Review: The Nights of Terror (Le notti del terrore) [1981]

Cast: Karin Well, Gian Luigi Chirizzi, Simone Mattioli, Antonietta Antinori, Roberta Caporali, Peter Bark, Claudio Zucchett, Anna Valente, Renato Barbier, Maria Angela Giordano
Director: Andrea Bianchi


Bianchi’s notorious zombie shocker often plays second fiddle to the likes of the Italian ‘big boys’ of the genre, with Fulci’s Zombie Flesh Eaters, The Beyond, City of the Living Dead and The House by the Cemetery stealing the hearts (and brains) of most horror fans. Add to this already impressive list the likes of Marino Girolami's Zombie Holocaust, Lenzi’s fun, radioactive zombie apocalypse vehicle Nightmare City, and even Mattei’s cheese-fest Zombie Creeping Flesh, and The Nights of Terror (also known as Burial Ground in the US) is oft forgotten, or relegated to B-Class status.

Filmed in 1981, riding on the wave of the post Dawn of the Dead zombie craze, and hopping straight onto the Fulci zombie band-wagon, The Nights of Terror is a real gem within this highly popular sub-genre of horror.

The Nights of Terror are unleashed, thanks to a professor who unseals a crypt, invoking an ancient Etruscan curse. As the dead begin to rise from their graves, and bizarrely the flower beds and grounds of a nearby country mansion, they shamble off into the night in search for human prey. It is in this mansion that a group of socialites are enjoying a weekend retreat, unaware of the zombie menace approaching.

"No, stop - I'm your friend!"

What results is an enjoyable to watch battle for survival amongst the ever dwindling party of guests versus the undead, which involves the usual bloody gut munching, head exploding, flight from terror. The zombies themselves are pretty adept, using tools and axes, and also teamwork in the form of a log battering ram to break through the door.

The Dead Arise!

Forked!

Amongst the standard genre staples, you also get bear traps, the undead set aflame, zombie monks, and an impressive scythe decapitation, but it is amongst its characters where The Nights of Terror really stands out. Within the small group of guests we have Peter Bark (now a legend amongst Italian horror fans), who plays Michael, incestuous son to his nympho mother, who he idolises in a way that jealousy overcomes him every time he sees her with a man. This strange attachment leads to many bizarre scenes including sexual advancements by Michael on his mother, and one of the most shocking scenes of breast feeding ever to grace celluloid.

He is also the culprit for the best quote of the movie, with his: "Mummy, this cloth smells of death"

Incestuous Advances

Eaten Alive!

Kathleen Loses Her Head

The pace of The Nights of Terror is non-stop, and the mood, even though light-hearted or silly at times still resonates despair, as whilst the film is not to be taken seriously and is very tongue-in-cheek (even if this was not Bianchi’s intention), it is still a bleak tale of hopeless survival.

Zombie Monks

The End is Nigh...

Don’t let the low budget, terrible dialogue and poor dubbing fool you, The Nights of Terror is a fun, enjoyable, and most of all very decent film, which can easily hang with the ‘big boys’, and is a definite genre favourite of mine.

My Rating: 9/10