Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

City of the Living Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson October 15, 2023

Debuting in its home country the same year as Argento's Inferno (1980), Fulci's City of the Living Dead has become a watershed in Spaghetti Horror. The picture enjoyed considerable distribution worldwide. It was not critically well received in the UK and US (where it was released as The Gates of Hell), however. For example, the Evening Sentinel (Staffordshire, UK) blasted it for its "breathtaking ineptitude and stomach-turning gori­ness....has an atrocious and wholly in­appropriate electronic score by Fabio Frizzi....this is quite poss­ibly the most revolting spectacle ever depicted on the cinema screen." Dick Fleming of the The Daily Times (Salisbury, MD) wrote that it "occupies a new low spot in the subterra­nean levels of tasteless filmmaking. Not only is it revolting for its gruesome content, it is so lacking in intelligence or creativity it makes the third Friday The 13th seem downright original. Most of the dialogue is dubbed, and although the story is set in New England, everyone — including George — speaks in weird guttural voices that are typical of many cheaply made foreign imports." Film critic Eleanor Ringel of The Atlanta Constitution blamed her experience on poor dubbing: "a badly dubbed, idiotic sleazefest with nothing to offer but an abundance of filmed animal innards. The Gates of Hell is nothing more than a garishly stupid rip-off of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead that stoops to desperation schlock tac­tics. The only interesting aspect is watching the mostly-European cast try to adjust their Continental cadences to director Lucio Fulci’s muddled vision of Middle America — sort of a heartland smothered in mozzarella."

Has the priest become a Count Dracula?

A few other critics appreciated Fulci's style, though. The Evansville (IN) Courier's Patrice Smith deemed it "the goriest horror flick to splatter local screens since Texas Chainsaw Massacre....Fulci’s team creates grisly visual images which fit perfectly into the movie’s plot." The Wichita (KS) Eagle-Beacon's Bob Curtright gave it a more mixed review, but was amused nonetheless: "this surprisingly well-filmed, but stupifyingly [sic] inane horror flick is a hoot of the first order...Parts are dubbed in 'just folks' English, giving rise to the suspicion that even if the spa­ghetti Western is dead, the spaghetti spook tale is alive (so to speak) and well....a visceral carnival of deli­ciously disgusting special effects, the very sort that kids love to go 'iiick!' over."

To read additional thoughts on the film by my colleagues Marty Liebman and Brian Orndorf, see their reviews for Blue Underground's BD-50 from 2010 and Scorpion Releasing's limited edition from 2020.

City of the Living Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cauldron Films' late summer release of City of the Living Dead arrives as a 3-Disc Retail Edition. (The UHD is Region "All," Disc Two is Region "A," and Disc Three is Region "All.") My screener also came with a sheet of stickers featuring characters and props from the film. The film appears in its originally exhibited aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The UHD comes with a 4K (2160p) presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR10. It's important to keep in mind while watching CotLD the film stock used has a rough and gritty look. This is a terrific restoration undertaken by Cauldron. There's natural film grain and artifacts have been minimized. Daylight scenes, such as the opening cemetery scene in Dunwich, look the clearest. The darker image on the 4K sometimes accentuates murkier details. The HDR occasionally shows off its full effect. The image on the Blu-ray is noticeably brighter in the nighttime scenes and in general. The same scan appears to be used on Discs One and Two.

Cauldron offers "seamless branching" in which you can watch the film in the English language with English credit sequences, and also watch the Italian language version with Italian credit sequences. The BD-66 (feature size: 53.0 GB) delivers a mean video bitrate of 79.3 Mbps along with an overall bitrate of 81.7 Mbps for the full disc. The Blu-ray is given an MPEG-4 AVC-encode on a BD-50 (disc size: 31.64 GB), which carries an average video bitrate of 37138 kbps.

Screenshot #s 1-14, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, & 35 = 4K Ultra HD (downsampled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, & 34 = Blu-ray (2023 Cauldron Films BD-50)

Cauldron has provided twelve chapters on the first and second discs.

City of the Living Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cauldron has supplied an English DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1597 kbps, 24-bit) and an Italian DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono track (1132 kbps, 24-bit), the latter of which is accompanied with standard English subtitles. These mixes appear on both the UHD and feature presentation on the Blu-ray. The bass beats from Fabio Frizzi's score pulsate and boom along the fronts in the first reel. Antonella Fulci writes in the liner notes for Beat Records' 2019 album titled Lucio Fulci's Gates of Hell Trilogy that Frizzi utilized a Mellotron for the synth playing. That and the guitar riffs are employed to memorable effect.

