Zeder (1983)

Very Cool!!!

Strong and Moving!

hyped garbage

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I like this movie a lot, and don't regret the effort it took to track down a copy. It's different enough from the Romero/Fulci sort of zombie movie that you don't feel as if you are watching the "same old, same old". In fact, it's actually more of a ghost story, with a bunch of "Old, Dark House" elements expertly integrated. Tons of atmosphere, lots of creepy and unsettling passages, great use of color and sets, and just enough actual mayhem and gore to stun and shock. (The off camera screaming we hear at several points in the story is in some ways the most upsetting part of the film.Still, the movie is a little too slow for my American tastes. And the dubbing for the lead protagonist doesn't do the actor any favors. And my sensibilities (again) bridle at the way the script treats the conspirators - they're just a bunch of normal sociopathis jerks with insane ideas, and the only serious threat they have is Zeder. We never see what happens to most of them because the movie is concentrating on the "Monkey's Paw" ending. And the movie is perfectly OK with torturing and maiming and killing women and little girls. (It is Italian, after all). But if you are a fan of horror and want to see something different from your run of the mill zombie/ghost story, you owe it to yourself to see this.

Pupi Avati is doubtlessly a one-of-a-kind director, and while his contributions to Italian Horror cinema are not at all typical for their sub-genres, they are highly memorable. Avati's 1976 Giallo "La Casa Dalle Finestre Che Ridono" ("The House With Laughing Windows") must be one of the greatest Gialli ever made, even though very atypical, and low on sleaze and murders. If one wants to refer to "Zeder" of 1983 as an Italian Zombie Film, then it is even less typical for its sub-genre, as the film almost completely lacks the gore that Italian Zombie flicks such as Lucio Fulci's films are so famous and notorious for. However, it is a highly atmospheric and original cinematic experience, and a film that my fellow fans of Italian Horror definitely should not miss.The writer Stefano (Gabriele Lavia) gets an old typewriter as a gift from his wife Alessandra (Anne Canovas). By accident, he finds out that it used to belong to Paolo Zeder, a scientist who had been researching a gateway from the beyond in the 1950s...The film is sometimes said to have inspired Stephen King when he wrote his famous novel "Pet Sematary". And while I am not quite sure whether this is true (the film was released in Italy only months before King's novel) there doubtlessly are certain parallels. Avati's film is rather slow-paced, but it oozes atmosphere from the beginning to the end, and the plot is fascinating. Avati understands how to create genuine eeriness without constantly employing gore-effects. The beautiful cinematography, picturesque settings and wonderful Score by Riz Ortolani fortify the gloomy atmosphere. Gabriele Lavia, who is maybe most widely known for playing supporting roles in Dario Argento's films (most notably in "Profondo Rosso"), is a fantastic actor and he is once again great in his role here. Anne Canovas is drop-dead gorgeous and fits greatly in the role of his wife; the typically sleaze-loving Eurohorror audiences might be disappointed that she keeps her clothes on throughout the movie. Overall, it should be said that "Zeder" is not a film that should be approached expecting a gore-drenched Zombie massacre. However, those familiar with some of Pupi Avati's work wouldn't anyway. While the pace may be a little slow, the film is an intelligent, eerie and highly atmospheric wholesome that no true lover of Italian Horror cinema should miss. My rating: 7.5/10

...in an historical period like the end of the 70's/beginning of the 80's when the Italian horror panorama was dominated by gore and splatter cannibal/zombie B movies Avatu chose to make very different movie, not based on gruesome and cheap FXs, but on Gothic atmospheres and darkness.Surely the result was light years far away from Fulci's Zombie 2 or worse trash like Zombi Holocaust, not just in "philosofical" terms but also as final result: Zeder (I refuse to use the silly title used by the American distribution) is one of those rare movie that effectively creates a sensation of tension and a climax of fear and emotional cliffhanger from the beginning to the final scene, showing in front of the camera very, very, few. Less is more.From certain points of view the movie shows the typical weaknesses of the Italian production (especially Argento's) of that time: the series of unfortunate events that leads Stefano little by little to the central theme of the movie doesn't work well and it's totally unrealistic, performance of the two main characters, Stefano and Alessandra, not really persuading to be at the required level (Stefano is quite wooden and looks lunatic, I wonder why a "light" woman should be able to live with a man of this kind, while Alessandra never seems to realize what's happening and the dangers of their situation so she always reacts in a silly way), the music sometimes is disturbing but contributes to build up thrilling little by little.The most amazing fact behind this movie is without doubt the "coincidences" (not to use a stronger term) between Avati's plot and Stephen Kingìs "Pet Semetary", later in 1989 a movie but published in 1984. In certain points nobody cannot deny that the basic concept (a territory very well known in ancient times to be able to reanimate the dead buried there)and many scenes, especially the end when a desperate husband buries in the cursed cemetery the corpse of her loved one, that coincide perfectly.Just a case? Before watching the movie, I didn't believe this rumor, after this night I think uncle Stephen should give some..explanations about it.

Avati's 'Zeder' is true maturity when reflecting on the Italian horror genre. This film does't deliver close-up shots of pig entrails, nor does it steal cannibal stock footage to liven up the pace. Instead, it relays a story that was conceived by a genius, and allows the viewer to piece together the puzzle in his or her mind. The old marketing campaign, which displayed a decaying zombie exploding over a sewer drain, was definitely used to lure in sales and deceive buyers. This was no fault of the producers or director, but of typical American greedy distributors. If your the type to not judge a book by its cover, you may find a gem. Besides, anyone that sees this film as being 'pointless', 'dull' and so on should probably stay watching Speilburg Hollywood Schlock! Oh yeah, have you noticed this film's plot is similar to that of King's 'Pet Semetary'? Many speculate one may have plagiarized the other. In truth, Avati filmed and released his product over a year before King wrote his book. This film is a thinking man's horror film. Check out Avati's House with laughing Windows if you like Zeder.