Directory of the Dead 2: Nights of Terror

For my second installment of Directory of the Dead, I chose a fairly unpopular, even sometimes considered bad movie.  This movie is pretty insane, the dialogue is atrocious, the special effects are laughable, there's hardly a story, and a forty-something dwarf plays a young boy.  It's that bad.  Now, here is why you should watch it!

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...

What are the zombies like?

Directory of the Dead 1: Zombi 2

Now that The Walking Dead is done for another season, what are all you zombie lovers going to watch?  It just happens that flesh-eating zombie movies have been around for almost fifty years, so we are far from a shortage of zombie carnage to enjoy.

Today movie is the spotlight is the 1979 Italian movie, Zombi 2.

What about Zombi 1?

Zombi 2 is known as about 47 different things around the world.  There are  multiple reasons for this, but one reason in particular is fairly interesting.  Dawn of the Dead was released in 1978 and boosted the zombie genre to fame.  Night of the Living Dead started it, but there wasn't a major movie until Dawn came out, then it boomed!  At the same time George A. Romero was making Dawn of the Dead, Italian director Lucio Fulci was creating his own zombie film set on a island.  Dawn of the Dead was released as Zombi in Italy and much of Europe.  After the huge success of Zombi, the title of this film was changed to Zombi 2, to give the impression it was a sequel.

In the United States, there never was a film called Zombi, as it was Dawn of the Dead, so in the United States, Zombi 2 was released as Zombi.

Why is Zombi 2 important?

Zombi 2 was the first one many, and I mean many, Italian zombie films.  While not solely responsible for the boom in zombie films, Italian film makers kept the genre populated for years.  This movie spawned a sequel, Zombi 3, and two other films stealing the title Zombi that are not actually related.  Also, this movie has a zombie fight a shark.  For real.

What's it about?

The plot is fairly simple.  A boat drift into the New York Harbor, a couple harbor patrolmen board, and they find a zombie in it.  The zombie kills one officer, then falls off the boat into the harbor.  A woman is brought into the station because her father owned the boat.  At the same time, a reporter is assigned to investigate this boat.  The reporter and daughter meet on the boat and find a note saying her father is on an island with a horrible disease.  They go to find him, and I bet you can guess the disease!  Dead Island kind of has a Zombi 2 feel.  I wouldn't say they are the same, but there are some similarities.

What are the zombies like?

The zombie in Zombi 2 are similar to classic Romero zombies.  They crave flesh, are dead, walk slowly, and their bites are fatal.  The main difference here is apparently anyone on this island is infected.  At one point, some Spanish Conquistadors from a LONG TIME ago raise through their burial and do same damage.  Don't let that turn you off, this movie is great.

What to look forward to in this movie?

Well, there is a zombie that fights a shark!  Besides that, there is a great scene where somebody face is pulled into some splintered wood, and the person gets a good size piece to the eye.  There is also a scene with some people holding out in a church, it's very cool and very dramatic, but count the number of rafters that fall from the ceiling in this scene.  It is so much more than the building could possible have, and it would have to collapse after the first few fell anyway!  All the special effects in this movie are gory and great.  It was part of the UKs Video Nasties.

Zombie Kill of the Week?

Zombi 2 Streaming Options