Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Cristina Galbo, Ray Lovelock, Arthur Kennedy, Aldo Massasso, Giorgio Trestini,
Roberto Posse, José Lifante, Jeannine Mestre | Written by Sandro Continenza & Marcello Coscia
UK Certification 18 | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 92 minutes | Directed by Jorge Grau
Four years before George A Romero unleashed his masterpiece of the living dead, this surprisingly good gem came to life. The title may sound like a horror-comedy show live on stage in Manchester, but it's merely the name of an Italian and Spanish co-produced zombie film from 1974, and one of many that were shot in England.
Not only filmed in Blighty, but also set here, The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is a film that you may have heard of before in one of its other titles, and yes, there are quite a few, from the rather silly Don't Open the Window, to the superior Let Sleeping Corpses Lie. One of the original Video Nasties, The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is gruesomely great. Centring on two hippie types from London who meet in an extremely minor auto accident up in Manchester, they soon find themselves embroiled in a criminal investigation after the female of the pair visits her heroin-addicted sister, only for a mysterious death to occur. Naturally, the police aren't too keen on believing that a corpse is walking around with a mindless appetite for flesh. This leads to an almost cat and mouse chase as the man and woman desperately try to prove their innocence, but more and more bodies keep piling up and more and more of them are coming back to life.
For a pre-Dawn of the Dead film, obviously not being a rip-off of the aforementioned movie like so many were in the wake of Romero's masterpiece, especially from Italian cinema, it's thoroughly interesting and innovative. It also features almost unbearable sound effects when the living dead are terrorising—unbearable not because of a lack of quality, but the very much deliberate way in which the zombies moan and groan, which accompany the brooding score to empower genuinely horrific scenes of undead ultra-violence.
Optimum Releasing should be commended for the way they treat older films, as I have seen many a classic movie put out by them that looks fantastic. You'd never believe you were watching something from 1974 when you see how well the print has been cleaned up, which will no doubt give viewers who have seen the film before a refreshing experience. The quality of the remaster breathes new life into the movie and reinforces just how much of a must The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is for any zombie fan. And if you are, I recommend that you grab some cold beverages and snacks and sit down to a triple bill of this, City of the Living Dead, and Zombie Flesh Eaters for a slice of horror heaven.
EXTRAS ★ Just the trailer.