Hell of the Living Dead

Customer Reviews:

Gory and Cheesy but Interesting too!.......2007-09-03

A scientific experiment goes wrong at a lab in New Guinea resulting in the outbreak of a deadly virus with horrifying symptoms. The disease spreads quickly, and soon the island is overrun by flesh-eating zombies. When a commando squad shows up on the island without knowing the situation, they proceed on dead reckoning, picking up an attractive television reporter and her cameraman along the way. Those that survive make their way to the Hope Centre laboratory where the disease originated to discover it's dark purpose.

"Hell of the Living Dead," AKA "Virus," AKA "Zombi 4," AKA "Zombi 5: Ultimate Nightmare," AKA "Zombie Creeping Flesh" and a slew of other names, is, in many ways, your typical Italian "Dawn of the Dead" wannabe. There's plenty of cannibalistic gore, a swat team, lots of shooting, and they even borrow the music by Goblin. The film also uses stock footage to give the impression that it takes place in New Guinea when it was actually shot in Spain (it's not THAT badly done though). Nevertheless, "Hell of the Living Dead" is somehow more engaging than other films of its type. Perhaps it's the characters, badly dubbed as they are (hate that UN scene). Perhaps it's the breasts. For some, it's probably the butcher shop gore and crocodile gutting scene. There's also the origin of the disease that is revealed at the end, which I think definitely takes the film up a notch. I also love that the film includes a final scene, similar to what Fulci did in "Zombie" though not quite as grand, showing that the virus has moved out of the jungle and on to a highly populated area, as I personally prefer seeing zombie films set in more civilized locales to the jungle zombie films. It's just scarier when you see it happening in an area that looks more familiar to you. Overall, if you enjoy zombie films you should see this one, and especially if you're a fan of the Italian entries into the genre. The DVD from Anchor Bay (mine is the double feature version with "Rats") looks great in widescreen and includes a trailer, still and poster gallery, a text bio of director Bruno Mattei, and a pretty good interview with the director as well (entitled, "Hell Rats of the Living Dead").

this night was so bad it was good!.......2007-07-29

This film from spain was just a splatterfest.Sure its actors are terrible and the dubbing is bad....That's the point! Like the previous writers said its so bad its good.I only wished they would of focused more on the city area and not the natives.The birds diving and the other animals hunting their prey was not necessary.I found it distracting! Overall this one stays in a collection for a cheap laugh providing my mood.

These people wouldn't know a bad movie..........2007-06-19

I don't know if we're even talking about the same movie here -- this is definitely NOT the worst zombie movie ever made. A big problem on Amazon reviews is that reviewers just say a product is "good" or "bad," but give no actual description. So instead of doing that, I'll just describe a few things about it, then let you decide if it sounds good or not.

Is it boring? In order for something to be boring, I would say it needs to have pretty much nothing happen for a very, very long period of time. Thats not so in this film; there are several scenes of zombie attacks, a plethora of zombie shootings, and quite a few zombie bitings (all the makings of a good zombie movie). Also, there is some pointless (and culturally offensive) nudity. As far as the acting -- not great, but at least they show emotion (even if it is too much), which is better than a lot of the lifeless acting in most Euro-sleaze.

Is it a blatant rip-off of "Dawn of the Dead?" Yes and no; the costumes are clearly designed to look like the SWAT team blue uniforms in Dawn, and they even "borrowed" some of the Goblin soundtrack from Dawn (hey, at least they "borrowed good music). Other than that, its very different -- the group is constantly moving, not trapped in a single space, the cause of the zombies is explicitly stated to be intentional and man-made, and it is not a "zombie holocaust" like Dawn -- for almost the entirety of the movie, the zombies are confined to New Guinea, and several cut-away scenes reveal that the rest of the world is still operating normally (although panicy).

Is the story oscar-worthy? No, but then again, if you're considering buying a movie called "Hell of the Living Dead," you probably know what kind of story to expect. The plot is very simple -- nuclear plant-look-alikes are being used to create some sort of super secret project, which has accidentally (or was it?) been released into the Native population of New Guinea. A crack para-military unit is sent to the site of original infection for reasons explained in the film.

