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"City of the Living Dead" is far from a perfect film but, even expecting that, it falls quite a bit short of good and ambles somewhat aimlessly in the fair category for me. Most of that good will falls on the soft spot I have for Italian horror and Fulci's better offerings to the genre. Don't behead me just yet Fulci loyalists. I proudly wear my Fulci Lives gear and partake of the man's work quite often but I'd be remiss if I ignored the shortcomings of his art which are, if we're being honest, many.
That being said, I have something of an unbridled appreciation for this movie despite my middling rating and it mostly falls on the fact that "City" is something of an ambitious project even as it fails to bring most of that to fruition. I, like many, believe that Fulci's magnum opus was his nightmarish vision of apocalyptic supernatural horror "The Beyond". It is a film that transcends it's trashy, gore-addled, and exploitative nature with its vibrantly imaginative scenes, stunning makeup work, eerie score, and its pervasively atmospheric apocalyptic vibe. I say all this because, in many ways, "City" plays out like Fulci trying to find his footing for what would eventually become "The Beyond". As a result, there are elements in it that are thoroughly effective despite how much the deck is stacked against the film.
And what is deterring this movie from being an all out classic? Many things. Those familiar with Italian horror cinema of the time are familiar with some of its trappings (namely bad dubbing, production values that vary wildly from scene to scene, questionable acting, derivative plots, overdependence on gore, etc.) and many of those are present here as would be expected. The worst offense the film commits is that it feels unnecessarily stretched out at times and, more worryingly, a bit all over the place.
There are quite a few scenes that would of benefited greatly from better editing when certain effects couldn't be achieved to their full potential. Instead the camera lingers and robs the scenes of their initial punch. The actors and the ADR voiceover work leave much wanting most of the time with the exception of Christopher George who makes the most of his role until, yes, he is somewhat unceremoniously dispatched. This is another issue, some characters are basically introduced to be canon fodder, even those that you might assume won't be. Well enough as the scenes of extreme gore are pretty impressive or at least fun to look at but sometimes this comes to the detriment of the story.
There is a vague nature to the supernatural goings on that I'd like to hope was intentional but most likely was not. This works both against and for the film at times. When it works for it, it adds to the thick atmosphere; when it works against it, it just makes you question the logic of far too much or, worse, the rules of the cinematic world.
Ultimately, "City of the Living Dead" feels a little slapped together, a bit unruly when it comes to its story, a bit unsure of itself, and hobbled by its technical/production shortcomings. HOWEVER, this does not mean you are left with no choice but to take this bad boy out behind the shed. In fact, there are those aforementioned elements that keep it near to the macabre heart and make me revisit every now and then.
Topmost among these, is the film's amazing omnipresent chilling vibe. There's something "otherworldly" about how this movie feels. Indeed, Fulci would perfect this tone in his follow-up "The Beyond" but that's not to say this one doesn't deserve a tip of the hat. Contributing to that eerie tone is Fabio Frizzi's awesome score. Frizzi's work in the genre is always noteworthy and this is no exception.
Of course, it would not be a Fulci flick without copious amounts of viscera and crazy effects and "City" delivers these in spades. Some of the less effective pieces even win me over with their charming ambition. Speaking of, a lot of the movie works because despite it fumbling in and out of corner cutting and ineptitude it still manages to get its intentions for scary set pieces across well enough that it becomes somewhat effective IN its amateurish nature. I could see a tighter edit of this movie being pretty close to damned good albeit sacrilegious for the mobs of fans that don't want anyone but its creators to touch it.
"City of the Living Dead" is not a good film but its a film with audacity to do things it couldn't reasonably expect to work given its limitations and that's somehow enough to make it charming. It's also surprisingly chilling in those moments you manage to succumb to its trance. It's not for everyone but fans of Italian horror, atmosphere, gore, or supernatural horror will find much to love even if they must contend with lots of pitfalls. For this reason, I'll give it a 5/10
