“I wish the dead could come back to life, you bastard, so then I could kill you again.”
I’m not really one for giving advice or for telling people how to live their lives, but I really do think that if you like watching zombie films and you haven’t already seen it then you should definitely watch the 1974 Jorge Grau film THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE.

The film is a classic in ever sense of the word. Filmed only six years after Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Grau didn’t have the huge wealth of tradition to draw from, and although it can be criticised for trying to cash in on Romero’s more successful film, I don’t think this takes away from the audiences’ enjoyment. Indeed, all the clichés that we take for granted in zombie films now had to start somewhere and there are loads of instances in this film where you really get a feel for how pioneering it was for zombie cinema.

That being said, LIVING DEAD IN MANCHESTER MORGUE isn’t faultless. This Spanish and Italian production is a mixed up mess of bizarre regional “British” accents and includes some very suspicious over-dubbing. It also has very little to do with morgues, or Manchester for that matter, and although the main action in the film takes place in the Lake District it was shot in both Italy and the Peak District in Derbyshire. But when you overlook that what you get is a really great video-nasty with a distinct and creepy atmospheric soundtrack partially made up of creepy moaning and breathing noises provided by the Director himself.

The film begins with a naked woman running though traffic for no particular reason, but after that weird introduction it goes on to focus on George, an antiques dealer played by Ray Locklock, and Edna, played by Cristina Galbó, who find themselves stuck with each other after Edna reverses her car over George’s motorcycle at a petrol station. Both are on their way to the Lake District for the weekend and George persuades Edna to give him a lift to his destination.

As with any unlikely pairing they don’t take an instant like to each other. George is strangely arrogant and very anti-establishment for an antiques dealer, which makes him the perfect underdog, and Edna is a little dry and wimpy for a scream-queen who is on her way to help her heroin-addicted sister.

On the way the pair become lost and while George goes off to ask for directions Edna is attacked by a man who, based on her description, the locals say is dead. As the film progresses suspicious deaths begin to mount up. While investigating the murder of Edna’s sister’s husband a bitter local Inspector (Arthur Kennedy) finds nude photos and George's vaguely pagan-appearing antique statuette. He quickly labels Edna and George as a pair as longhair degenerate Satanists who are responsible for the death.

George’s theory, linked to a new farming technology, is disregarded as the ravings of a madman and it is up to him and Edna to save themselves from the living dead.

LIVING DEAD IN MANCHESTER MORGUE doesn’t have a huge number of zombies in it, but the gore is excellent, the camera-work is great, the dialogue full of gems, and while the storyline barely makes sense the ending is completely satisfying. It is no wonder it is so often mentioned in people’s top ten zombie films.

Optimum’s digitally remastered LIVING DEAD IN MANCHESTER MORGUE is out on DVD on 7th June and is available for pre-order now from www.play.com

Tech specs: R/T: 89 mins / Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 / Region: 2 / Pal / English Language / Mono / Colour / Catalogue number: OPTD1758 / Cert: 18