lazarillo
An under-taker (Renzo Montagnini) unintentionally raises three accident victims from the dead while reading out-loud from a zombie pulp novel. He dies of a heart attack, but the zombies then turn around raise HIM with the same book, and the the four of them shamble off looking for food. After unsuccessfully trying to prey on passing motorists, they end up at an inn owned by the aunt of one of the men. After accidentally giving her a heart attack, they take over the inn and try dine on the guests, but their plans go hilariously awry as the movie turns into a parody of "Night of the Living Dead", its sequel (and Italian co-production) "Dawn of the Dead", as well as such classics as "Dead of Night" and even "The Wizard of Oz" This is a pretty funny movie (which is why I wish someone would release it with English subtitles). Keep in mind though it's not as exploitative as you might expect. Unlike modern-day, American zombie parodies that are every bit as bloody as the "serious" movies they're parodying, this has no more grue than your average Abbott and Costello or Three Stooges movie, so definitely don't go into this expecting a gory Italian flick like Lucio Fulci's "Zombi". The director of this, Nello Rossati, was responsible for the Ursula Andress sex comedy "The Sensuous Nurse", which thanks to a lot of late-night cable showings in the 80's is probably THE most well-known 70's Italian sex comedy for America audiences. I was definitely expecting more sex therefore. But even Montagnini, who typically played an unlikely stud in Italian sex comedies, doesn't manage to get laid here, and there is very little in the way of T and A. What there is, however, is provided by Nadia Cassini (who pretty much had the Platonic ideal of the perfect female "A").Cassini was probably the third most ubiquitous actress in 70's Italian sex comedies after Edwige Fenech and Gloria Guida. She was actually a trained dancer and she does a zombie striptease here that pre-dates the one done by porn star Jenna Jameson in "Zombie Strippers" by nearly 30 years. Of course, she does it without the benefit of special-effects make-up(and she doesn't go all the way regrettably), but it's much more hilarious because she manages to perform it in an awkward, shambling zombie gait. Much like Cassini's striptease, this isn't as high-tech or as an exploitative as the countless zombie (and zombie sex) parodies they make today, but it was really a film way ahead of it's time in 1979.
francesco75
I've been grown up with movies like this!And it was a really happy "cinematographic" childhood! And I usually guess about a possible success of them abroad Italy.Anyway this one is a bit original in this genre,thanks to his horror elements in the plot (there aren't so much interesting horror parodies in the Italian cinema..maybe except the mythical Paolo Villaggio's "Fracchia contro Dracula").Another doubt..I guess if George A.Romero has ever seen this movie,in fact there are some citations from his great trilogy (trilogy ..at the moment..eheheh!)about flesh eaters.No problem George,you don't miss nothing of unforgettable,but anyway it's worth a look,especially for Nadia Cassini's performance (mmmm..gnam!really eatable!)and the acting of Renzo Montagnani (one of the kings of trash,and an appreciated actor of theatre).After all a funny movie, recommendable…but for trash (and horror?) fans only.
