Virus (1980/I)

Director:

Bruno Mattei
(more)

Writers:

José María Cunillés (writer)
Rossella Drudi (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

20 January 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

When the creeping dead devour the living flesh!

Plot:

A tough female reporter and her cameraman boyfriend team up with a four-man commando unit in the New Guinea jungle whom are fighting flesh-eating zombies.

Plot Keywords:

Flesh Eating | New Guinea | Chemical | Chemical Leak | Zombie

Cast

Margit Evelyn Newton	...	Lia Rousseau
Franco Garofalo	...	Zantoro (as Frank Garfield)
Selan Karay	...	Vincent
José Gras	...	Lt. Mike London (as Robert O'Neil)
Gabriel Renom	...	Max (as Gaby Renom)
Josep Lluís Fonoll	...	Osborne (as Luis Fonoll)
Pietro Fumelli	...	Man on TV
Bruno Boni	...	Josie's Husband
Patrizia Costa	...	Josie
Cesare Di Vito	...	Technician Lawson
Sergio Pislar	...	Technician Fowler
Bernard Seray	...	Barrett's assistant
Víctor Israel	...	Zombie priest
Pep Ballenster	...	Reporter
Joaquín Blanco	...	Professor Barrett
Esther Mesina	...	Woman in Bar
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carolyn De Fonseca	...	Josie (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Larry Dolgin	...	Osborne (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Edward Mannix	...	Lt. Mike London (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Elo Navarro	...	(uncredited)
Gennarino Pappagalli	...	Mr. Farrara - TV executive (uncredited)
Ted Rusoff	...	Vincent (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Gregory Snegoff	...	Terrorist Leader / TV Technician (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Robert Spafford	...	Third World U.N. Representative / Technician (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Susan Spafford	...	Lia Rousseau (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Pat Starke	...	TV Speaker (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Frank von Kuegelgen	...	Zantoro (voice: English version) (uncredited)

Directed by
Bruno Mattei		(as Vincent Dawn)
Claudio Fragasso		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
José María Cunillés		writer (as J.M. Cunilles)
Rossella Drudi		writer
Claudio Fragasso		writer
Bruno Mattei		writer (as Vincent Dawn)

Produced by
Sergio Cortona	....	executive producer
José María Cunillés	....	co-producer
Isabel Mulá	....	producer

Cinematography by
John Cabrera

Film Editing by
Claudio Borroni

Production Design by
Antonio Velart

Makeup Department
Giuseppe Ferranti	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Walter Brandi	....	production manager (as Walter Bigari)
Paolo Picchi	....	production manager
Marcelino Riba-Abizanda	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Claudio Fragasso	....	assistant director
Claudio Fragasso	....	first assistant director: second unit

Sound Department
Romano Pampaloni	....	sound
Paolo Picchi	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Carlo Aquari	....	camera operator
Allan Gornick Jr.	....	underwater cinematographer
José Gusi	....	camera operator

Music Department
Gianni Dell'Orso	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Beatrice Film
• Films Dara

Distributors

• Motion Picture Marketing (MPM) (1984) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Vestron Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• CMV Laservision (1998) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Cydonia Films (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Astro Distribution (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Blue Underground (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Merlin Video (1982) (UK) (VHS)
• Video Instant Picture Company (VIPCO)

Also Known As:

Apocalipsis caníbal (Spain)
Hell of the Living Dead (International: English title)
Inferno dei morti viventi (Italy)
Night of the Zombies (USA)
Zombi 4 (USA) (pre-release title)
Zombi 5: Ultimate Nightmare (Italy)
Zombie Creeping Flesh (UK)
Zombie Inferno

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Germany:(Banned) | UK:18 (re-rating: 2002) | UK:(Banned) (1984-2002) | UK:X (original rating: 1982) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Italy:VM14 | Italy:VM18 (VHS rating) | Australia:R | Canada:R | Norway:(Banned) | Spain:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:18 | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-16 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Badalona, Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Beatrice Film

Trivia:

In the first draft, Claudio Fragasso had followed the idea of an entire Third World made up of an army of zombies against whom the armed forces of the industrialized nations would have had to fight. However, the script had to be altered considerably due to budget limitations.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the abandoned house, zombies that are seen entering through the window upstairs are also seen entering from downstairs.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Discovering 'Evil Dead' (2002) (V)

Nice but could be better!

This was one of very few flicks that show zombies the way I believe they should have been - slow moving, no thinking, flesh eating, killed only by brain damage.

It was nice to see one of very few movies of "perfect zombie" type, but anyway the zombies were too slow. At some places of the movie they were almost not moving at all. Plot wasn't too good as well, but you could see that people who made the movie have been trying to do their best to achieve maximum effect for the zombie flick.

I could say the movie wasn't bad. And I mean it wasn't bad at all because I've seen plenty of zombie horror flicks and this was most close zombie flick to the Romero's films (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead). Even Return of the Living Dead weren't as close to zombie perfection as this movie were.