The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue
(aka; Let Sleeping Corpses Lie/
Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti)
(Blue Underground 2-Disc Region 0 NTSC DVD)
(1974)
review by Head Cheeze

"Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti" is Spanish director Jorge Grau's answer to Romero's Night of the Living Dead, and the director quite readily admits that he was told to basically deliver the same film in color, with just some minor changes to avoid any legal hassles. Grau took some of the demands to heart, but, thankfully, not all, and delivers what is my second favorite Zombie flick of all time, right behind Romero's original. The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is a beautifully made horror film that was shot entirely in England, and uses the countries lush grasslands and rustic locales to great visual effect. The sheer scope of the production is somewhat epic, despite the film's very low budget, and the story is fresh, inventive twist on the then-young zombie genre!

The film begins with Edna (Galbo') and her recently acquired travel mate George (Lovelock) traveling out of London; she to see her soon to be committed sister; he to vacation with friends at a country estate. Edna makes a deal with George that he can take her car and return it to her at a later date if he helps her find her way to her sister's off-the-beaten-path home, and while George - who is only traveling with Edna because she backed over his motorcycle at gas station miles back - is less than pleased, he accepts. They stop for directions, and, when George happens upon a farmer and two Ecological Science Department workers testing out a new insect killing machine, he engages in an ecological debate about said machine's safety. The two workers insist that the machine puts out a very low level radioactive frequency that only works on the most primitive of nervous systems, and causes the affected creatures to kill each other off in a frenzy, thus eliminating crop infesting insects. George doesn't buy it, but relents, as he is eager to get on with his travels.

Meanwhile, Edna notices a strange man shambling about in the woods. In a scene that is obviously lifted from Romero's classic, the man attacks her in the vehicle. She flees across the river and meets up with George and the farmer, tells them of her ordeal, but, of course, the man is now gone, and Edna is told she is just being hysterical. That point is given more credence since her description of the man matches that of the local drunkard who'd died a week prior. Edna's claim is dismissed, and the two venture forth to her sister's home, just in time to discover that her sister's husband has been murdered by the very same man Edna saw earlier. Soon, it becomes clear that the dead are rising from their graves. As the bodycount grows, so do the legions of undead, and it is up to George and Edna to stop them, and also make the public aware of the dangers of the Ecological Science Departments new invention.

The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is one of the best looking horror movies I have ever seen, and Blue Underground's new 2-Disc edition features an all-new transfer that is so crisp and vivid that the image is nearly HD quality. I was truly floored by how good this transfer was, especially for a film nearly as old as your's truly. Blue Underground ports over a few of the extras from the old Anchor Bay version, including television and radio spots, an interview with Grau, and a stills gallery, but also wrangles up some new goodies in the guise of three featurettes sporting new interviews with Ray Lovelock and FX artist Gianetti De Rossi, as well as a return visit to the shooting locations with Grau.

If you are a fan of zombie films you owe it to yourself to seek out The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue. It's not the scariest or goriest example of the genre, but it's definitely one of the most visually impressive and unique zombie films I have ever had the pleasure to see.