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Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie

List Price: $19.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Watch it alone, if you dare
Review: It's easy to see the flaws in this flick: so-so acting and dialogue. Not to mention those dated sequences-like the naked hippie chick running across a busy street waving the peace sign, and the colorful 70's outfits are a kick. But, I dare anyone to watch this movie...alone. It will be very hard to find the flaws and laugh at the political statements because you will be too scared. I purchased this movie sight unseen, based on reviews. I took a chance. For me, it ranks as the best zombie film I've ever seen. Very atmospheric, creepy, and downright scary. It has the usual formula zombie plot: some weird experiment triggers the undead to walk and eat people. But, what this director does with the story is sheer horror genius. Take a chance, like me. If you love GOOD, campy, zombie flicks, this one definitely belongs in your collection. You won't be sorry, and you won't watch it alone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the Finest Low Budget Zombie Shockers of all time
Review: Jorg Grau's 'Let Sleeping Corpses Lie' or 'The Living Dead at the Manchster Morgue' as it was called in the UK, is one of my favourite zombie flicks of all time. Despite being a late entry European copy of Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead' this film stands head and shoulders above most zombie films. It is nicely plotted and beautifully put together - Grau succeeds admirably in making the pictureque English countryside around Windermere appear eerie and haunting, and his tampering with 'zombie lore' (shooting in the head makes no difference, the only way to kill the living dead is to set them on fire - what's more they pass on the 'affliction' by putting the blood of the living onto the eyes of other corpses) merely makes it more unique and interesting. Nice final twist and some great early gore effects from Gianetto De Rossi (who went on to work for Fulci in most of his horror films). All round, a top class, low budget, horror film. Anchorbay's uncut version is a must see.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Highly Entertaining Camp...
Review: Let me preface this by saying that any fan of the Italien zombie/cannibal genre needs to have a tolerance for bad acting, poor dialogue, and nonsensical plotlines. Nobody watches movies like ZOMBIE, THE BEYOND, or LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE expecting a well-crafted film; what we want is atmosphere, gore, and maybe some unintentional humor. On those grounds, "spaghetti horror" usually delivers...

That said, LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE is a silly, frequently creepy and entirely entertaining representative of the genre. The movie has two faces: On the one hand, it's a fairly effective zombie horror film in the same vein as NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, relying more on atmospherics (panning views of the gorgeous English countryside, the raspy breathing of unseen zombies, etc.) than out-and-out zombie gore, although there are a few pretty harsh cannibalism scenes, most notably when a hospital receptionist's breast is ripped off. Although the zombies in this case are of scientific origin, there's an eerie supernatural element to them, particularly in a gothic zombie attack scene. Our "heros" hole up in a room above the crypt, as three hungry zombies try to smash through the door with an uprooted tombstone... creepy!

On the other hand, LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE is also campy, unintentionally funny B-grade trash, ripe for the MST3K treatment. Convinced they are satanists responsible for the grissly murders, the most hardboiled rural cop you've ever seen--something of a Scottish Columbo--follows our protagonists (George and Edna) around the countryside, spouting off all sorts of REEFER MADNESS-caliber copspeak along the way. My personal favorite, to the leather-jacketted, hippy George..."I know you're type, with your long hair and faggot clothes, into drugs, sex and all sorts of filth!" HAH! Needless to say, Sgt. Kickass is good for a few other outbirsts and some unexpected humor in an otherwise dark movie...

Added perks include the stunningly beautiful setting--many gorgeous and haunting shots of the English hills and countryside, supposedly teeming with blood-hungry zombies--and a real headscratching scene not even five minutes into the movie, when a woman throws off her overcoat and runs buck-naked, breasts bouncing, across a city street... the scene is never explained or re-visited, which makes it that much funnier, in my opinion!

Goofy, cheesy, campy fun. If you can't watch a movie this ridiculous without cracking a smile, you must be a zombie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Just this side of unwatchable.
Review: Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (Jorge Grau, 1974)

I have an ear for dialogue reminiscent of Beethoven during his last days. And I know it. So when I say I could write a better script than that of an actual movie, trust me, that's not meant as a compliment.

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (aka The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue) has one of the worst scripts ever written. I kid you not. It's horribly, horribly unintentionally funny. Not that it had much to build on, with the premise of the film being that the dead are returning to life thanks to sonic radiation. But really, some incredibly stupid scripts have been given the royal treatment and resulted in some surprisingly good movies. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie is not one of those movies.