The main weakness on the two mixes has to do with how sound was picked up, not for any subpar mastering effort on Cauldron's part. Dialogue sometimes comes across as too low and soft. It seems that there was dubbing on both the English and Italian tracks. Unlike reviewers at the time, I don't consider the English audio a bad dub. Fault is more attributed to the recording equipment. Stephen Hunter of The Baltimore Sun noted that it sounded like it was "re-recorded in a studio the size of a phonebooth on recording equip­ment that couldn't have cost more than $9.95 so that they are utterly without timbre or emotion; then they clumsily dubbed over actors who are speaking in Italian." While the Italian mix is the preferred track given that actors sound the most authentic in delivering their lines, the English track isn't a bad dub by any stretch. Fulci's innovative sound design should be applauded and reappraised. Terry Kelleher, an arts writer for the Miami Herald, observed: "When the dead start pushing against the sod, the sound effect is that of a squeaking door." The aforementioned critic Curtright noted that "as they [the dead/undead] ravage the countryside — that must have been taped in the jungle build­ing of a nearby zoo at feeding time. They all sound like cackling parrots and chattering monkeys."

City of the Living Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Cauldron spent several years prepping its own extras, which appear on physical media this year for the first time. Other bonus materials have appeared on prior DVD and BD editions. Cauldron has also ported over extras from Arrow Video UK's 2018/19 remastered re-release.

Disc 1: 4K UHD Feature (1:32:47, 2160p)

• NEW Audio Commentary with Film Historian Samm Deighan - a superb commentary track by Lucio Fulci expert Samm Deighan. She has seen City of the Living Dead at least fifty times and knows every shot and piece of sound from the film. Deighan also has extensive knowledge of Fulci's filmography and contextualizes this movie within the Italian auteur's body of work. She does an outstanding job of explaining how Fulci's brand of horror differs from classic monster movies and American slasher films. She classifies this picture as "folk horror." Deighan articulates how the film relates to Greek myth and alludes to its Biblical references. In the last section of this feature-length track, she expresses an appreciation for Fabio Frizzi's score. In English, not subtitled.

• Archival Audio Commentary with Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson - this feature-length track was originally recorded for Scorpion's 2015 release. Howarth is the primary commentator. Like Deighan, Howarth has seen this movie at least fifty times. Howarth is critical of how some of the actors were used. He compares the cinematic styles of Fulci and Argento. Howarts imparts biographical material about Fulci. Thompson contributes valuable information about the release history of City of the Living Dead (including a Japanese LaserDisc) and language dubs. A heavily informative chat. A dog is heard barking in the background at the beginning while the track was recording but luckily, the canine quiets down and isn't heard again. In English, not subtitled.

• Archival Audio Commentary with Actress Catriona MacColl Moderated by Jay Slater - this older commentary was intially recorded for the 2003 UK PAL DVD part of the Vipco Screamtime Collection. In English, not subtitled.

• Archival Audio Commentary with Actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice Moderated by Calum Waddell - this feature-length track was originally recorded in 2010 for Arrow Video UK's BD and DVD editions. In English, not subtitled.

Disc 2: Blu-ray Feature (1:32:47, 1080p)

• NEW Audio Commentary with Film Historian Samm Deighan - this is the same commentary as Disc 1.

• Archival Audio Commentary with Film Historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson - a facsimile of the commentary track from Disc 1.

• Archival Audio Commentary with Actress Catriona MacColl Moderated by Jay Slater - this older commentary was intially recorded for the 2003 UK PAL DVD part of the Vipco Screamtime Collection. In English, not subtitled.

• Archival Audio Commentary with Actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice Moderated by Calum Waddell - this feature-length track was originally recorded in 2010 for Arrow Video UK's BD and DVD editions. In English, not subtitled.

Disc 3: Blu-ray Extras

• NEW Zombie Kings: An Interview with Massimo Antonello Geleng (45:46, 1080p) - this 2017 interview was conducted by Eugenio Ercolani. Geleng looks like he is at his rural abode in the Italian town of Rieti (Lazio). This is a fascinating and highly detailed interview. Geleng talks about working as a painter in the art department for Fellini's films and also briefly for Visconti. He covers his work on Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and several other films. Geleng gives the many sides of Lucio Fulci. He describes the production design of City of the Living Dead and how the wind effects were achieved. Additionally, Geleng compares the portrayals of zombies in Michele Soavi's movies with other Italian, as well as American, directors. In Italian, with optional English subtitles.

