Overview: When a priest hangs himself in a cemetery, he opens the gates of hell in the mysterious New England town of Dunwich. At the same moment, Psychic Mary Woodhouse (Catriona MacColl- House By the Cemetery, The Beyond) enters a trance and witnesses the cosmic events unfold, causing her to seemingly die of fright.

After being buried alive, she is rescued by skeptical reporter Peter Bell (Christopher George - Pieces, Enter the Ninja, Rat Patrol) who joins her on the journey toward Dunwich to help close the gates of hell before evil is unleashed upon the world!

Will they be able to close the gates in time or will the souls of Dunwich be forever stuck in the twilight void?

Blu-ray Verdict: Lucio Fulci’s gut-spewing, brain smashing, head drilling, Lovecraftian zombie nightmare features an amazing list of Italian talent behind the scenes with a screenplay co-written by Dardano Sacchetti (Rat Man, Demons), special FX by Gino De Rossi (Zombie, Cannibal Ferox) cinematography by Sergio Salvati (Contraband, The Beyond), and soundtrack by Fabio Frizzi (Contraband, The Psychic).

With supporting performances by Giovanni Lombardo Radice (Phantom of Death, House on the Edge of the Park), Carlo De Mejo (Contamination, House by the Cemetery) and Janet Agren (Rat Man, The Iron Commissioner), City of the Living Dead is among the greatest Italian Horror films of all time!

Cauldron Films is honored to spew forth the worldwide UHD debut of Lucio Fulci’s Italian Horror classic from an updated 4K restoration, with a brand new Dolby Vision™ color grade, exclusively commissioned by Cauldron Films, along with hours of new and archival extras! 3 Discs Include 4K UHD Feature, Blu-ray Feature and Blu-ray Extras Disc Double sided Blu-ray wrap with artwork by Matthew Therrien.

Lucio Fulci is a horror icon. He may not be as well known to many film goers in North America as his iconic status was cemented some twenty years ago, but if you like films by Wes Craven and M. Night Shyamalan and even David Fincher, then you can look at Fulci and say that his work has inspired some of theirs. This is the first film that I saw of Fulci’s and it was when I was a teenager and didn’t appreciate a film like this.

All I saw in it was a blood and gore soaked film with some really violent deaths. How can one forget the drill to the head? To this day, I still think that actor was actually killed on the set? They really did put the drill bit through his brain and captured it on film for artistic integrity.

I am obviously kidding of course, but is the effect the film will have on you. Films like this are brutal and disgusting and if you like horror films that are high on gore, then Fulci and his counterpart, Argento, are the best in the business. I have always found Italian splatter films to be awe inspiring. They are so much more creative than your typical American horror films. That has changed into the new millennium, but there is still nothing like this on the market.

Fulci’s films, like Craven’s 70’s films, would be edited and chopped to bits before anything like this would ever be released. And that is a travesty as the vision and the creativity involved in making a film like this not only takes gusto, it takes talent. Fulci is about as good as they come for this genre.

City of the living Dead (aka Gates of Hell is simply a great gorefest with atmosphere to burn. The Fabio Frizzi score is catchy, as always, and frilled with dread and a certain awe. The film, which is set in the town of Dunwich, has a strong Lovecraftian flavor, and is beautifully shot and lit by Sergio Salvati.

A scene in which a young woman vomits up her own intestines is pure Fulci, as is the scene where Bob (Giovanni Lombardo Radice) has his head drilled until his brains spew out. The violence is ultra-graphic and entirely convincing in its fantasy context. The director’s fetish for rotting flesh, creepy crawlies and open wounds rancid with disease is gloriously showcased in this fine poem to death, decay and the restless dead.

In short, Fulci had a single-minded attitude towards on-screen mayhem that lifted his films into the realm of high crimson art. This is a great starting point for the Fulci-curious and a must-have for the serious fan of explicit, atmospheric horror.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
New audio commentary with film historian Samm Deighan
Archival audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson
Archival audio commentary with actress Catriona MacColl moderated by Jay Slater
Archival audio commentary with actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice moderated by Calum Waddell
Zombie Kings: Interview with Massimo Antonello Geleng
Requiem for Bob: Interview with Giovanni Lombardo Radice
On Stage: Q&A with Venantino Venantini & Ruggero Deodato
Catriona MacColl Q&A
Fabio Frizzi Q&A
The Meat Munching Movies of Gino De Rossi
Carlo of the Living Dead, an archival interview with actor Carlo De Mejo
A Trip Through Bonaventure Cemetery
Catriona Maccoll video intro from 2001
Image Gallery
Plus more archival extras and other surprises!
Double sided Blu-ray wrap with artwork by Matthew Therrien
Optional English SDH subtitles
Seamless branching - watch in English Language w/ English credit sequences and watch Italian language w/ Italian credit sequences
UHD (feature film) 4K (2160p) presentation with Dolby Vision™ HDR (HDR 10 compatible)
Blu-ray (feature film) 1080p presentation