Hell of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Hell of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 22, 2025

Bruno Mattei's "Hell of the Living Dead" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with Bruno Mattei; archival programs with Margie Newton and Franco Garofalo; archival program with producer José María Cunillés; interview with punk rock singer Peter Bywaters; vintage trailer; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

A half-drunk Adriano Celentano, constantly bumping into the zombies and trying to sing a couple of his hits, would have transformed Hell of the Living Dead into an instant cult classic. Or, perhaps Celentano should have been completely wasted and left to self-destruct, like Dennis Hopper is in Mad Dog Morgan. Why not? There is so much ridiculous, utterly chaotic content in Hell of the Living Dead that luring someone like Celentano right in the middle of it and leaving him to crash and burn would have been the ideal excuse for its existence. Bruno Mattei could have claimed that it was impossible to restrain Celentano, so he had to improvise and, in the process, did the best he could while nearly losing the Italian star.

If you are shaking your head now and refusing to accept that Hell of the Living Dead could be that kind of a ridiculous Italian genre film, you obviously do not have a proper grasp of the work some Italian directors did during the ‘70s and ‘80s. They did way, way crazier material than the one Philippe Mora shot with Hopper, and it is why so many of their films are now regarded as cult films. Some of this material was meant to be this way, but a lot of it just turned out that way. In Hell of the Living Dead, there is a bit of both, but telling which is what is impossible, hence the suggestion about Celentano. He would have eliminated the need to properly identify the two.

In its current form, Hell of the Living Dead can only be described as an undercooked mish-mash of ideas, most of them borrowed from various bigger and better films, American and Italian. There is no need to name these films because the final product does not make them appear as quality donors. Rather, it suggests that they and their strengths were wildly misunderstood.

In a top-secret nuclear facility somewhere in the New Guinea jungle, a team of scientists fumbles an important experiment that unleashes a deadly gas. Shortly after, the scientists and staff members become zombies, and when the gas enters the jungle, the members of several local tribes begin evolving into zombies as well. After taking out several terrorists at the area’s only U.S. embassy, the most experienced members of a highly efficient S.W.A.T. team are dispatched to neutralize the zombies and reclaim the top-secret nuclear facility. Along the way, they are joined by two journalists, a man and a woman, eager to document what is shaping up to be the story of the century.

Mattei is not in control. He shoots random material and inserts stock footage in it to sell the journey through the New Guinea jungle as an authentic event, which is a trick that a few other Italian directors pulled off rather well in a couple of famous films about cannibals. Here, all of the stock footage looks very dull, and the random footage, quite a bit of which produces the most graphic content, is borderline amateurish. The action is seriously underwhelming as well. Most of the time, the S.W.A.T. commandoes simply look like random guys trying their luck in an audition for a third-rate action film.

The complete film is hilariously surreal, but it is definitely not effective as a funny parody. It is ridiculous in that indefensible way that makes its existence look like a nuclear accident, too. The shockingly good soundtrack that Goblin created is its one and only redeeming quality.

Hell of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hell of the Living Dead arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration sourced from the film's original camera negative. The 4K restoration is also available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release.

I viewed different parts of the film in native 4K and in 1080p on the Blu-ray, and thought that it looked equally great on both. It is because the quality of the 4K restoration is every bit as impressive as that of Rats: Night of Terror, which was recently redone in 4K and released by Severin Films as well. However, Hell of the Living Dead utilizes plenty of stock footage that introduces various, some rather substantial fluctuations in terms of density, delineation, clarity, and depth. Obviously, these fluctuations are inherited, so you should expect to see some small drops in quality. The rest of the film can look pretty spectacular. Color reproduction and balance are very convincing, too. All primaries and supporting nuances are wonderfully set and look very, very healthy. The daylight outdoor footage can look particularly striking, though the limitations of the production are still easily recognizable. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is good. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Hell of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH (for the English track) and English (for the Italian track) subtitles are provided.

I viewed the entire film with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, which should be considered its original track. Considering the overall quality of the production, I would say that the 2.0 track performs surprisingly well, especially in areas where Goblin's electronic music is expected to make a difference. However, the action material is not going to impress folks who appreciate the potency of contemporary mixes, plus some of the outdoor footage has bits with small yet noticeable unevenness introduced by the overdubbing. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

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

• Go to Hell - in this program, Bruno Mattei mentions several horror films that inspired him many decades ago and explains how Hell of the Living Dead came to exist. Mattei also reveals how several actors were cast, including Margie Newton and Franco Garofalo. The program was produced by Manlio Gomarasca. In Italian, with English subtitles. (13 min).

• The Beauty and the Zombies - in this program, actress Margie Newton recalls how she auditioned for her part in Hell of the Living Dead and what it was like to work with Bruno Mattei and other cast members. Newton also comments on her naked scene. The program was produced by Manlio Gomarasca. In Italian, with English subtitles. (13 min).

• My Big Chance - in this program, actor Franco Garofalo explains how he fell in love with cinema and recalls his contribution to Hell of the Living Dead. The program was produced by Manlio Gomarasca. In Italian, with English subtitles. (22 min).

• Lt. Mike London is Back! - in this program, actor Jose Gras discusses the evolution of his career and recalls how he was offered his part in Hell of the Living Dead. Gras also comments on how several of the big action sequences were shot. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (27 min).

• I Will Never be a Zombie - in this program, actor Bernard Seray reveals how he was offered his first part in a film and discusses his involvement with Hell of the Living Dead. Seray also comments on the heavy makeup he had to wear in various areas of the film. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (11 min).

• My Son is a Zombie - in this program, actor Pep Ballester recalls how a local Spanish agent offered him his part in Hell of the Living Dead and what it was like to work with Bruno Mattei and other cast members during the production process. Ballester also comments on the heavy makeup he had to put on each time he went to work. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (9 min).

• Producing the Apocalypse - in this program, producer Jose Maria Cunilles reveals that Hell of the Living Dead was born out of an Italian project by Roberto Di Girolamo, which initially was seen as a disaster. Cunilles also comments on the production process, which apparently was unusually complicated because it required plenty of permits from the Spanish authorities. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (6 min).

• Papua New Guinea in Barcelona - in this program, Jose Gras visits various locations in Barcelona that were used in Hell of the Living Dead. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (43 min).

• Peter Bywaters - in this program, Peter Bywaters from Peter and the Test Tube Babies explains what made him fall in love with punk rock and how one his band's tracks ended up in Hell of the Living Dead. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original international trailer for Hell of the Living Dead. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for Hell of the Living Dead.

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

Some cinematic disasters can be hugely entertaining, especially if helmed by a fearless Italian director with a great imagination, working with a big star willing to crash and burn in it for a decent paycheck. Hell of the Living Dead is not that kind of genre film. It is hilariously surreal, but in a way that ultimately makes you feel sad that it was completed. If you are a diehard fan of Italian genre films, you can pick up Severin's release because it brings a gorgeous recent 4K restoration of Hell of the Living Dead. However, you will be much happier if you pick up Rats: Night of Terror, a vastly superior genre film that also looks great after it was restored in 4K.