zombie movies after George Romeroof groundbreaking night of the living dead (1968) The movie tends to zero in on the line between gore and violence. In a sense, Romero broke down a door that no one had been able to convincingly open before. It was extreme for the era and a whole other level of scary and terrifying, which gave the horror genre another tool to generate fear. Unfortunately, many movies rely too much on violence (especially those about schools) Lucio Fulci, Bruno Matteiand Claudio Fragasso in Italy). They were so caught up in it that they forgot they also borrowed another part of Romero’s zombie movies: social commentary.
What Romero succeeds in presenting to the horror genre is a monster that carries social criticism with its rotting skin and broken limbs. This is what makes Jorge Grau1974 The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue To differentiate itself from the zombie movies that came after it night of the living dead. It ticks the gore box, but it also makes sure the social criticism box is ticked, too. The film understands that to follow in Romero’s footsteps, it needs one without the other. Otherwise, it could easily have become a hollow affair based on blood and guts. Why choose one over the other when you can have both?
The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (also known as Let the sleeping corpse lie and don’t open the window) is an Italian/Spanish production directed by Grau and began Christina Garbo and Ray Lovelock Two hippies (Edna and George) meet as they travel to the English countryside, only to discover that an experimental radioactive agricultural tool used to kill insects also resurrects the dead. A series of deaths leads to a local inspector (played by) Arthur Kennedy The two outsider hippies are immediately suspected to be the culprits, setting off multiple ideological conflicts between conservative symbols of authority (the police) and those who question authority (the two protagonists).
In other words, there’s a very strong “fuck the police” energy in this movie. Once the undead began migrating from the cemetery to the small village where the movie takes place, the Inspector was apparently the reason the zombie problem worsened. Bleed the necessary amount of blood to illustrate this point.
The film spends a lot of time showing Edna and George before the zombies take center stage. We sense they are leaving big cities for places that are more down-to-earth and easier to manage, if only temporarily. The opening montage of chaos in London makes this clear. The trade-off quickly became apparent, though. The country folk do not welcome the “strange” and possibly evil members of a new generation disturbing their idyllic peace.
The zombie violence brilliantly demonstrates the discriminatory and backward nature of the village and its police force. Zombies appear in the form of recently deceased drunkards and local denizens who live and die without ever stepping outside the confines of their geographical bubble. Edna and George’s fashion sense stands out here in a worrying contrast to the polite, conventionally dressed locals. They are fish out of water, far from any popular habitat.
Grau sets an impressive pace for the story, saving the more gruesome parts so they can have greater impact later on. This is similar to how Dawn of the Dead The more shocking death is saved for the final act of the film. Scenes of burning corpses, mass dismemberments and heart-wrenching moments are all staged when the zombie problem gets out of control. It becomes a symbol of the breakdown of society and how people choose to fight each other to the point of no return rather than solve the problems at hand before they destroy them.
Arthur Kennedy’s conservative inspector plays a huge role in this aspect of the story. He wastes no time in expressing every ounce of his contempt to Edna and George. In his mind, with no hard evidence, the case was clear when two hippies stepped into his orbit. It’s a special kind of hatred that also brings about movies like this easy rider (1969) and Romero’s own Knights (1981) Keep in mind that trying to survive outside the constraints of the system can lead to tragic outcomes. In this case, it all culminates in the closing shot of the hospital, where Grau lets his zombies embrace the carnage and perform some of the film’s bloodiest kills (especially the one the receptionist encounters). It happens much like in Romero’s “Death” movie. Saving the best for last.
The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue is a well done socially conscious zombie movie. It’s brutal and angry, and doesn’t compromise anything in the process. The violence on display in the story delivers such a message, making it one of the best films of its kind and one that Romero fans would do well to seek out. You’ll face the dangers of small-town ignorance, but you’ll also want to stand up to the powers that be once the dust settles.
