Zombi 2 | 25 August, 1979

Zombi 2

"Zombie 2," directed by Lucio Fulci, is a 1979 Italian-English zombie film. It serves as a sequel to George A. Romero's "Zombie" (1978), with a screenplay adapted from an original script by Dardano Sacchetti. The film was released in Italy under the title "Zombie." It stars Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, and Richard Johnson, and features a score by Fabio Frizzi, a frequent collaborator of Fulci. Frizzi's music was released separately from the film and performed live on tour.

Set on a Caribbean island cursed by voodoo, the film follows the dead residents who rise as zombies to attack the living. The story begins when the daughter of a scientist discovers her father's abandoned ship in New York City and travels to the island. Intended as a return to the "classic zombie story," "Zombie 2" was shot in Italy, with additional locations filmed in New York and Santo Domingo.

Produced on a modest budget of 4.1 million Italian lire, the film achieved international box office returns several times its production cost. It sparked controversy upon its release in the UK, where it was shown under the title "Zombie Flesh Eaters" and classified as a "video nasty." However, over the years, it has received greater acclaim from critics and developed a cult following.

Plot: An abandoned ship drifts into New York Harbor, and two patrolmen board it. A hidden zombie kills one of the patrolmen but is shot and falls overboard by the other. The dead patrolman's body is taken to the morgue, where it resurrects. Ann Bowles is questioned by the police as the ship belonged to her father. She claims that her father was researching the Caribbean island of Matul. British journalist Peter West (Ian McCulloch) is investigating the story. He and Bowles discover that Bowles' father was suffering from a strange disease on the island. They hire a boat and two guides (Brian Hall and his girlfriend Susan Barrett) and arrive in Matul.

Meanwhile, in Matul, British doctor David Menard and his wife Paola are researching the zombie resurrection phenomenon. Paola wants to leave the island, but Menard insists on staying. That night, Paola is alone in the house when zombies attempt to enter. She manages to push the door shut but one zombie breaks through with its arm. Paola is dragged through the hole, killed, and her eyes are impaled on splintered wood.