• NEW Requiem for Bob: An Interview with Giovanni Lombardo Radice (28:00, 1080p) - another featurette produced by Eugenio Ercolani. In this 2017 interview in Rome, Radice appears relaxed at home with his dogs. He immediately got my attention when he brought up how Deep Red (1975) and Alien (1979) made a big impression on him. Radice discusses his familial roots and details his career in the theatre. He also goes into his positive relationship with Lucio Fulci and friendship with Michele Soavi. Radice recounts an unforgettable episode Fulci had with the girl who portrayed Venantino Venantini's daugther in City of the Living Dead. Radice also spends time explaining how the crew pulled off his famous scene. In addition, Radice discusses collaborating with Ruggero Deodato, other filmmakers, and several Italian actors. In Italian, with optional English subtitles.

• The Meat Munching Movies of Gino De Rossi (26:34, 1080p) - this 2012 interview and workshop tour with makeup effects artist was conducted by Calum Waddell and Nick Frame. In Italian with English subtitles.

• Carlo of the Living Dead, an archival interview with actor Carlo De Mejo (18:13, 1080p) - Calum Waddell directed this interview of De Mejo, which Arrow put on its 30th Anniversary Edition of the film. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW On Stage: Q&A with Venantino Venantini & Ruggero Deodato (46:03) - Ercolani organized this Q&A in Rome, which was held on August 28, 2017. This is an extended discussion with Venantini and Deodato about their craft. In Italian with English subtitles.

• Catriona MacColl Q&A from The Glasgow Theater (20:08) - this Q&A with MacColl was filmed at The Glasgow Theater on March 13, 2010, which is moderated by Waddell. Questions are both spoken and subtitled in English.

• Music for a Flesh-Feast: Fabio Frizzi Q&A (29:25) - this Q&A with composer Frizzi was co-hosted by Calum Waddell and Nick Frame at The Glasgow Film Theatre in August 2012. Frizzi talks about how he first became involved with City of the Living Dead, the instrumentation for his score, scoring specific scenes, the differences between scoring movies decades ago compared to TV shows in the 2010s, and other subtopics. Frizzi speaks in both English and Italian. When he switches to Italian, Frame translates for him. Speakers' voices are sometimes hard to hear. This would have benefited with subtitles added.

• Catriona Maccoll Video Intro from 2001 (5:14) - this brief interview with Maccoll was recorded for an old DVD release, possibly for UK-based Vipco's PAL DVD. She shares her recollections of working with Lucio Fulci and what she's been up to since apart from acting. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW A Trip Through Bonaventure Cemetery (4:49) - this featurette was produced in October 2022 by Cauldron Films. A camera on a drone glides above and navigates below to survey the graveyard in this Savannah, Georgia cemetery. This was one of the filming locales for City of the Living Dead.

• Paura, Lucio Fulci Remembered Vol. 1 (42:42) - these archival interviews with cast and crew were first included on the 2009 Tempe DVD. As Cauldron writes in its prefatory note, the user can navigate through each interview by using the Chapter button on remote control. Several of the interviews are in English and not subtitled. Compulsory English subs accompany the Italian interviews.

• Trailers (6:35, 1080p) - three trailers for CotLD. The first two are in English and third is in Italian. Trailer #1 (unrestored) delivers a cautionary message that no one under 17 will be admitted into the theater unless accompanied by an adult. Trailers #2 and #3 are longer and have been fully restored.

• Image Gallery (8:41, 1080p) - a slide show consisting of 103 individual images (with duplicates of several pictures) related to the production and publicity of City of the Living Dead. These comprise lobby cards, promotional photographs, on-location snapshots, ad slicks, VHS covers, and pages from an exhibitor's manual. The advertising materials come from foreign markets, especially Germany. The color photos are high-res and look very nice.

• [Easter Egg] Video Tape Version of The Gates of Hell (1:32:10, 480i) to access this videocassette edition, arrow left from Image Gallery and an when the text lights up, press Enter. English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (320 kbps), no subtitles.

• [Easter Egg] Playgirl's "Man for June" 1974 article on Christopher George (2:40) to access this magazine article, arrow right from Image Gallery and press Enter.

City of the Living Dead 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A bonafide classic of Italian zombie cinema, City of the Living Dead has high replay value. (That said, if you have a phobia of rodents like I do, you'll probably cringe and turn away at such moments.) Unless Arrow Video releases its own deluxe package in UHD/BD and adds more extras, this standard three-disc set from Cauldron Films will likely remain the definitive release. I am glad that Cauldron has offered two presentations of the picture on separate discs. I watched the Blu-ray in 1080p without any upscaling enabled on my player. I will likely revisit the BD more so than the 4K because the latter is too dark at times and occludes certain details. Cauldron has not remixed or upmixed either the Italian or English tracks, a smart technical decision. Supplements are bountiful. Cauldron put significant effort into the recent ones it produced. While the price tag is pretty steep, this set comes VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.