Revenge of the Dead

It's a shame some video companies mis-market films in a deliberate attempt to get consumers to rent or buy movies based on false assumptions. Zeder is one such film that sadly falls into this category here in the US. Ravenous zombies claw their way out of man-hole covers and sewer gratings on to city streets in search of human flesh... or at least that's what the box depicts. Unfortunately for some, Zeder was never intended by anyone, other than the US video distributors, to be a zombie movie! What Zeder is, is an inventive horror-thriller that has quite a few unique ideas that, while fumbled at the very end, are engaging and fresh. More of a horror-mystery than anything else, a writer follows a trail of strange events that lead him to a secret society of occultists who are experimenting with some ancient, highly secret ways of returning the dead to life. This is a much simplified version of the plot and I don't want to give too much away. There are some great creepy moments and lots of plot twists. Granted the film ain't Zombie, just like it ain't Gusseppe Verdi. You shouldn't expect it to be either one. Take it as it is and enjoy it or try and force it to conform to what you want it to be and be disappointed.

I love this movie. It is a real thriller/horror but with a particular scent of Italy. Nothing is taken very seriously, or not? You end up hissing "COS-TA" to everybody. It also displays a very young Gabriele Lavia, already gloomy and spooky.

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.

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!!

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.