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Nightmare City – there are zombie films, and then there are zombies who have knives! And machetes! And axes! And those that just rip your face off.
Although made in 1980, since a lot of the action takes place within the confines of a TV station called Channel 5, this must’ve been set in the late ’90s as their primetime programme features scantily clad women in leotards, doing their best Pan’s People dancing.
And I thought this film was joking when it said the lead actor was Hugo Stiglitz, as that was one of the key characters in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, but it wasn’t. It turned out that Tarantino was honouring the actor.
So, what’s the plot? Their chief news reporter, Dean Miller (Stiglitz), is waiting at an airport to interview reknowned scientist Professor Hagenbach, but an unmarked military plane happens to land, and despite the fact that the ground crew are getting zero response from those inside, they still think it’s appropriate to get up close and personal.Perhaps it might be okay when the first person to step outside is the one and only Hagenbach? Well, no, because the plane was exposed to radiation and that’s why everyone inside are nuclear zombies! And some of them are zombies with what looks like piles over their faces! The army soon realise, however, that if you’ve got the means to blow them away, then aim for the brain!
(Click on the picture for the full-size version)
Some random observations about Nightmare City:
- I love how zombies, after chomping away at a fresh corpse, suddenly wipe away any trace of blood pouring from their mouth, as if to retain some sort of dignity.
- OF course, an Italian horror movie means it contains women exposing their breasts.
- Some of the people really do deserve to die, however, since they just don’t help themselves. For example, one woman just stands there as the zombie slowly points a sharp implement towards her eye and then into it! The fact he previously jammed it into her left breast somehow wasn’t an indicator to escape!
- And when two characters are trying to escape in their car, but have to take refuge in a petrol station, the zombies suddenly start opening up the boot of their car to have a look-see. Oi, you thieving bastard! Get the fuck away from that! Where do you think you are – Stockport?
- And, finally, one observation which I’ll wrap a spoiler tag around:
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.