Are the special effects bad? For a 1980 Italian movie, no. In fact, there are several quite good head-shots. Of course, there are several scenes where the actors are clearly holding raw meat on the victim and chewing on that, and many of the zombies are simply painted blue -- then again, so are practically all the zombies in Dawn.

The worst part of the movie is the director's annoying habit of splicing in stock footage of wildlife, footage which is clearly of lower quality and not blended into the film well at all.

So, is this a terrible movie? No, certainly not. In my mind, terrible movies are movies that are technically inept or that have incomprehensible plots, like "Oasis of the Zombies" and "Children of the Living Dead." Other than that, its just a matter of opinion. If you like sleazy Italian horror, especially Italian zombie movies, you should find this entertaining. If you're looking for a well-crafted Romero-esque film with biting and deep social commentary, this isn't your film.

your all doomed to be eaten up!.......2006-11-20

perhaps one of cheesiest and most bizzare zombie films ever made, hell of the living dead is a very enjoyable undead gorefest. the story involves a team of swat commandos encountering zombies in the jungle of some foreign country. obviously inspired by dawn of the dead, hell of the living dead is a perfect example of the 70's and 80's cannibal and zombie craze. if it wasnt for the bloody gore effects and comical cheesiness of the film, it would be nearly unwatchable. the horrible overacting, riddiculouse dialouge and mind numbing use of stock footage are what keep this film from reaching 4 stars. overall hell of the living dead is an enjoyable, blood soaked zombie atrocity. only for hardcore zombie and euro sleaze fans, everyone else may want to avoid this one.

Love the movie, but...........2006-07-26

The big problem I have with this movie isn't the storyline. I love the storyline, it is a very Faustian, very grim, storyline about the desire to end world overpopulation by...well...as the chemicals show...creating zombies across the 1st and 2nd world countries. And things work out pretty darn well...no more overpopulation, everyone's a zombie, and everyone has a meal... the living... a great story, and while the actors and special effects aren't anything to write home about, I think the movie does a great job bringing the story from beginning to end. The big problem I have with the movie is the transfer of the movie onto DVD. Now, yes this is a fairly old movie, and it seems that the DVD company that's selling it isn't around (at least I couldn't find it on the net). Still, one would hope for this price we would see the transfer far clearer than when the movie was viewed on vhs. I really wish the film was cleaned up enough so that I can see what's going on. Still, if you like zombie movies, this is a great one, I give the movie itself thumbs up...you'll just be straining your eyes to see what's going on!

Average customer rating:

Not-So-Dynamic Duo...
One good movie and another okay movie for the price of one!
5 for rats 3 for hell of living dead
Rats -a snuff film?

Hell of the Living Dead/Rats
Starring: Margit Evelyn Newton , Franco Garofalo , Selan Karay , José Gras , and Gaby Renom
Director: Bruno Mattei , and Claudio Fragasso
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000AC8L8
Release Date: 2003-09-09

Customer Reviews:

Not-So-Dynamic Duo..........2007-07-11

HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD (aka: Night Of The Zombies) concerns a chemical plant disaster that turns the folks in New Guinea into zombified, flesh-eating maniacs! A commando team is dispatched to solve the problem, but runs into difficulty when the zombies attack. Along the way, our heroes meet a female scientist / reporter who sheds her clothing in order to relate to the local native tribes! She's fairly hot, but the endless stock footage of natives dancing around drains much of the enjoyment! Speaking of stock footage, since HOTLD was filmed in Spain, the director filled the movie w/ many poorly added scenes of diving pelicans, leaping monkeys, etc. for (unnecessary and dull) padding. This movie would have made a far better 30-45 min. short film! RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR is about a group of futuristic bikers and their battle against an army of deadly vermin. The "gang" looks suspiciously similar to those overly made-up "punks" from 1980s MTV videos. With names like Lucifer, Duke, Chocolate, and Video, these clowns are as goofy as they sound! The actual rats are lethargic and timid throughout, that is until they are tossed onto someone, or blasted by a flame-thrower! Oh well, only desperate rats could love this moldy old cheezelog! As a double feature, I found watching both movies to be a tedious chore. Good luck...

