La morte vivante (1982)

Country of Origin: France
Year of Production: 1982
Running Times: 86 mins
Format: colour     35mm
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound:

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Les Films ABC / Films Aleriaz / Films Du Yaka / Sam Selsky
Producer: Sam Selsky (uncredited)
Production Manager: Lionel Wallmann

SCRIPT
Script: Jean Rollin
Adaptation: Jean Rollin, Jacques Ralf
Dialogue: Jacques Ralf
US Version Script: Gregory Heller

DIRECTION
Director: Jean Rollin
Assistant Director: Dominique Treillou

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Max Monteillet
Assistant Director of Photography: Pascal Maria
Gaffer: Daniel Mahé
Electrician: Gilles Falavigna
Stills: Pierre Leblond

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Janette Kronegger
Assistant Editor: Gilles Oderigo

MUSIC
Music: Philippe d' Aram

SOUND
Sound Mixer: Henri Graff
Sound Effects: Jacky Dufour

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Eric Pierre
Costumes: Christine Delbeco

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Benoît Lestang
Special Effects Assistant: Alain Doyen

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Helena Poulet
Production Secretary: Dominique Anglesi

STUNTS
Stunts: François Bourdillon

CAST
Marina Pierro (Helene)
Françoise Blanchard (Catherine Valmont)
Mike Marshall (Greg)
Carina Barone (Barbara Simon)
Fanny Magier
Patricia Besnard-Rousseau
Véronique Pinson
Sandrine Morel
Delphine Lapointe
Jean Cherlian
Jean-Pierre Bouyxou
Alain Petit
Jacques Marbeuf
Sam Selsky
Lise Overman
Laurence Royer
Véronique Carpentier
Jean Herel
Dominique Treillou
L'Orchestra 'Les Stars Fire' avec Anita

PLOT SUMMARY

An accidental chemical spillage in the basement of an old chateau revives a recently deceased young woman, Catherine, who finds herself unable to control her murderous impulses. As traces of her previous life return to her Catherine tracks down her childhood friend Helene who, once over her initial shock and revulsion, tries her best to help by luring victims to the chateau. Stumbling on the scene are American couple Greg and Barbara whose photographs of Catherine and inquisitiveness lead to Catherine and Helene's downfall.

CAPSULE REVIEW

What makes La morte vivante different from other zombie movies is its extraordinary attempt to deal with the effects of reanimation on the central character. Haunted by childhood memories and burdened by the gradual return of consciousness, the 'heroine' is a tragic figure, far removed from the anonymous, shuffling, flesh hungry masses of Romero et al. It's shot through with a brooding sensuality, a heart-breaking sense of tragedy and a slow, deliberate pace that together conspire to create a film of great beauty and emotional resonance. Along with Lèvres de sang (1975), La morte vivante ranks as Rollin's best and most fulfilling work. (Full Review)

AVAILABILITY

France
Video Distributors: Cinetheque; American; Blacke / Angoisse

Greece
Video Distributors: Sunset

Japan
Video Distributors: Nikkatsu

Netherlands
Video Distributors: Palace; Redemption
Laserdisc Distributors: Copper Sky Films

Spain
Video Distributors: Retour

UK
Video Distributors: Redemption; Salvation
DVD Distributors: Salvation

USA
DVD Distributors: Redemption

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: R

UK
Rating: 18 (with cuts)

West Germany
Rating: banned

POSTER TAGS

Seule, hurlant sa démence dans la nuit...

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Lady Dracula - West German title
The Living Dead Girl
La muerta viviente - Spanish title
Zombie Queen - Japanese title

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Fangoria no.190 (March 2000) p.74 (USA)
DVD note (by Michael Gingold and Matthew Kiernan)

Film Francais no.1907 (9 July 1982) p.10 (France)
credits

Sight and Sound vol.4 no.3 (March 1994) p.63 (UK)
video review

BOOKS

Aurum Encyclopedia of Film: Horror (2nd edition) p.379
credits, review

The Illustrated Vampire Movie Guide p.111
credits, review

Immoral Tales p.162
review

KEYWORDS

castles, chemicals, gore, zombies

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009