The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue Blu-ray Review
Written by Robert Gold
Blu-ray released by Synapse Films
Directed by Jorge Grau
Written by Sandro Continenza and Marcello Coscia
1974, 94 minutes, Rated R
Released on June 7th, 2022
Starring:
Cristina Galbó as Edna Simmonds
Ray Lovelock as George Meaning
Arthur Kennedy as The Inspector
Jeannine Mestre as Katie West
Jose Ruiz Lifante as Martin West
Vincente Vega as Dr. Duffield
Review:
One thing I learned from watching Edna take a road trip across England to visit her sister Katie is that she should never have stopped the car. Starting when she pauses to fill her gas tank, she accidentally backs over a motorcycle. The rider, George, doesn’t seem overly upset, but insists she take him to his destination and that he be allowed to drive. When they stop for directions and Edna is left alone at the car, a strange man comes along and attacks her. She narrowly escapes, but when George returns, the man is nowhere to be seen. When they finally do reach Katie, she is running out of the woods screaming bloody murder. It seems she has had a tragic run-in with the same stranger. There’s a prickly police inspector who is quick to blame George for a series of murders just because of the way he looks – and as if things couldn’t get more bizarre, the recently deceased are coming back to life and are hungry.
The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (No profanar el sueño de los muertos) was made during the waning days of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship that banned horror movies in Spain from 1936 - 1975. It was released and re-released internationally under numerous titles, including Breakfast at the Manchester Morgue, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Don’t Open the Window, The Living Dead and Zombi 3 among many others. Films receiving alternate names in different territories is nothing new, but this seems excessively over-marketed. Luckily, no matter what you call it, this is one horror tale that earns its cult following and remains highly effective over forty years after its original release.
The project was financed by an Italian studio, the director was Spanish and principal photography was located in Northern England. Adding to the international flavor, the cast is a mixture of Spanish, Italian and English-speaking actors headlined by Cristina Galbó (The House that Screamed) and Ray Lovelock (Autopsy). They star as Edna and George, two strangers forced together by chance and dependent upon each other for survival. Arthur Kennedy (Lawrence of Arabia) leaves quite an impression as the gruff police inspector who hates young people. The supporting cast includes Jeannine Mestre (Count Dracula) as Katie West and Jose Ruiz Lifante (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) as her husband Martin. Everyone is dubbed except for Kennedy, so it’s difficult to gauge performances, but the majority of the set-pieces contain minimal dialogue and are highly effective. Fernando Hilbeck (Demon with Child) deserves special mention as Guthrie, the lead zombie who is quietly menacing and will haunt your dreams.
Inspired by George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, director Jorge Grau takes the idea of the walking dead feeding on the entrails of the living one step further and tells a unique story in full color for the first time. Written by Sandro Continenza and Marcello Coscia, Manchester Morgue posits a timely and original reason for the reanimation of the recently deceased and offers a previously unseen manner in which a zombie can awaken other corpses. Grau’s zombies don’t run or speak and are not exactly bulletproof, but a simple shot to the brain will not always stop them, forcing some creative thinking to escape their steady approach.
The script has a lot to say about modern society and environmental issues and frequently takes a cynical tone when it comes to authority figures, scientists and law enforcement. The opening titles follow George on his motorcycle as he rides through a dirty, soot-covered urban environment where he has to wear a face covering to avoid smog pollution before escaping to the clean rural countryside. As for law enforcement, when the undead start claiming victims, the idea is too outlandish to be believed, but the police inspector is so convinced that some damn hippie punk like long-haired George is guilty, he refuses all growing evidence to the contrary.
The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is an atmospheric chiller that slowly builds tension before exploding in a surprisingly gory finale. The sequences of zombie mayhem in the cemetery and hospital in the second half of the picture remain powerful examples of Grau’s strength as a director. The real star here is special effects guru Giannetto De Rossi (House by the Cemetery), who excels at delivering bloody mayhem that must have driven audiences mad nearly fifty years ago. This Spanish/Italian take on the zombie genre presents some original ideas that haven’t carried over to future endeavors, making this one a singular experience. The zombies’ red eyes, raspy breathing and relentless pursuit are the stuff of nightmares. This title definitely deserves a spot in your collection.
Video and Audio:
Synapse improves upon all previous releases by giving the original camera negative a 4K scan and restoration with improved picture clarity presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The film was available on DVD from both Anchor Bay and Blue Underground, with the latter bringing it to Blu-ray with a respectable transfer. The Synapse edition is brighter and more colorful and improves detail in many of the darker scenes, like the zombie attack in the crypt. Color timing is also pleasing, with the zombies looking more natural by losing the bluish skin tone seen in earlier releases.
The original English mono dub is included for the first time in a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track that gets the job done without going over the top. Also on hand is a newly remixed DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track that spreads the atmospheric sound effects and music cues around the room. Your system won’t get an extreme workout, but the end result is satisfying. Dialogue levels are always clear and understandable and optional English subtitles are included for anyone in need.
Special Features:
If there is one stumbling block to this release, it is that Synapse has not ported over any of the generous supplements found on either the Anchor Bay or Blue Underground editions, so collectors will want to hang on to those discs. What we do get, however, are some decent offerings focusing on the director and make-up artist.
Up first there are two newly-recorded audio commentaries, the first with film historian Troy Howarth, who covers a wide range of topics, including an overview of eco-horror movies of the 1970s as well as an overview of Grau’s career. He goes on to discuss the work and chemistry of the cast and the influence of George A. Romero.
On the second commentary track, film historians Nathaniel Thompson and Bruce Holecheck take a closer look at Grau’s early directing work and where this film fits in the realm of Spanish and Italian horror. They share production stories and provide background information on members of the cast and crew. Their discussion is both interesting and entertaining and free from extended gaps of silence.
The main attraction in regards to bonus content is the feature-length documentary, Jorge Grau: Catalonia’s Cult Film King (2022, 89 minutes), that offers interview footage with the late director reflecting on his lengthy career intercut with comments and analysis from a handful of film historians and authors providing context as to the environment in Spain at the time. Grau goes on to share his inspiration and influences for making the film and how it revitalized the zombie subgenre. There is an all-too-brief moment with special effects artist Giannetto De Rossi, who deserves his own extensive documentary, but luckily he turns up elsewhere on this disc. The interviews are conducted in an even mixture of English and Spanish with English subtitles.
In The Scene of the Crime Gianetto De Rossi in Discussion from Manchester (2021, 15 minutes), the late artist shares his memories of this film and the work he has done creating memorably gory effects on other genre movies. He throws some shade at Romero’s zombies but respects the effort and goes on to discuss his work with Lucio Fulci. De Rossi speaks English with a thick Italian accent and English subtitles are provided.
The most entertaining supplement is a Q&A with De Rossi recorded in 2020 at the Festival of Fantastic Films, UK (42 minutes) in which he is rather candid in his remarks about working on both genre and mainstream films. He tells an amusing story of working with Sylvester Stallone on Rambo III; is embarrassed of his time on Emanuelle in America; and doesn’t hold back in his opinion of famed producer Dino De Laurentiis (Silver Bullet). He has some stinging words about fellow makeup artist Carlo Rambaldi (King Kong, 1976), who constantly needed help from his young assistant Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London), whom De Rossi praises as a true genius. We also get stories from his work on David Lynch’s Dune and Alexander Aja’s High Tension. He’s a funny guy who is too old to give a shit anymore and his stories are fantastic. As above, this featurette is in English with subtitles.
The original theatrical trailer is paired with two TV spots and two radio spots.
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