One good movie and another okay movie for the price of one!.......2004-07-02

Hell of the living dead is not a perfect zombie movie, but if you're looking for a horror flick with apocalyptic atmopshere with gut munchin' and head blowin' action, this is it. Sure, it's cheesy, but fun as a whistle. If you liked Burial Ground, Zombie, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, then this one is a gem. Goblin is on the soundtrack, the one ripped off from Dawn of the Dead.
...I don't care what people say, the movie works--5 STARS!

Rats, on the other hand, is a film where every death scene is so off it's not funny or cool. The main characters come off as goofy super-heroes (one by the name of 'video'). The rat action is mis-guided and comical, the director didn't believe in realism whatsover with the gore effects and character reaction--the dubbing doens't help either. I give this DVD 2 stars by itself, but Hell of the Living Dead is so awesome, it's a good deal to get two DVDs for the price of one.

5 for rats 3 for hell of living dead.......2004-06-20

first of all its true all the rats being killed in this film are real but thats wat they did back then to make movies look real and the movie was great let me tell you but hell of the living dead desapointed me because it was kinda boring and zombies warnt that good but gores great and is still a must see trust me im a great itallian horror fan.

Rats -a snuff film?.......2004-05-07

Sure, "Rats" starts off like it's going to be good, trashy fun. But then the rats come on the screen and the cruelty begins.

It's pretty clear that these are LIVE RATS and not fake ones that are being hurled through the air; being kicked; having objects thrown at them; ; and to top it off, quite possibly being lit on fire.

Considering how low-budget this film is, I would have prefered to see rubber or plastic rats used instead; this would have just added to the campiness of the movie. But instead we get live rats being brutalized for an hour and a half.

"Rats" is a snuff film. If you get off on this sort of thing, then knock yourself out. If you care about animals (and not just the cute, domesticated kind), then you'll do well by avoiding this one.

I only got halfway through the movie; I was too upset to finish "Rats" to see what other horrors befell the poor rodents. As far as "Hell of the Living Dead" -AKA "Night of the Zombies"- goes, all I remember about this one is that this was the first zombie movie I ever saw -around twenty years ago, when I was about eight or nine. I watched it, went to bed and in the middle of the night awoke, went to the bathroom and threw up. I doubt there is any cause and effect relationship here. This movie is probably too cheesy to be vomit-inducing. But after witnessing Mattei's cruelty displayed in "Rats", I don't have much intention of giving his movies any more of my time to get in a second viewing. And believe me, I love zombie movies.

Description

When The Creeping Dead Devour The Living Flesh!

An accident at a chemical plant unleashes a horrific virus, and an elite SWAT team is sent to New Guinea to investigate. But when they arrive on the hellish island, they discover a plague of flesh-eating zombies as well as a beautiful female reporter who practices nude anthropology. Can the commandos survive this cannibal rampage, uncover a shocking government secret, and still find time for the occasional cross-dressing before the ravenous hordes of the living dead infect the entire world?

Description

Bound to a wheelchair, life has been difficult for poor Yasu (Hirohito Honda of Battle Royale). His mother has vanished, his father and brother think he's crazy, and his sister shelters him from the outside world. But Yasu has yet to experience the true meaning of torture until new relatives mysteriously move in. Labeled "The Japanese Chainsaw Massacre" (minus the chainsaws) by fans, director Shugo Fujii has fashioned a mysterious horror film with stylish sequences that pay homage to directors Brian De Palma and Alfred Hitchcock. Filled with moments of sheer terror, Living Hell joins ranks alongside Ringu (The Ring) and Ju-On (The Grudge) as a masterpiece of modern Asian horror.

