: Antonio Benitti
Stills Lab: Atelier Fotografica

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Alberto Moriani
1st Assistant Editor: Patrizia Malvestito
2nd Assistant Editor: Massimo Cataldo

MUSIC
Music: Nico Fidenco
Music (US Version): Walter E. Sear
Conductor: Giacomo Dell Orso

SOUND
Sound Recording: Alfonso Montesanti
Boom: Guglielmo Smeraldi
Recorded At: S.D.I. for Cinitalia, Rome
Re-Recording Engineer: Nino Renda

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Maurizio Trani
Make Up Assistant: Rosario Prestopino
Hair: Giancarlo Marin
Wigs: Rocchetti-Carboni
Costumes: Silvana Scandariato
Seamstress: Renata Renzi
Costume House: Mario Russo
Footwear: L.C.P.

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Maurizio Trani

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Walter Patriarca
Titles: Studio Mafera
Set Furnishings: Cimino Cine Arredamaenti Rancati
Drapes and Carpets: D'Angelo
Set Dresser: Vincenzo Morozzi

OTHER CREW
Gunsmiths: Claudio Battistelli, Roberto Pace
Production Accountant: Benito Mancini

LOCATIONS
Locations: INCIR-De Paolis Studios, Rome

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Rocco Lerro

CAST
Ian McCulloch (Peter Chandler)
Alexandra Delli Colli (aka: Alexandra Cole) (Lori Ridgeway)
Sherry Buchanan (Susan Kelly)
Peter O'Neal (George Hopper (Harper))
Donald O'Brien (Dr Obrero)
Dakar (Meloto)
Walter Patriarca
Linda Fumis
Roberto Resta (Resra?)
Franco Ukmar (aka: Frank Ukmar)
Giovanni Ukmar
Angelo Ragusa
Víctor Israel (medical professor - uncredited)

PLOT SUMMARY

A series of ritualistic mutilations in New York lead an anthropologist and various others to the island of Kito where they find mad doctor Obrero conducting human experiments that have created an army of cannibalistic zombies.

CAPSULE REVIEW

An utterly mad cannibal/zombie movie which, depending on your tolerance threshold, can actually be incredibly good fun. Ian McCulloch (his second Italian zombie film after Zombi 2 (1979)) looks suitably perplexed by it all and the ludicrous script has more laughs per minute than most comedies. Of its kind, this is a classic. (Full Review)

AVAILABILITY

Australia
Video Distributor: Palace

France
Video Distributor: MPM

Germany
Video Distributor: Euro; GM Vilm

Japan
Laserdisc Distributor: Nikkatsu

Netherlands
Video Distributor: Video For Pleasure

Sweden
Video Distributor: Video Invest

UK
Video Distributor: VTC; Stonevision Entertainment (SVS6013)
DVD Distributor: Stonevision Entertainment (SVD5029)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Aquarius Releasing Inc; Astro Filmworks & Records
Video Distributor: Thriller Video

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: R
Video release is cut

France
Rating: -16

Germany
Rating: initially banned, later issued with an 18 rating

Netherlands
Rating: 16

Sweden
Video release is cut

UK
Rating: 18
Two versions were released on video by VTC in the mid 1980s, both of which were cut but one was slightly longer than the other. Both versions were subsequently removed from sale (though never officially banned) and the film remained unavailable in any form until 2001 when it was re-issued, uncut, on DVD and video.

USA
Rating: R

TIMELINE

1980
March
Day Unknown: Italy - theatrical release

1981
April
22: France - theatrical release

2001
January
29: UK - video and DVD release

He's a depraved, homicidal killer...and he makes house calls!

Not for the faint-hearted...

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Cannibal Ferox - German video title
Cannibal Holocaust - early title
Carnages - French video title
Dr Butcher M.D. - US title
Dr Butcher M.D. (Medical Deviate) - US publicity title
Hell of the Living Dead (?) - alternative title
Holocausto de los Zombies - Venezuelan title
Island of the Last Zombies - foreign sales title
Nightmare Island
Regina dei Cannibali, La - shooting title
Terreur des Zombies, Le - French title
Zombi Holocausto - Spanish title
Zombie Holocaust
Zombie Virus (?) - alternative title
Zombies of the Savannah - alternative title
Zombies unter Kannibalen - German title

LINKS

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
Zombi 2 (1979)

REFERENCES

PERIODICALS

Dark Side, The September 1995 p.17 (UK)
credits, review

Delirium no.3 pp.49-50 (UK)
credits, review

Halls of Horror no.27 p.29 (UK)
UK video data

Starburst no.41 p.8 (UK)
note

Starburst no.48 (UK)
note

Video World November 1986 pp.22-23 (UK)
review

BOOKS

Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Horror p. 356
credits, review

Horror and Science Fiction Films III pp.75-76
credits

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

zombies, cannibals, hospitals, anthropologists, suicide, islands, doctors, human experiments

Last Updated: 6 May, 2009