House By The Cemetery: Zombie Movie Or Not?
Where do we draw the line on what is and what is not a zombie movie? We just can’t decide on our own, so every Monday we’ll post a new movie to be debated by, you, our readers and ask the question: Zombie Movie Or Not? Every Sunday we’ll post our findings and possibly strike that movie off our Zombie Movie List. The week should give you enough time to rent the movie if need be or you desire.
What every reader must keep in mind is that there are two basic types of zombie that every zombie movie based off of - the Voodoo Zombie and the Romero Zombie. The Voodoo Zombie, while not always raised by Voodoo necessarily, is basically a person, either undead or entranced, that is controlled by a person or entity for the purpose of completing tasks, often killing. Romero Zombies are basically mindless, flesh-eating undead whose bite will turn victims into zombies. Now, not all movies adhere to all of these rules, but if the basics are there, you got a zombie movie.
This weeks debate is over Lucio Fulci’s House By The Cemetery Starring Katherine MacColl.
IS: The Doctor is an undead zombie feeding on the living to stay alive.
IS NOT: The Doctor is hardly a zombie, not even undead, he’s more like Frankenstein’s Monster, if he even ever died.
Now it’s up to you, reader. What do you think? House By The Cemetery: Zombie Movie Or Not?
I think so, yes.
If it’s Fulci and has a creature that kills with its teeth, it’s a zombie movie to me.
The “zombie” in the movie is just a guy who has been keeping himself alive by using parts from people he has killed. I suppose in a metaphysical way, this is him feeding on the living, but he’s not a zombie. I don’t think he even kills with his teeth.
Just because it’s a Fulci movie doesn’t make it a zombie movie. It’s not even very good.
NOT a zombie movie.
not a zombie movie because the guy is hardly deadish
yes,zombie movie
johnnydc: What makes it a zombie movie?
Okay, House by the Cemetery. This has always been one for me that could go either way, as it has similarities to different sub-genres within the horror genre. I originally included it on the zombie film list because it is part of Fulci’s well known “zombie trilogy” (with City of the Living Dead and The Beyond). And while these films really have nothing to do with each other, they have always been lumped together by their creator and the viewers. The “zombie” Dr. Freudstein stays alive by consuming human flesh: “He needs human victims, to renew his cells, that’s how he stays alive!” This film falls somewhere between a zombie and an anthropophagus/ cannibal film. Because of the films origin (developing out of Fulci’s expansion of the zombie mythos) and it’s similarities to other zombie films (especially films like Burial Ground or the Blind Dead series), I would include it as a zombie film. I would never call it a zombie film simply based on the fact that it’s a Fulci film. But, it the end, I would say YES. Please feel free to argue with me now…