Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
After an abandoned boat sails into New York harbor with a zombie aboard, a reporter teams up with the daughter of the boat's missing captain to investigate the island where he was last seen conducting research—the site of an alleged zombie outbreak.
Lucio Fulci's cult splatter classic delivers on atmosphere and iconic gross-out set pieces — the eye-gouging and zombie-vs-shark sequences are genuinely memorable — but the plot is thin and functional at best, serving mainly as connective tissue between gore highlights. Acting is serviceable B-movie fare. Sergio Salvati's sun-drenched and murky cinematography gives the film a distinctive tropical dread that elevates it above typical genre fare. Novelty is above average thanks to Fulci's singular grim tone and audacious practical effects, though it clearly rides the post-Dawn of the Dead zombie wave. The ending, while atmospheric, is more abrupt than satisfying.