In addition to that factor, there's also some nice country locations which utilize the unique old buildings located there with. Certain elements of this seem like thought and expense were put into the making of what otherwise would be your typical no budget zombie movie, just another one of dozen gore fest horror movies released on the grind circuit in the 1970's. Fortunately, this is not one of those, and the results end up being one of the better teen focused horror movies of that time.

What makes this film work above others is the fact that the story is nearly believable and the atmosphere is appropriately macabre, a testament to the care that Italian and Spanish filmmakers put into their horror films than American filmmakers did. Yes, there's a bit of unnecessary nudity, but it comes and goes so quickly that it's easy to forget that it was there. The zombie creation (the result of tainted insecticide that stirs up churchyard corpses) is an interesting idea, and the dialog isn't as insipid as what you'd normally expect from films like this.

Veteran American character actor Arthur Kennedy provides name value among a basically decent international cast of actors of various European backgrounds. The young heroine (Cristina Galbó) has a unique look about her, attractive yet not a raving beauty, and delivers the goods. Ray Lovelock adds sparkle with his spunky performance. The settings are so memorable that it makes me long for a documentary focusing on the great horror movie settings of Europe.

This Italian movie was filmed in the UK and features mostly dubbed actors. However, Arthur Kennedy provides his own voice...and that's a real shame! THis is because you assume he's supposed to be Irish but his accent comes and goes...and often he just sounds like an American. It also is a movie with 16 different titles!

The film is set in a rural part of the UK. Some folks from the Department of Agriculture have deployed a machine that kills bugs by using sonic waves or the like. However, folks don't realize it also causes gestating babies to be born evil and the dead become flesh- eating zombies. Some people witness this but, of course, the police are too stupid to listen. In fact, no one seems to learn anything from all this and it ends of a very downbeat note!

The film is a mixed bag. On one hand some of the characters act like inexplicably like idiots. For example, in one scene Martin is being killed while his girlfriend just stands there screaming (a bad movie cliché) and when the zombie comes after her, her reaction is unintentionally funny! There's also a stupid scene where a guy can't start his car and his girlfriend is driving off...and he never bothers to honk the horn, just yell! Duh. Despite people being dummies now and then, the film IS pretty exciting. The blood, gore and other effects are excellent for the early 1970s and the movie does have a very scary aura about it. Worth watching...just make sure NOT to think too much while watching this gore-fest....and it really IS awfully gory.

An Italian/Spanish production, this zombie gut-buster is an outstanding surprise: a NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD rip-off which is actually as good as (if not in some ways better) than the film it seeks to cash in on! This atypical movie transcends the usual quality of European rip-offs of major American films by having a complex and thorough plot, complete with a number of interesting plot strands; plenty of twists and unexpected occurrences; a real sense of unpredictability about it in that no member of the cast is "safe"; plus plenty of wit and intelligence in the script, for once, which makes it easy to ignore the dubbing which usually ends up as a cultural boundary for foreign viewers.

The acting is top-notch from the cast all around, especially Ray Lovelock who creates a likable yet tough leading man in George, complete with dodgy British accent in the English edition. Cristina Galbo has an underwritten role as the female lead but does what she can, while a number of supporting actors and actresses play surprisingly moving and sympathetic characters, a fact which makes the gory murders all the more harder to take. Acting honours go to Arthur Kennedy as the fascist cop, who is simply brilliant; it's a shame he didn't go on to make his own series as this guy. Now that I would have payed to see! A groovy '70s soundtrack is interspersed with more subtle and horrifying music in the zombie scenes, which also use pulsating noises to disorientate the viewer. Plus that creepy breathing which adds a lot to the physical horror. The makeup effects for the zombies is effectively gruesome (especially that autopsied corpse) and the gore effects by Giannetto de Rossi are every bit as good as his later work for ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS and the like.

On top of this, the film makes fine use of the beautiful British countryside for many of its locations, which give it a really picturesque look to counteract the horror on display. From woods to rolling hills to mountains to green fields, this film is beautiful to behold. The unexpected twist ending is another original moment and simply adds to what is already a very frightening and effectively creepy movie. A scene with homicidal babies in a hospital is particularly disturbing, as is the aforementioned cemetery action where the corpses rise from their coffins after being smeared with blood. Packed with incident, plenty of exciting action, gore, good acting and lots of zombies, this is a classic movie which deserves a much bigger audience than it already has - and thankfully, with the recent DVD release of this film in America, it finally seems to be getting the recognition it deserves. Top-notch, exciting stuff, and bravo to director Jorge Grau and his crew in creating such an intense movie experience. Definitely one of my top Spanish movies.