Zeder

Reading some of the reviews for this movie really gets me going. Kids,STAY AWAY FROM INTELLIGENT HORROR MOVIES!! Go watch another "Smiling Pervert Zombies" or something of that nature. This movie is way above your intelligence level and you will NEVER get it. Don't hate this movie because there is not enough zombies in it! It never promised to be a zombie gore fest. Instead,it is a great horror movie with a wonderful premise and some really spooky scenes("awakening in the coffin "scene!) Great,original movie and I LOVED it!! Well recommended!!

I bought this movie as "Revenge of the Dead", the cover had zombies rising out of the ground. Thankfully, I knew when I bought it, that it is not a zombie movie per se. I can see why people get ticked, but I rather enjoyed this movie. One person wrote it had good atmosphere and I would be inclined to agree. The plot is basically, a writer gets a present and for some reason is inclined to read the ink ribbon which reveals places known as k-zones. These are places where if a dead body is placed they come back. There are numerous things I have a problem with though despite enjoying it for the most part. Like why is this writer so obsessed with finding out what the k-zones are. There is a part where he talks to someone on the phone and you can't hear what is being said, and the movie kinda fizzles near the end. In fact the best zombie attack is at the beginning of the movie.

Pupi Avati's ZEDER, is a different take on the undead genre, but is not a zombie film outright. Rather than being all out 'dead rising from the graves and feeding on the flesh of the living' the film takes its time to build up tension and atmosphere, that adds a genuine sense of creepiness to the films tone. A young journalist, given a typewriter as a present from his girlfriend discovers some text written on the ink ribbon, and threw this mysterious text he uncovers a past story of a scientist called Paolo Zeder, who discovered areas of terrain that can revive the dead. The journalists investigations lead him to a group of outlaw scientists who are attempting to reconstruct these experiments in the present day. Avati clearly goes for atmosphere over gore, though there are a few scenes where we see the aftermath of some murders, the film doesn't show any bodily mutilation, and instead the films builds up tension and dread through suggestion and use of sound, and characters reactions. It's a clever and excellent choice of direction that makes ZEDER stand out as an intelligent and if slightly obscure and offbeat entry into the living dead cycle.

To my knowledge this was not supposed to be a zombie film nor was it marketed as a gory zombie, living-dead-type picture as some people may think. It IS a scary, atmospheric ghost story that builds slowly but very effectively. There are creepy sequences throughout the film and the only liability is the guy's voice who dubbed lead actor, Lavia. Otherwise it's one of the few movies from the 1980s from Europe or elsewhere that really stands up as far as creating an atmosphere of supernatural dread. Has a similar feel to some of the latest Japanese horror films such as Hideo Nakata's RING and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's CURE, SEANCE and PULSE. Well worth seeing, especially if you love horror films. Also check out director, Pupi Avati's latest ARCANE ENCHANTER, a great period ghost story. Unfortunately, Avati's scariest film, THE HOUSE WITH WINDOWS THAT LAUGHED is extremely hard-to-find in the U.S. in any form.

Avati's 'Zeder' is true maturity when reflecting on the Italian horror genre. This film does't deliver close-up shots of pig entrails, nor does it steal cannibal stock footage to liven up the pace. Instead, it relays a story that was conceived by a genius, and allows the viewer to piece together the puzzle in his or her mind. The old marketing campaign, which displayed a decaying zombie exploding over a sewer drain, was definitely used to lure in sales and deceive buyers. This was no fault of the producers or director, but of typical American greedy distributors. If your the type to not judge a book by its cover, you may find a gem. Besides, anyone that sees this film as being 'pointless', 'dull' and so on should probably stay watching Speilburg Hollywood Schlock! Oh yeah, have you noticed this film's plot is similar to that of King's 'Pet Semetary'? Many speculate one may have plagiarized the other. In truth, Avati filmed and released his product over a year before King wrote his book. This film is a thinking man's horror film. Check out Avati's House with laughing Windows if you like Zeder.