Dir. Jorge Grau | Now Streaming On: Shudder | Rating: 4/5

I’ve been on a 70s horror kick lately. When modern day life gets to be too much (and let’s be honest, when isn’t it too much?), I find myself turning to older media that captures a life so unfamiliar from this one. 

I stumbled upon The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue on Shudder, and found that this film actually has 15 different international titles, but Let Sleeping Corpses Lie seems to be the closest to the original Italian title. Whatever name you find this title under, this is one of the wittiest and grittiest vintage zombie films I’ve seen in a long time. 

As most of you know, I’m a huge Romero fangirl and seeing his influence on the genre, across different cultures and eras of cinema warms my heart. Manchester Morgue feels like a European cousin of Night of the Living Dead, riddled with dry tongue in cheek humor. The first 20 minutes of this film feels a bit aimless, but once it gets going it is a wild and fun ride. 

There’s some societal commentary characteristic of the 70s that adds an edge to this film. We see a critical jab at environmental politics, the police, and of course, what is 70s cinema without a touch of satanic panic. Very similar to Night of the Living Dead, the story really isn’t about the characters, but instead how very ordinary people might react in an unordinary situation. 

The zombies in this film are stunning in how different they are. There are touches of Romero’s zombies, 28 Days Later, and dare I say a tasteful touch from The Sadness. Featuring some extended shots of some impressive practical effects for the time, this had me gagging in a few places. 

Potentially an acquired taste, but a must see for zombie fans. This does lose some points for me on the dated commentary on gay men and the occult in the English translation, otherwise an all around good time. 

Know Before You Watch: Features death, blood, gore.