City of the Living Dead (1980)
★★★½ — City of the Living Dead (1980)
City of the Living Dead was shot in 1979 under the working title "Paura nella città dei morti viventi" and marked Lucio Fulci's deliberate pivot toward supernatural horror after the considerable international success of Zombie (1979), his loose, unauthorised follow-up to Dawn of the Dead. Produced by Dania Film and distributed through Medusa, it was the first instalment in what fans would later label Fulci's "Gates of Hell" trilogy, followed by The Beyond (1981) and The House by the Cemetery (1981), all three made in rapid succession. The film draws loosely on H.P. Lovecraft's fictional Massachusetts town of Dunwich for its setting, though the American locations were largely recreated in Rome and New York. American actor Christopher George (cast partly to aid overseas sales) heads a mostly Italian ensemble, with Catriona MacColl beginning the first of her three collaborations with Fulci.
City of the Living Dead (1980), Lucio Fulci’s first entry in his unofficial “Gates of Hell” trilogy, is a fever dream of gothic horror, apocalyptic dread, and gloriously over-the-top gore. Set in a cursed New England town where the dead begin to rise after a priest’s suicide opens a portal to hell, the film trades traditional zombie logic for something more surreal and spiritually rotten, less Romero, more Dante by way of a bad acid trip. What really sets it apart is its atmosphere. The fog-drenched streets, abandoned churches, and empty corridors feel genuinely haunted, and Fulci’s direction leans into slow-building unease rather than jump scares. When the horror hits (eyes popping out, intestines spilling, worms crawling from mouths) it’s shockingly graphic, especially for 1980. The practical effects are impressively grotesque, executed with a mix of ingenuity and sadistic glee that still holds up today. Yes, it’s hammy, the dialogue is often stilted (thanks to dubbing), the acting veers between intense and absurd, and the plot makes only the vaguest kind of sense. But that’s part of the charm. This isn’t a film about logic; it’s about mood, texture, and the visceral thrill of decay. And as a fan of zombie films, it’s refreshing to see one that swaps hordes of shamblers for something more metaphysical and macabre. Creepy, stylish, and unapologetically nasty. Not for the faint of heart, but a must for fans of Italian horror who appreciate their undead with a side of existential rot. Fulci doesn’t just show you the end of the world, he makes you feel its cold, wormy breath on your neck.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 1980 | Watched: 2026-02-25
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Lucio Fulci: Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)
More from Italy: Nightmare City (1980) · Cemetery Man (1994) · One Way or Another (1975) · Chicken for Linda! (2023)
More from the 1980s: Nightmare City (1980) · A Better Tomorrow (1986) · Style Wars (1983) · Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers (1980)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)
