Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Erotic Nights of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 21, 2018

Joe D'Amato's "Erotic Nights of the Living Dead" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage video program with actor Mark Shannon; highlights from the film; promotional stills with actress Laura Gemser; and trailers. In English, not subtitled. Region-Free.

The beautiful stranger

Cult Italian filmmaker Joe D’Amato left a massive legacy of films and a few have appeared on prestigious genre lists that knowledgeable film buffs like to compile. They are not exactly masterpieces, but colorful films that were representative of an important trend. Interestingly, D’Amato’s career ended in the adult business and a lot of the work that he did there is equally well regarded by a completely different group of film buffs.

The Erotic Nights of the Living Dead is a hybrid project that follows the steps of the various Emanuelle films while blending horror and explicit erotica. It is remembered only because of cult star Laura Gemser’s contribution, which is minimal at best.

The ambitious American businessman John Wilson (Mark Shannon) closes a lucrative deal that instantly makes his the owner of a small and isolated tropical island. Shortly after, he hires veteran sailor Larry O'Hara (George Eastman) to transport him and his new mistress to the island. Immediately after O’Hara’s yacht reaches the island the mainlanders a mysterious beauty named Luna (Gemser) and an elderly man who warns them that they are entering a new and dangerous world that they know nothing about. Wilson initially dismisses the warning as crazy talk, but after a series of bizarre happenings completely changes his mind.

Two-thirds of the material is completely unrelated to the official story. D’Amato and Shannon -- who once had the reputation of a genuine Italian hunk who can make love to multiple women at once and for as long as needed so that the man behind the camera can get all the right shots – basically do a series of explicit erotic scenes and in between add some cheap quasi-zombie footage that provides the film with its proper horror identity. Meanwhile, Eastman tries very hard to remain professional during the fun activities and when Gemser’s character emerges in an odd sort of way becomes overwhelmed by her beauty. Add to the mixture a very atmospheric synth score courtesy of Marcello Giombini and this is the entire film.

Clearly, the film isn’t worth seeing for the story, so what is left is the atmosphere. Unfortunately, it is probably average at best, and strangely it is actually the zombie footage that hurts it. All of it appears to have been done with an incredibly small budget and without a clear idea how to strengthen and advance the story, so instead of being an essential it emerges as something of a distraction.

The good news is that the rest is classic, though admittedly not exactly top-quality, eccentric Italian genre entertainment. For example, Shannon’s businessman just like that spots some single ladies and brings them to his hotel room and after some quick fun they totally lose their minds and run away without getting paid. The noise of course piques the interest of his neighbor, who turns out to be an even more attractive seductress who has been dying to hook up with a stranger that can keep up with her sex drive. A bit later on, the sailor is also treated to a private striptease dance that culminates with a surprising number involving a big champagne bottle. So, it is one of those “anything goes” films.

Erotic Nights of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Joe D'Amato's Erotic Nights of the Living Dead arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red.

The release is sourced from a new remaster and the film certainly looks healthy. However, the remaster retains all of the limitations -- native and age-related -- that must have been present on the vault elements that were accessed to produce it. So there are obvious density fluctuations, some scratches and marks, and even a few traces of light fading. The good news is that no attempts were made to repolish and resharpen the film, which is why it has a somewhat dated but also rather pleasing organic appearance. The color grading is good, but ideally the primaries should boast better saturation and the nuances should be a lot more convincing. All in all, there is certainly room for meaningful improvements, but this is a decent filmic presentation of Erotic Nights of the Living Dead. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Erotic Nights of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The audio was clearly overdubbed by the film's producer, so as it is usually the case with these types of English tracks there is unevenness and even a few minor balance issues. On the other hand, the music is very clear and for the most part nicely rounded. This being said, there are a few minor pops and hum here and there that a proper elaborate remaster would have picked up and removed.

Erotic Nights of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Boogie with the Star - Interview with Mark Shannon - in this video program, actor Mark Shannon talks about the good old days when he appeared in numerous explicit films and traveled the world with different film crews, his professional relationship with Joe D'Amato, the difference between the professional and non-professional actors that were hired to do the most explicit sex scenes (with great comments about Caligula 2), his love and admiration for the late adult actress Moana Pozzi, the impact that his reputation had on his personal life, etc. The program, which is part of a larger documentary, was directed and edited by Federico Caddeo. In Italian, with printed English subtitles. (28 min, 1080p).

• Evidence of the Dead - Laura Gemser Gallery - a collection of promotional stills from the film. With music. (5 min, 480/60i).

• Confessions of the Dead - Featurette - a collection of highlights from the film. With music. (28 min, 1080p).

• Trailer Gallery - trailers for other Code Red releases.

Erotic Nights of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Erotic Nights of the Living Dead is one of the weaker but still somewhat attractive genre films from Joe D'Amato's massive legacy. It was made at a time when D'Amato was already shooting straightforward adult films, so it is actually not terribly surprising that the eccentric erotic material in it is of better quality than the zombie footage. I'd recommend it only to folks who have a soft spot for this very particular type of period "anything goes" entertainment. The release is sourced from a decent new remaster and also features a very entertaining video program with the legendary Italian actor Mark Shannon. RECOMMENDED.