Lucio Fulci is Rated X: City of the Living Dead

This movie opens with a séance so intense the medium dies of fright. What scared her so badly? She had a vision of a priest hanging himself in the church's cemetery and consequently that opened the gates of hell. And that would be all well and good (so to speak) if the medium didn't wake up in a coffin having been burred alive two scenes later. Before you ask, this movie does takes place in the 1980s when people routinely have autopsy preformed when they die under mysterious circumstances and are embalmed before being burred. That she would awake after her burial is asking for a pretty large suspension of disbelief, even for a Fulci movie. 

But, as this is a Fulci movie, that point of contention is made up for with rich atmosphere, a looming sense of other worldly dread, a fantastic score from Fabio Frizzi, and of course, horrifying gore.

There is so much gore.

And not just the standard Fulci effects and over the top zombifications, there's also a scene where a man dies from being drilled straight through the head, there are many tears of blood, there's even a room full of maggots! So full. And those aren't the only maggots in the film.

So many maggots.

This movie is also the first in the “unofficial” Gates of Hell trilogy. The second being The Beyond and the third would be The House by the Cemetery (though that might be why it's “unofficially” a trilogy as they never talk about "the gates of hell" in House). The thin (and at time straight up goofy) plot gives this film a handicap, but it pretty well lays the foundation for how amazing The Beyond turned out. It also gives The Beyond a run for it's money in the well-that-was-a-confusing-ending department...

So confusing.

But it truly, watching this movie fully prepared for it's flaws leaves you free to more thoroughly enjoy the great elements abundant throughout the film. (There's so much gore and grossness! So much!) And you can enjoy all the grossness in restored glory, so you'll see every single maggot!

Seriously, so many maggots.


Lucio Fulci is Rated X: 

City of the Living Dead

Mon Oct 12 7:00 9:00
Tue Oct 13 7:00 9:00 

@ Trylon microcinema, tickets $8 (or snag a discount card at $25 for 5 movies!)