Zombie Holocaust (1982)

Misleading

This is a very misleading name.

There is no "holocaust" of zombies, unless you consider a group of 4 shuffling zombies a holocaust.

This move should be called Cannical Holocaust...With Zombies, because that is exactly what it is. Although Cannibal Holocaust isn't a grand movie, it is still actually better than this title, which is attempting to rip it off in a way.

Back in the late 70's/early 80's, zombie films and cannibal films were making big money. Zombie Holocaust is a lame attempt to cash in on BOTH genres at the same time by throwing zombies in what is basically a cannibal/mondo movie.

But the most important fact here: this movie just isn't that great. It is boring, with bad acting, bad zombies, silly tribal cannibals and people somehow managing to get eaten by cannibals who barely comprehend something as complicated as the wheel.

Your money would be better spend elsewhere June 5, 2008

Fun Italian gore-feast!

A mad scientist who also happens to be part of an island cannibal tribe in New York City as he's taking human body parts from the hospitals and graveyards leaving the police baffled. A group of explorers and researchers alike must try to find this mad lunatic of a scientist on an island, over there the scientist creates Frankenstein-esque experiments of zombies and has his cannibal tribe to do the work for him.

Entertaining Italian made horror action shocker that plays as both a zombie flick and a Cannibal movie but without the animal cruelty like some Italian cannibal movies. Ian McCulloch is a good horror actor as always much like his counterpart in "Zombie (a.k.a. Zombi 2)", the story is a little mediocre but the nudity and graphic gore make up for that in this gut-munching and fun zombie flick with memorable moments like a zombie getting his head mutilated by a boat motor and of course some realistic operation sequences that aren't for the squeamish.

This DVD contains decent picture and fine sound with some good extras like Trailers to this and other Shreik Show trailers, Poster and still gallery, talent bios, interview with special effects artist Mauritzo Trani and scenes from "Tales that will tear your heart out" that was added to the U.S. cut known as "Dr. Butcher MD".

Also recommended: "Man from Deep River", "Zombie (a.k.a. Zombi 2)", "Night of the Living Dead (1968 and 1990)", "Dawn of the Dead (1978 and 2004)", "Day of the Dead (1985)", "Demons", "The New York Ripper", "Hostel 1 & 2", "Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror", "Cannibal Ferox", "Jungle Holocaust", "Apocalypto", "The Untold Story", "Ebola Syndrome", "The Toxic Avenger", "Maniac (1980)", "Land of the Dead", "Diary of the Dead", "Grindhouse", "The Dead Next Door", "City of the Living Dead (a.k.a. Gates of Hell)", "Re-Animator", "Bride of Re-Animator", "Beyond Re-Animator", "The Serpent and The Rainbow", "House By The Cemetery", "Silent Hill", "Men Behind The Sun", "The Devil's Rejects", "The Hills Have Eyes (2006)", "Dead Alive (a.k.a. Braindead)", "Cemetery Man (a.k.a. Dellamorte Dellamore)", "Hell of the Living Dead (a.k.a. Night of the Zombies)", "Cannibal Apocalypse", "The Beyond", "Bloodsucking Freaks", "Versus", "Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky", "Ichi The Killer", "Eaten Alive (1980)" and "Cannibal Holocaust". March 25, 2008

Worth a watch

Zombie Holocaust or Dr. Butcher M.D, is yet another offering from the Italian zombie/cannibal genre that has gone on to achieve a mild cult status. Perhaps the most infamous aspect of the film is its striking similarities to Lucio Fulci's Zombie. As well as featuring Zombie's lead actor Ian McCulloch and the actor that played the Dr's assistant whose name escapes me, the climax of Zombie Holocaust actually features some of the footage of the burning barn from Zombie's ending. However Zombie Holocaust is a zombie/cannibal hybrid film that often goes in a much different direction than Zombie.

The story of the film begins with a series of mysterious organ robberies from the corpses at a hospital. When the culprit is discovered he commits suicide, and upon further examination, the markings of a cannibal tribe are found tattooed on his body. Four journalists/anthropologists venture to the islands to further investigate these crimes with the help of a renowned local doctor. (Dr. Butcher unbeknownst to them!) As they search the jungle for the tribe, they one-by-one fall victim to the savage cannibals within the forests as well as encountering a few undead residents as well. Could all this somehow be connected or part of Dr. Butcher's sadistic experimentations?

I feel that "Zombie Holocaust" is somewhat of a misleading title in that there are barely any zombies to be found. They only make a couple appearances in the entire film, and there is no flesh eating at all. Instead they are more like the Doc's mindless servants/soldiers that he uses to control to cannibals because they fear the creatures. The film is largely cannibal oriented, and while it doesn't reach anywhere near the extremes of Cannibal Holocaust, it still boasts some heavy blood and guts.

Overall it's your typical Italian zombie outing. Loaded with gore, wooden acting, poor dubbing, if you're viewing this product you most likely know the type. I wouldn't consider it essential viewing, but if you're in need of some gore or B movie charm, Zombie Holocaust will provide you with the thrill you are seeking. January 12, 2008

Good plot but too much talk not enough action

This movie just wasn't packed with enough zombie action for my personal taste. It was a lot of talk and not enough zombies/action. I was pretty disappointed. If you're looking for gore and lots of it pick a different film. This film is slow moving and not gory enough for my insatiable appetite for zombies, guts, gore, and the macabre. September 11, 2007

What do you get when you cross, "Zombie" ,"Cannibal Holocaust" and "Re-animater"?

Zombie-caust-imater??? No, Zombie Holocaust! It can't decide if it wants to be a zombie movie, a cannibal movie, or a mad-scientist movie, and thats not a bad thing. Who doesn't want to see zombies and cannibals working together to completely devour man-kind? I mean, c'mon....
The gore is spectacular and some of the best I've seen. The special effects are done by Sergio Salvati who has done most of Fulci's gore stuff and it shows. If you like zombies, cannibals or zombie-caust-imater's, this ones for you. July 24, 2007

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