The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue

“A surprisingly crafty and scary Spanish zombie movie with a bitterly satisfying ending”

NITEHAWK CINEMA

“Grau delivers the gruesome goods in a cinematic blood frenzy with satisfyingly dark dramatic twists”

Sean Axmaker, MSN.COM

“Artfully builds its atmosphere of spiritual (and social) unrest”

Rob Humanick, PROJECTION BOOTH

Hippies. Cops. Zombies. It’s Jorge Grau’s THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE and, despite what the film’s core ingredients may have you anticipating, this 1974 classic is no laughing matter. Influenced by the counterculture and informed by an anger that speaks to catastrophic environmental neglect, this is one of the great leftfield Euro-horror works of the ’70s. Ray Lovelock and Cristina Galbó are hippies on the run from a bitter older cop (Arthur Kennedy) who suspects them of committing cult-like murders that we’re soon to learn are in fact the handywork of deathless cadavers preying on the living. While taking inspiration from George Romero’s sociopolitical Grand Guignol gamechanger, Grau’s film is a distinct, socially-conscious horror creation of its own that itself went on to inspire future filmmakers.

Released under a cheerful range of titles — 15 in all, among them BREAKFAST AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE, DON’T OPEN THE WINDOW, LE MASSACRE DES MORTS VIVANTS and LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE — censored differently from one country to another, the film became a fascination object for generations of cinephiles. Kennedy, once having worked with the likes of Elia Kazan, Richard Fleischer and David Lean, now at a point where he was all over Euro prods from Umberto Lenzi, Alberto De Martino and Ferdinando Baldi, is committed as ever here. Among its many attributes, the film features grisly effects by Gianetto De Rossi, who would go on to splatter the screen in a wave of influential Fulci films, including ZOMBIE and THE BEYOND. In recognition of Jorge Grau’s passing last December, Fantasia is proud to present the World Premiere of Synapse Films’ restoration of the Spanish maestro’s most celebrated genre work, a still-startling nightmare creation that was years ahead of its time. Uncut, back from the dead, ready to shock and inspire a new generation. – Mitch Davis

Synapse Films’ new restoration of THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE was created using the original 35mm camera negative located in Rome, Italy. Scanned in 4K at Cinecittà Studios using an ARRISCAN, the film data was then sent to Prasad Corporation in Burbank, CA for restoration. The film restoration and color grading were supervised by Don May, Jr. of Synapse Films and David Block of A & D Images. Audio was captured from the original 35mm optical negative elements and digitally remastered and restored by Spencer Hall of Hudson
Edit/Pardon My French in Detroit, Michigan. The theatrical DCP being screened at the Fantasia Film Festival is a true 4K Digital Cinema Package created by Warner Brothers Studios/Synapse Films.