Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)

Lucio Fulci directed this Italian horror on a budget of just under half a million dollars, releasing it in 1979 under the title Zombi 2 in Italy, where it was marketed (somewhat audaciously) as a sequel to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which had been retitled Zombi for its Italian release. Fulci was already a prolific genre craftsman by this point, having worked across giallo, westerns and crime thrillers, but this film marked a pivot toward the graphic, gore-heavy horror that would define his later reputation. Shot partly in New York and partly in the Dominican Republic, the production had a modest, scrappy feel, though it turned a solid profit on release. Tisa Farrow, sister of Mia, takes the lead alongside British actor Ian McCulloch, with Richard Johnson providing a touch of old-school theatrical weight.

Zombie Flesh Eaters (aka Zombi 2) is one of those films that hits differently as an adult. Watch it as a kid, and it’s pure nightmare fuel, a gory, atmospheric romp that feels like forbidden fruit. Watch it now, and you can’t help but notice how much of it is just… slow. Lucio Fulci delivers a few truly iconic moments. The eyeball impalement, the underwater zombie fight, and yes, that incredible finale with the zombies shuffling over the Brooklyn Bridge in fog so thick it feels like the end of the world. That scene alone is worth the price of admission: eerie, surreal, and endlessly copied (and yeah, I’m pretty sure chunks of it were ripped off by Zombie Holocaust and a dozen other knock-offs). But outside of those highlights, the film drags. The plot is barely there, the characters are paper-thin, and half the runtime is people whispering in dingy rooms or wandering through huts going nowhere. It’s got mood for days, sure, and the gore is gloriously gross in that practical-effects, no-holds-barred Italian way but as a full experience, it’s more atmosphere than story. As a kid, I loved it unironically. Now? I appreciate it more as a cult artifact than a great film. It’s influential, iconic in parts, but honestly a bit of a slog. Worth watching for the legend and the gore, but don’t expect coherence. Just sit back, enjoy the bridge, and try not to laugh at the dubbing.

Rating: ★★  | Year: 1979  | Watched: 2025-09-09

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Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Shudder · Arrow Video Amazon Channel
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Physical: Amazon UK

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Related on Movies With Macca

More from Lucio Fulci: City of the Living Dead (1980)
More from Italy: Nightmare City (1980) · Cemetery Man (1994) · One Way or Another (1975) · Chicken for Linda! (2023)
More from the 1970s: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Here and Elsewhere (1976) · Italianamerican (1974) · Punishment Park (1971)
More horror: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Viy (1967) · Nightmare City (1980) · Angst (1983)