Hell of the Living Dead (1980) directed by Bruno Mattei.
(MF Title: “Putting the Special back in Special Weapons and Tactics”)
Starring Margit Newton, Franco Garofalo and Jose Gras.
Zombie Film Rating:

Overview: Experimental project “Operation: Sweet Death” (who knew that would go horribly wrong?) at the Hope Research Facility in New Guinea experiences a slight technical glitch and as a result the staff are turned into zombies. When communication is lost with the facility a special Interpol SWAT team (fresh from killing a group of terrorists barricaded inside the American embassy) is immediately dispatched to determine exactly what has gone wrong.

The SWAT team find themselves dropped at an abandoned airport, unable to reach their base by radio, and eventually they proceed to their objective in a stolen Jeep Willys (with what appears to be AfricaKorps markings). On the way they discover a journalist and her cameraman under attack by a small group of the undead, and after the rescue they join forces and proceed together to the “Hope Center”, fortunately the journalist is an expert at exhibitionism and the local tribes, and so can act as a guide for the SWAT team.

What will they find when they arrive?

Summary: This film opens at the Hope 18 research facility, Professor Barrett is overseeing project “Sweet Death”, and numerous technical types monitor a huge console that confirms everything is running perfectly. Down in the bowels of the “module” two flunkys are checking for gas leaks (despite wearing aparatus that is clearly far from airtight), they discover a leak and a dead rat (in that order), and are about to report the matter when the dead rat wriggles its way into the aforementioned non-airtight suit of flunky 1, and chews through him in short order.

Alarm bells start ringing in the control center, and Professor Barrett and company rush down to the “module” to investigate the alarm, they discover the torn and tattered remains of one of the non-airtightsuits moments before they are set upon by the reanimated bodies of the gassed flunkies. Professor Barrett manages to escape the undead melee, and flees to his office to record the following;

“Experimental project “Operation: Sweet Death” must be considered a complete failure, some kind of degenerative process has begun which may be catastrophic for everybody. May God forgive us for what we have produced here, and pardon us for this thing we have created.”

We jump now to the American Embassy in Spain (I assume it’s spain, the cop cars are marked “Policia Urbana”), where terrorists have seized the building and are holding the ambassador and seven of his staff hostage until their demands are met. The terrorists have been demanding the closure of the Hope Centers, and a public announcement to that effect by the UN, the authorities have kept this information from the media.

A small SWAT team assembles in preparation for their assault, their orders to exterminate the terrorists, taking no prisoners. Despite the fact that the building is held by 7-8 terrorists in unknown locations, the assault consists of two SWAT guys walking in one of the ground floor doors, while the other two enter through a door to the roof. After killing a few random terrorists, they storm the room where the hostages are held, and gun down the terrorists (who have conveniently stood in a small group, away from the hostages).

The SWAT team next appears in the middle of nowhere, four blue jumpsuit clad troopers, in a desert camoflaged jeep trying to reach HQ on a handheld radio. They entirely fail to advise HQ that the airport was abandoned, and there is no sign of a local guide. Lacking any other option they decide to proceed to their objective using “dead reckoning” (A map would work too).

They drive through some stock footage, and find an abandoned village. Abandoned except for the five occupants of a landrover that has stopped here shortly before. Zombies descend on the hapless civilians, and the two survivors (a journalist and her cameraman) join the SWAT team in their journey.

More stock footage follows, and it’s determined that nudity is called for. With this in mind the journalist takes off her clothes and precedes the vehicles along a trail so that she can liase with the local tribes. Sadly even more stock footage follows, and yet more zombies break up the momentary respite at the small village.

The group departs hastily, and resumes their journey to the Hope Center, they leave their vehicles and board a conveniently located zodiac which takes them on the final leg of their trip. Once at the hope center the SWAT team displays it’s tactical ability by moving through the facility in a small densely packed group, and is whittled away as a result.

Quotes:

• “Just be careful you don’t get your balls wasted!”
  - SWAT Team commander
• “Are you ready? Good, now you guys back them up with guns and tear gas!”
  - Generic SWAT leader

Critique: This movie is hardly an award winning zombie flick, it does have several elements of the genre I enjoy (Army guys, guns, shambling zombies etc) and yet the movie falls flat time and time again. For the most part its the random insertion of stock footage that irritates, there is almost enough stock footage to reassemble the documentary it was taken from in whole. It’s a zombie movie, I really don’t need to spend ten minutes watching brids fly over lakes, and villagers dancing thanks.

The soundtrack is excellent, it should be it’s done by Goblin and features the exact same score as “Dawn of the Dead” ’78, which adds both a familiar feel and another sense of irritation to the entire affair.

Perhaps worst about this film is the SWAT team it features. Lacking the tactical ability of a pre-pubescent paintball team, they stumble hither and thither, swinging their rifles about and shooting from the hip. It’s clear the director was going for a “disgruntled veteran soldier” feel with these characters, but instead we get the impression that this “elite” unit is comprised of malcontents marking time, and we can’t help but wonder if they weren’t sent to their certain death because of it.

Overall the film is awful, there is some camp value but you have to be very, very patient.

The Final Word: I’d say this is one every zombie movie fan should see once, just to ensure a proper appreciation for the better examples of the genre.