I was in this movie. As a matter of fact, I am the last close-up you see and always refer to myself as the zombie that ATE the disc jockey, If you know the picture, you should understand the reference.
Anyway, I am a fan of the old style Gothic monster movies starring the likes of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney (senior AND junior) before the emphasis was on gore and cutting off body parts. Now, in the early 50s, "new" horror movies were made of the classic monsters with more gore but tame in comparison to movies like this one.
I had just done a play in New York and as a favor, the director of that play got me an extra part in this movie although he didn't know it at the time. All he knew was that it paid 40 bucks and used heavy make-up. When I got to the hotel where the film crew was staying and I saw fake eyeballs, artificial blood and the like, I thought of backing out, but then talked myself into it by saying, "Well, Boris started this way" referring to my favorite horror star Boris Karloff the original Frankenstein, and later the voice of the Grinch in the animated television classic by Chuck Jones.
So anyway, I am only in that last scene on the Brooklyn Bridge with "heavy make-up" and since at the time, I was so under nourished, I was the perfect face for a zombie. It was drizzly rainy that day and joggers and bicyclists kept spoiling the shot so it ended up having numerous takes. (These people would usually ask, "Are you guys making a movie?" A stupid question I wanted to answer with, "No, we were just in a terrible accident and were filming it for insurance purposes." DUH! Anyway, I am quite squeamish about such movies and don't like them. I only gave it a 3 because I was IN it! I have nieces and nephews that think "Uncle Johnny" is cool because he played a zombie in the movies.
I own a copy but never did watch it all the way through (and perhaps never will.) I don't get why people like to watch movies of this kind. Each to his/her own, I guess.
Strangely enough, Signior Fulci gets a "GREATEST MOVIE" he ever made compliment from one of the revewers of this grisly film. And to think, the lead ALMOST played James Bond before Sean Connery got the role, but he DID play Bulldog Drummond in two films. His leading lady was Mia Farrow's sister.
Oh yeah. And the make-up man, Gianetto De Rossi seemed to be the only one of the crew who spoke English, and even though I grew up hearing Sicilian spoken around me, I was not fluent. The direction I got from the director Signior Fulci was, "Like-ah dis!" showing us how to walk like a zombie. And the fake blood tasted awful since it had ammonia in it so as not to change colors.
And whenever one of these silly guys would jog or ride (with bicycles) across the bridge, The director would cry, "Cut. Cut. Go back" in his best no-accent Italian he could muster.
Now, if ONLY IMDb would give me the one credit I SHOULD have had, that would be GREAT! :D
Anyway, I am a fan of the old style Gothic monster movies starring the likes of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney (senior AND junior) before the emphasis was on gore and cutting off body parts. Now, in the early 50s, "new" horror movies were made of the classic monsters with more gore but tame in comparison to movies like this one.
I had just done a play in New York and as a favor, the director of that play got me an extra part in this movie although he didn't know it at the time. All he knew was that it paid 40 bucks and used heavy make-up. When I got to the hotel where the film crew was staying and I saw fake eyeballs, artificial blood and the like, I thought of backing out, but then talked myself into it by saying, "Well, Boris started this way" referring to my favorite horror star Boris Karloff the original Frankenstein, and later the voice of the Grinch in the animated television classic by Chuck Jones.
So anyway, I am only in that last scene on the Brooklyn Bridge with "heavy make-up" and since at the time, I was so under nourished, I was the perfect face for a zombie. It was drizzly rainy that day and joggers and bicyclists kept spoiling the shot so it ended up having numerous takes. (These people would usually ask, "Are you guys making a movie?" A stupid question I wanted to answer with, "No, we were just in a terrible accident and were filming it for insurance purposes." DUH! Anyway, I am quite squeamish about such movies and don't like them. I only gave it a 3 because I was IN it! I have nieces and nephews that think "Uncle Johnny" is cool because he played a zombie in the movies.
I own a copy but never did watch it all the way through (and perhaps never will.) I don't get why people like to watch movies of this kind. Each to his/her own, I guess.
Strangely enough, Signior Fulci gets a "GREATEST MOVIE" he ever made compliment from one of the revewers of this grisly film. And to think, the lead ALMOST played James Bond before Sean Connery got the role, but he DID play Bulldog Drummond in two films. His leading lady was Mia Farrow's sister.
Oh yeah. And the make-up man, Gianetto De Rossi seemed to be the only one of the crew who spoke English, and even though I grew up hearing Sicilian spoken around me, I was not fluent. The direction I got from the director Signior Fulci was, "Like-ah dis!" showing us how to walk like a zombie. And the fake blood tasted awful since it had ammonia in it so as not to change colors.
And whenever one of these silly guys would jog or ride (with bicycles) across the bridge, The director would cry, "Cut. Cut. Go back" in his best no-accent Italian he could muster.
Now, if ONLY IMDb would give me the one credit I SHOULD have had, that would be GREAT! :D