Six black slaves are resurrected as lethal and vengeful zombies through voodoo and go on a gruesome spree in Brazil. Vacationing British guy Kevin (smooth Kevin Van Hoven), his spunky American girlfriend Jessica (fetching blonde Sonia Curtis), and Sonia's whiny, annoying brother Dick (the extremely obnoxious Joe Balogh) all find themselves in considerable jeopardy. Director/co-writer Umberto Lenzi manages to create a reasonably creepy atmosphere (the sequence with the zombies coming out of their graves in a misty cemetery is especially strong and memorable), relates the story at a snappy pace, and stages the splatter set pieces with his customary lip-smacking grisly gusto. The pleasingly hideous make-up f/x by Franco Casagni deliver the ghastly goods; nasty highlights include an eye gouged out with a crowbar, an axe splitting open someone's skull, and a bloody throat slashing. Moreover, the shambling, rot-faced zombies with their egg-white eyes, unsightly faces, and rattling chains are genuinely unnerving. The cast for the most part give really bad performances, although Maria Alves contributes an amusing turn as superstitious maid Maria. Franco Micalizzi's spirited spooky'n'shuddery score, Maurizio Dell'Orco's crisp, handsome cinematography, and a lively last third with Kevin burning up those pesky zombies real good with a bunch of Molotov cocktails are all up to speed. An enjoyably schlocky piece of low-grade Italian horror junk.
Review of Black Demons
