To many fans of Italian horror cinema, Lucio Fulci is one of the best filmmakers of all-time. Beginning his career in film all the way back in 1950, Fulci worked in a broad range of genres which included Comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, but also in the Horror world where he built a massive following. Thanks to films such as 1972’s Don’t Torture a Duckling and 1979’s Zombi 2, perhaps one of his biggest films was 1980’s City of the Living Dead. The first of what is called Fulci’s Gates of Hell Trilogy, it was followed by The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery which came a year later in 1981. Each having their own unique qualities that they stand alone on, to many, City of the Living Dead is arguably one of the goriest Italian Horror flicks of all-time. Now, to some gore is just eye candy for the depraved, but Fulci had an extremely artistic way about his films… and City of the Living Dead is no different.
Recently celebrating the 43rd anniversary of its release in Fulci’s native Italy, City of the Living Dead arrived in 4K on August 15th. An exciting prospect to long-time Fulci fans, for those who remember, City of the Living Dead made a debut on DVD all the way back in 2000, on Blu-ray in 2010, and initially in 4K back in 2018. The 2018 4K release was thanks to the UK’s Arrow Video, but at this stage that limited release is hard to find and extremely expensive. Thankfully in 2023 Cauldron Films offer fans worldwide an opportunity to own City of the Living Dead in 4K, fully restored with a brand-new Dolby Vision™ color grade, and exclusively commissioned by them. So, the big question is what is amidst this exciting new package?
Well, there is really a lot to dig into, and to many, it could be the most complete worldwide edition of City of the Living Dead ever to be printed. Complete with three discs, you get City of the Living Dead (4K UHD Feature on 1 disc), it on a Blu-ray on another disc, and a Blu-ray extra disc with loads of cool extras. These extras include tons of interviews, so you can get various perspectives on the film, plus a bunch more features. Additionally, the art to the set is double-sided… so if you partial to one of the arts over the other, you can flip it around. Created by Matthew Therrien, who grew up with an appreciation for the care put into the illustration of ‘80s VHS covers, honestly, both pieces of art are really quite beautiful, and you might just want to flip them around occasionally simply to change it up.
Really a well put together set, the biggest selling point is the 4K transfer which is nothing less than stellar. Clean, clear, and rich in color, somehow the film’s original ominous, eerie atmosphere is not scarified. An extremely important aspect to point out, City of the Living Dead, among other films from this era, rely heavily on the atmosphere, and some might fear a modern 4K transfer would result in the film’s sanitation. Well, this is not the case, and it is really nice to see City of the Living Dead in this presentation because you pick up on details you may have not noticed prior. And with that, the more graphic aspects of the film are even more effective. In fact, you really get a deeper appreciation for the make-up and effects work which will just remind you that practical effects that are over forty years old still look better than any CGI from the modern era.
For those who have never experienced City of the Living Dead before, give it a watch, pay close attention to the unique filmmaking style of Fulci, and be educated on what makes a true Horror film effective and fun. Overall, Cauldron Films’ 4K release of City of the Living Dead is top notch and a must have for Lucio Fulci fans. That is why Cryptic Rock gives it 5 out of 5 stars.
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