Nightmare City (1980)

"We'll never get away from these monsters!" - Anna

aka: City of the Walking Dead
A city is under siege from zombies.
Starring: Hugo Stiglitz, Laura Trotter, Francisco Rabal, Mel Ferrer, Maria Rosaria Omaggio

Link to IMDB

Dean Miller is a reporter for a local television channel, and he's on his way to the city's airport to work on a story. That's when an unknown military plane makes an emergency landing and sits as though unoccupied. As the security team surrounds the mysterious plane, suddenly a group of violent and deformed people emerge and begin to attack anyone they can get their hands on!

Dean escapes, but when he attempts to broadcast his report the military steps in and stops him. They don't want to cause a panic in the city while they try to understand what has happened.
Meanwhile, the violent horde of zombie-like people spread through the streets, systematically killing citizens and crippling the city.


There's an entire team from the military working on solving the crisis, but the two men we follow the closest are Major Holmes and General Murchison. We get to see how the military is operating to save the city, but also how Major Holmes is trying to ensure the safety of his wife. Likewise with Dean, we learn about his wife Anna, and how they're planning to escape the city in hopes of finding peace in the countryside away from the monsters.

    Anna                                Holmes                            Murchison

Although this movie wastes no time delivering action, there are some rather dull sections in the middle that's full of more plot holes than actual plot. I found myself left with a lot of questions at times, instead of just enjoying the ride. Other than that issue, this is a competently made film that has some of the classic Italian exploitation style to it.

When the movie focuses on the zombie outbreak it really is quite entertaining. The zombies here are very intelligent and fast, which makes them seem especially ruthless. They use weapons, vehicles and cunning tactics to attack people and confront the military. Fans of gore will not be disappointed, because there is some good carnage on display.

There's also some social commentary regarding how modern humankind is driving itself towards madness, and I appreciated how totally crazy the movie got at times.
But I do have one huge problem with the stupid ending. The last five minutes just ruins everything that came before, and I don't know what the writers were thinking there.


Be sure not to miss:
- The doctor's scalpel throwing skills.
- Zombies really hate Jazzercise.

Internet review:
"Easily recommended for fans of junk cinema." - Marekz

Should I watch it?
It's worthwhile, especially for zombie fans... except the ending.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Nightmare City gets...