Italy, Spain, 1980
99m (Italy), 101m (USA)
35mm film, Telecolor, 2.35:1
Dolby Stereo, Italian
Reviewed at The EOFFTV Review
An Italian-Spanish zombie film directed by Bruno Mattei using his Vincent Dawn pseudonym. An already cut version was added to the British “video nasties” list in the 1980s.
Plot Summary
A television crew and a SWAT team find themselves teaming up in the jungles of New Guinea when an experiment at the Hope Center goes horribly wrong. An artificial food substance being developed there is causing the recently dead to rise from the grave and feed on living humans.
Credits
Crew
Director: Vincent Dawn [real name: Bruno Mattei]
© 1980 Beatrice Film S.r.l.-Films Dara
A Beatrice Film S.r.l. Roma, Films Dara Barcellona [sic] co-production
Executive Producer: Sergio Cortona
Production Managers: Walter Bigari, Marcellino Riba-Abizani
Story and Screenplay: Claudio Fragasso, J.M. Cunilles
Assistant Director: Claudio Fragasso
Continuity: Silvio Colecchia, Federico Canudas
Director of Photography: John Cabrera [real name: Juan Cabrera]
Cameraman: Carlo Aquari, Jose' Gusi
Still Photographer: Giovanni Leacche
Film Editor: Claudio Borroni
Color by: Telecolor
Music by: Goblin [from Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Contamination (1981)]
Under the direction of Giacomo Dell' Orso
Copyright Grandi Firme della Canzone
Sound Man: Paolo Picchi
English Version by: A.B. Services Edizioni Cinematografiche e Televisive Roma
Voices: A.R.A. Soc. Coop. s.r.l. Roma
Sound Recording: International Recording
Sound Mixer: Romano Pampaloni
Make-up: Giuseppe Ferranti
Hairstylist: Maria Teresa Carrera
Credits by: Studio Mafera
Production Designer: Antonio Velart
Film Studios: ICET-De Paolis
Cast
Margit Evelyn Newton (Lia Rousseau)
Frank Garfield [real name: Franco Giraldi] (Lt Mike London)
Selan Karay (Max)
Robert O'Neil (Mr Ferrara)
Gaby Renom (Vincent)
Luis Fonoll (Osborne)
Piero Fumelli (Zantoro)
Bruno Boni (Josie's husband)
Patrizia Costa (Josie)
Cesare Di Vito (Technician Regulo)
Sergio Pislar (Technician Fowler)
Bernard Seray
Víctor Israel (Professor Barrett)
Pep Ballenster
Joaquin Blanco
Esther Mesina
Alternative Titles
Apocalipsis Canibal – Spanish title
Cannibal Virus
Hell of the Living Dead – advertising title
Hell of the Living Death – Dutch title
Die Holle der Lebenden Toten – German title
Inferno dei morti viventi
Night of the Zombies – US title
Raw Virus
Virus
Virus – L'inferno dei morti viventi – Italian publicity title
Virus cannibale – French title
Zombi della savana – shooting title
Zombie Creeping Flesh – UK title
Zombie Inferno
Zombie of the Savanna
Zombies of the Savannah
Links
See also
Biohazard (1996)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Resident Evil: Ground Zero (2002)
Zombi 2 (1979)
Production Notes
Censorship history
In the UK, the version released on videotape by Merlin was subsequently banned, despite being the already heavily cut theatrical print – already missing were the SWAT raid on the consulate which ends in the assassination of the terrorists and most of the gore climaxes. The Horror Classics re-issue was even further cut, the company pre-empting the BBFC by simply removing much of the footage themselves.
References
Periodicals
The Dark Side July 1996 p.62 – review
Delirium no.3 pp.47, 49 – credits, review
Halls of Horror no.27 p.29 – note
SFX no.292 (November 2017) p.102 – illustrated review (by Ian Berriman)
Video the Magazine September 1985 p.11 – review
Books
Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Horror p.366 – credits, synopsis
The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films by Salvador Murguia (ed.) pp.355-359 – credits, review (by Evan Marmol)
Euro Gothic: Classics of Continental Horror Cinema by Jonathan Rigby p.382
Horror and Science Fiction Films Volume II p.13 – credits
Horror and Science Fiction Films Volume III pp.192-193 – credits
Horror Films of the 1980s by John Kenneth Muir pp.402-404 – credits, synopsis, review
Italian Horror 1979-1994 by Jim Harper pp.110-111 – illustrated credits, review
Zombie by Allan Bryce (ed) pp.14-27; 88-107 – illustrated article (Morti viventi: Zombies Italian-style by Alan Jones); illustrated article (The gross-out factor by Adrian Luther-Smith)
The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia by Peter Dendle p.125-126
