A film where zombies can't decide whether to scare you or crack you up. "Nightmare in the Contaminated City": a horror movie that'll make you question your own sanity.
Datat Sheet
- Director: Umberto Lenzi, the man who made zombies fashionable
- Genre: Horror, but with a chuckle up its sleeve
- Duration: 92 minutes of pure madness
- Year: 1980, the golden age of 'artisanal' special effects
- Based on the novel: Nope, purely the fruit of a brilliantly disturbed mind
- Main Actors: Hugo Stiglitz, Laura Trotter (and a rather clumsy bunch of zombies)
- Where to Watch: Prime Video
Plot
Immaginate una città qualunque, un giorno qualunque, con persone assolutamente normali. Beh, scordatevela. "Incubo sulla città contaminata" non ha nulla di normale. È più come una puntata di "Amici Miei" incontrano "The Walking Dead".
We start with a classic nuclear incident, because obviously, every respectable horror film needs a scientific excuse to justify the impossible. The city's inhabitants, previously worried about bills and diets, are transformed into zombies. But not your classic slow and dim-witted zombies, no. These are zombies with a sense of humor so developed, they make a B-list comedian look amateur.
Our hero, a pretty ordinary guy with an extraordinary ability to get into trouble, finds himself navigating a city overrun by the living dead who are more interested in a good laugh than eating brains. Along the way, he meets a cast of characters straight out of a circus: a scientist who has a solution for everything except her love life; a cop who thought the worst thing that could happen to him was a parking ticket; and, naturally, a group of zombies who appear to have taken dance lessons from Michael Jackson.
As our hero tries to save himself and, incidentally, the city, there are moments of deep reflection, like "Why am I running? They're already dead!", and profound revelations about human nature, like "Zombies aren't that different from us; they hate condo meetings too".
The ending? A whirlwind of events so wildly unpredictable that not even the author knows how he got there. But one thing's for sure: after watching "Nightmare in the Contaminated City", you'll never look at a horror film the same way again. Or maybe you will, but with a ready laugh.
Review
So, let's get comfy and talk about "Nightmare in the Contaminated City". First, if you're expecting a film that'll keep you up at night in fear, brace yourself instead for a night of uncontrollable laughter. This film is like a friend trying to scare you but ends up making you laugh until you cry.
Let's start with the narrative structure: it has more holes than a donut, but that's part of its charm. It's like watching a puppy trying to climb up a slippery slope. You know it won't make it, but you enjoy watching it try.
The cinematography? Clearly, the director of photography thought he was shooting a wildlife documentary, not a horror film. Each scene is lit as if they were trying to tan the zombies, who, by the way, have more facial expressions than some soap opera actors.
The costumes deserve their own chapter. It seems the wardrobe was borrowed from a '70s carnival party. The zombies are dressed in a mix of punk style and "I just lost a bet", adding a level of unintentional comedy to each scene.
And the cinematic rendering? Well, if you're looking for cutting-edge special effects, you'll find effects that are special in a different sense. It's like watching a kid color outside the lines - it's wrong, but there's something adorably authentic about it.
Had the film been based on a book, I'm sure it would have followed the plot like a cat follows a laser: enthusiastically but with no real understanding of what's going on.
In conclusion, I give "Nightmare in the Contaminated City" a 7/10. Not because it's a good film, but because it's so tremendously funny in its clumsiness. It's like pineapple on pizza: wrong on so many levels, but in the end, you kind of like it. And who am I to judge? I'm just a critic with a computer and too much free time.
Why I Recommend It
You'll like it if you're the type who laughs at the most inappropriate moments. "Nightmare in the Contaminated City" is a stylistic exercise in making human flaws hilarious, even in an apocalyptic context.
Why I Don't Recommend It
If you're looking for something serious and reflective, run while you still can. Here, human flaws aren't a theme; they're a continuous gag!
