Don’t believe the dead will stay dead or knock the appeal of so-bad-its-still-bad 1980s horror.
When director Bruno Mattei’s Night of the Zombies* hit video stores in 1983, the classic Motion Picture Marketing (MPM) VHS box cover delivered the eye-grabbing grindhouse look. The resultant viewing experience dropped jaws when magnetic tape unveiled a notoriously wretched shambling-dead opus.
Times, tastes, and cultures change—audiences that experienced the film on video in 1983 and beyond can now enjoy the 99-minute version of cannibalistic corpse mayhem in its glorious North American 4K UHD debut. The release, under the title, Hell of the Living Dead, generously delivers the good stuff, including an archival interview with the late Mattei and others involved with the film. We’re talking a massive 120 MINUTES of extras.
Zombies back in the day
Hell of the Living Dead riffs on George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1979) on a .98-cent budget, with Mattei’s name on the USA release title Night of the Zombies switched to “Vincent Dawn.” Hell also attempts to mimic the success of Lucio Fulci’s Zombie (1980). The old VHS box featured a zombie reminiscent of the skull-faced one from Fulci’s Gates of Hell (1980).
Originally planned as a more grandiose film, the budget suffered significant cuts, like Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985). Sure, it looks supremo cheapo, but zombie mayhem, firefights, excessive gore, and ridiculous dubbed dialogue made it perfect for grindhouses and VHS horror fans.
Newfound love & horrors
Fanzines of the 1980s and 1990s highlighted Hell’s campy nature and liked to rag on the overall badness. Over time, Italian zombie completists helped the film gain a mild cult following. Anyone digging on The Beyond (1981) or Burial Ground (1980) might enthusiastically add this curio to their collection.
Severin Films will unleash Hell of the Living Dead on May 27, 2025.
(*Not to be confused with director Joel M. Reed’s outing with the same name.)