Today's film is the 1981 train-wreck, Nights of Terror.
What its title?
The films original Italian title translates to Nights of Terror. This seems odd as the terror only takes place in one night, but more on that later. The official US DVD title is Burial Ground: Nights of Terror. The film has also been released in English speaking countries as The Zombie Horror, The Zombie Dead, and Zombi 3 (there it is again).
Why is Nights of Terror important?
The short answer is this film isn't important. Obviously, for the most part, this blog is opinions, and I won't tell you it is anything else. The films is a textbook example of an exploitation movie. Ridiculous violence, sex, and anything considered taboo. Exploitation films have a major part of the history of film, if only just to prevent of from repeating the past. This film literally has two sex scenes within the first nine minutes, and a third beginning, although interrupted, at the sixteen minute mark. They aren't holding back here.
The zombie carnage begins in the opening scene really, but the main characters of the film encounter zombies about sixteen minutes in as well. This movie doesn't mess around with story. Obviously, this is a flaw, but are you really watching old Italian zombie movies for their in depth storylines? In addition to the sex and violence, there is a literally a dwarf playing a small child who has a slight incest fetish for his mother. He wants to breast feed, and I think he is round twelve maybe? I'm not sure, he looks forty!
What is it about?
As I have stated before, there isn't a whole lot of story here, and the little story that there is might be hard to follow. I'll do my best to give a spoiler free synopsis.
Some scientist is studying a crypt in under or around some mansion. He accidentally releases some stone of some kind, and awakens the dead. Prior to these events, this scientist apparently invited three couples, one with a child, to this mansion for a weekend vacation of sorts.
The next morning, after a sex filled evening, the couples eat breakfast together and begin their day. Two of the couples end up in the grounds of this beautiful mansion as zombies attack. The power to the building is somehow cut, and eventually the survivors of the attack retreat into the mansion for safety. The survivors try to hold out in the house until morning...
