lemon_magic I like this movie a lot, and don't regret the effort it took to track down a copy. It's different enough from the Romero/Fulci sort of zombie movie that you don't feel as if you are watching the "same old, same old". In fact, it's actually more of a ghost story, with a bunch of "Old, Dark House" elements expertly integrated. Tons of atmosphere, lots of creepy and unsettling passages, great use of color and sets, and just enough actual mayhem and gore to stun and shock. (The off camera screaming we hear at several points in the story is in some ways the most upsetting part of the film.Still, the movie is a little too slow for my American tastes. And the dubbing for the lead protagonist doesn't do the actor any favors. And my sensibilities (again) bridle at the way the script treats the conspirators - they're just a bunch of normal sociopathis jerks with insane ideas, and the only serious threat they have is Zeder. We never see what happens to most of them because the movie is concentrating on the "Monkey's Paw" ending. And the movie is perfectly OK with torturing and maiming and killing women and little girls. (It is Italian, after all). But if you are a fan of horror and want to see something different from your run of the mill zombie/ghost story, you owe it to yourself to see this.

schism101 Pupi Avati's ZEDER, is a different take on the undead genre, but is not a zombie film outright. Rather than being all out 'dead rising from the graves and feeding on the flesh of the living' the film takes its time to build up tension and atmosphere, that adds a genuine sense of creepiness to the films tone. A young journalist, given a typewriter as a present from his girlfriend discovers some text written on the ink ribbon, and threw this mysterious text he uncovers a past story of a scientist called Paolo Zeder, who discovered areas of terrain that can revive the dead. The journalists investigations lead him to a group of outlaw scientists who are attempting to reconstruct these experiments in the present day. Avati clearly goes for atmosphere over gore, though there are a few scenes where we see the aftermath of some murders, the film doesn't show any bodily mutilation, and instead the films builds up tension and dread through suggestion and use of sound, and characters reactions. It's a clever and excellent choice of direction that makes ZEDER stand out as an intelligent and if slightly obscure and offbeat entry into the living dead cycle.

chaos-rampant Admittedly The Italians managed to maintain a successful movie industry for 30 years by keeping up with the standards and box office hits from the other side of the Atlantic. Occasionally these imitations of American hits surpassed the originals and sometimes they led to the creation of entire sub genres that flourished for years (like the spaghetti westerns or the previous sword and sandal craze of the 50's). However Zeder is solid proof that every now and then an original movie with a fresh concept would surface.The first 3/4 of the movie rely more on mystery than horror as the story slowly but steadily unfolds its twists. Pupi Avati (of The House with Laughing Windows fame) opts for a story-driven piece here and thus forgoes all the gruesome (and much beloved) trademarks of early 80's Italian horror and instead focuses on atmosphere and suspense. As a footnote, the core of the plot isn't as original as one might think. The telluride zones of power which supposedly cover the surface of the earth and provide healing or regenerating powers of various sorts have been researched for a long time now. Supposedly all ancient places of importance (such as temples, obelisks, oracles or pyramids) are built on these zones and serve as antennas that amplify this geological kind of power. The Avati brothers cleverly combine this theory with a living dead subplot and in the process craft a very unique take on the zombie mythos.However Zeder is far from your typical flesh eating romp. Most of the murders are off screen and the focus is strictly on atmosphere, mystery and the supernatural than graphic violence. In my opinion this slightly hampers the effect of the film. A full blown zombie apocalypse near the end would flow naturally from the story AND provide that extra oomph! that would propel Zeder to a different level. There's a beautifully crafted climax near the end, complete with top notch camera work and some genuinely chilling visuals that actually begs for a climax larger in scale, that is sadly not materialised. It would just feel right. Avati opts for a "romantic" closure instead of full blown zombie mayhem or even an iconic zombie moment like the closing of Zombi 2 with the zombies marching towards the city."What if"s aside, Zeder is a success. It might seem relatively tame in comparison to Zombi 2, yet in the same time infinitely classier than your average Italian z-grade zombie flick of its time (Virus I'm looking at you). It comes with an interesting concept, a story that is actually interesting and suspenseful enough to hold your attention as it unfolds and some genuinely creepy moments and imagery. The script needed a little more polishing to flesh out the story better, but Zeder is clearly ambitious and I can't fault it for that. It deserves to be watched by open-minded fans. Just don't expect a zombie movie in the vein of Fulci or Mattei.

The_Void The general consensus of Italian filmmakers seems to be that they specialise in making trashy, gory and derivative horror films in a number of set and overpopulated genres. This view is not exactly unfounded as a lot of Italian films are cheap and trashy, and often rip-offs of successful American films. However, Pupa Avati can't be pigeon holed in the same way; despite making films in popular Italian genres such as zombies and Giallo, his films are by no means cheap and trashy and certainly not rip-offs either. Anyone going into this film expecting a zombie movie along the same lines as 'The Beyond' will be sorely disappointed, as Avati's film prefers to take the slow and thoughtful approach. The plot focuses on a journalist named Stefano. He is bought an old typewriter by his girlfriend. He soon notices that there's something written on the ribbon and after deciphering it, he uncovers the story of Paulo Zeder; a scientist from the 1950's who discovered that certain types of ground, which he calls "K-Zones', have the power to resurrect the dead...A lot of people have called this film "thinking mans horror" and while that could be said of it, the argument that the film is boring does carry a little bit of weight also - needless to say, this film is not what springs to mind when one thinks of an Italian zombie film! The film is very slow and the plot is very strung out over the ninety seven minute running time. There are moments in the film that are boring, and this is problem; but Pupa Avati, as he proved with his earlier film The House With the Windows that Laugh, certainly has a penchant for slow burn horror and the overall film does manage to remain interesting for the duration. There are some good ideas on display, although I'm not sure if this really should be called a "zombie movie" as it's more along the lines of a mystery thriller. There are a few good moments of horror, though the zombies aren't flesh eating. The best idea of the whole film doesn't come until almost at the end - and by then it's a bit late as there isn't time to explore it, which is a shame. Anyway, Zeder is an interesting horror flick and while it won't appeal to all tastes, I can still recommend it.