Customer Reviews:

and you thought leatherface had a dysfunctional family.......2007-05-19

if you like dark asian horror then this is for you this starts out with and ends with the darkness of the asian filmakers
and the end is a shocker
think you know the woman who are putting the star in pain
you dont

An Ultimately Unsatisfying J-Horror Flick.......2007-01-20

When most people think of Japanese horror films, they tend to think of supernatural tales such as "Ring" and "Ju-on" rather than slasher fare. "Living Hell" may be an illustration of why. I received this movie as a Christmas gift after reading several (inexplicably) favorable reviews of it on various horror websites. The premise of the film, that a young man in a wheelchair is a prisoner in his own home and is subject to the cruel tortures of a mysterious old woman and her eerie young caregiver, is quite intriguing on paper.

Indeed, for an all-too-brief while the film looks as if it may live up to the hype as the opening moments transition smoothly from grisly gorehound fare to a somewhat more brooding atmosphere. That being said, this film is nothing if not unsubtle. The foreboding mood lasts only a few minutes before being cast aside. The potential for psychological terror is there, but seems to be ignored in favor of one (supposedly) shocking scene after the next. This all reaches a crescendo in the final 20 minutes or so of the film, with a couple of "twists" so obvious that I actually thought the film was building up for a "swerve" that would suddenly take it in another direction and leave me wowed. Alas, the obvious plot twists take place exactly as expected with nothing but a couple of gross-out scenes at the end to keep even a modicum of your attention.

For all I've said, "Living Hell" comes dangerously close to being a watchable movie (hence 2 stars instead of 1), but the howler of an ending will leave most viewers in the cold.

Even the most avid fans of Asian horror should pass on this........2006-10-10

It should be a crime to compare this with Tobe Hooper's classic Chainsaw Massacre. This is a terrible movie and a complete waste of your life.

If you want to see a strange and violemt Japanese horror film, pick up All Night Long instead. It is miles above this garbage.

Dissapointing.......2006-02-01

Either the people that praise the gore in this flick don't know what real gore is or I rented a cut version of this flick. I gave it two stars for originality and for atmosphere (Very spooky.) I was very dissatisfied with the make-shift ending and terribly dissapointed with the effects. Don't bother.

I WAS IN LIVING HELL!.......2006-01-26

This movie is not so bad you'd turn it off,but it was
so typical of most(75%)horror films today.After seeing JU-ON
(by far the best horror film made between 2000-2006)I really
had my hopes up,which I admit it's not fare to compare this
with that masterpiece(dare I say that,well in 10yrs JU-ON
will be considered that, it's that great!)but I was let down.
I'm not going to go thru a lot of writing,just look at James
& Morado reviews there really good and to the point.Why 2 stars
the old womans daughter was the only thing,and I do mean the
only thing good about this picture,she was freaky looking
but o.k. we need more,like music,the soundtrack was as if
the director bought a keyboard from K-MART.Music is so
important to a horror film just watch CARRIE(76)HALLOWEEN,
CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST,JAWS,DEEP RED,THE BEYOND,THE SHINING(80)
and of course the best for last THE OMEN(76)and it's very
obvious that the reviewers who scored this picture so high
probably have not seen any of these.NOTE:Amazon buyers it
is not to late to get these horror masterpieces typed above
they have them all(YES!CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST TOO.I KNEW MY
AMAZON WOULD NOT LET ME DOWN,YOU ARE REALLY THE BEST!)so buy
the movies above and stay away from this.

Average customer rating:

Living Hell
Starring: Living Hell
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000AQPM48
Release Date: 2004-08-31

[6 Pack of Horror Flicks BOX SET] Skinned Alive / Jungle Virgin Force / Demon Summer / Midnight Skater / Hell Hole / Something to Scream About

Average customer rating:

[6 Pack of Horror Flicks BOX SET] Skinned Alive / Jungle Virgin Force / Demon Summer / Midnight Skater / Hell Hole / Something to Scream About

ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000E4S9E6

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Living Hell: Special Edition

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ASIN: B0002RSC9C

DVD:

DVD

DVD