George (Ray Lovelock, recently seen in the long-running TV series Incantesimo) is an antiques dealer who's just bought a house in the country. While stopped for gas, his bike is run over by young, beautiful Edna (Cristina Galbo of Riot in a Women's Prison fame), who just happens to be headed the same way. The two of them immediately come under suspicion from the local police sergeant (western movie staple Arthur Kennedy, who turned to making bad horror after 1960; his presence alone should tip you off to the quality of this film) after George tries to run scientists killing bugs with sonic radiation off his land and Edna claims to have been attacked by a man whose description fits a bum who dies a week previous. Well, needless to say, despite George's memorable warning that "the dead only walk in very bad paperback novels, love," nothing could be further from the truth. (The living dead don't actually get to the Manchester morgue until very late in the film, but don't let that stop you.) The first half of this ninety-two minute dog is spent building up the characters, except they're all one-dimensional stereotypes, so there's not much to build up. The second half is spent with various characters trying to avoid the clutches of zombies in various dark places. And when I say dark, I mean dark like "makes David Fincher films look like Sunday in the Park with George" dark, as in you can't bloody well see anything dark. Which, actually, may be a good point, since what you can see when the camera has a bit of light to work with is so thoroughly uninspiring.

It's actually sillier than Tombs of the Blind Dead. The only reason it's not getting zero stars is because it's marginally better than The Day After Tomorrow. *

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GUTHRIE THE LOONY
Review: LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE is easily one of the all time top 5 zombie movies ever made. Along with DAWN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIE FLESHEATERS, ZOMBIE CREEPING FLESH, and THE BEYOND, JORGE GRAU A.K.A GEORGE ROMERO brings us a film of utter terror and ......The zombies are not your run of the mill shambling pathetic looking corpses, but very intimidating individuals. GUTHRIE, played by MICHAELLE JAQUE BACKEUR has to be the most relentless zombie ever.Unfortunately the film suffers from atrocious dubbing, resulting in every character speaking in a different accent.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sleeping Corpses ROCKS!
Review: Let Sleeping Corpses Lie is easily one of the best zombie movies ever made! Great screenplay, super directing by Grau, and an absolutely stunning job of cinematography and lighting make this a zombie lover's must-have DVD. There are a few things that 'date' this movie to the early 70's -- a streaker, some bell bottoms, a cool motorcycle -- but all of the above adds to the atmosphere/feel of this wonderful flick. Lot's of cool stuff comes with this Limited Edition Tin DVD and the introduction by the director, and his interview afterwards, is priceless! The actual zombies in this movie are some of my favorites and rank right up there with Fulci's and Romero's in makeup and appearance. The unique storyline offers a refreshing change from the mundane also. Buy it now, thank me later.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: 1 Star as a Horror DVD; 3 Stars for Camp Value! Overrated!
Review: OK, some serious hype needs to be deflated here, lest any zombie flick fan waste their hard-earned cash. First and foremost: 'Sleeping Corpses' is NOT the superior zombie movie reviewers would lead you to believe. Actually, it's not even a good living dead movie at all. What it is, however, is a fun, campy dvd that can be enjoyed with a few friends ready to laugh. Worth two sawbucks? Not really, and don't even fall for the silly notion of buying the Limited Edition Tin version.

I bought this film based on reviews I'd read here and elsewhere proclaiming it to be a superior 'Night of the Living Dead'-inspired film, great zombie film, etc. It doesn't even come close to 'NOTLD', or Fulci's 'Zombie', or even 'Burial Ground'. The zombies, and I believe you only get a grand total of about 10 throughout the film, aren't very-well done. In fact, half of them don't even appear to have much or any make-up on at all. The first 45 minutes of the film are spent establishing the silly plot and character development, giving us one zombie in that whole time. What you end up with are a few pushy characters and a tractor that emits radioactive sound waves designed to drive insects crazy, with the added side-effect of bringing the dead back to life. No joke.

The film is slow-paced, and too much time is spent on the two main characters, who aren't all that interesting. The highlight of the movie is the cranky, accusatory police chief. He makes the film enjoyable, adding a great touch of grumpy-old man humor to an otherwise plodding psuedo-zombie murder mystery plot. The best is his method of interrogation (which amounts to him barking " admit ya did it " two questions in ), and his hatred for everyone around him ... He makes the movie worth viewing once, and creates the campy atmosphere that saves 'Sleeping Corpses' from being total garbage.

I'm here to help dispel the myth that 'Sleeping Corpses' is some sort of classic,'must-have' zombie film. I spent my cash based on the reviews, and I'm thoroughly disappointed. I did enjoy the humor of the film, but it fails miserably as a horror or zombie film. Poorly-made zombies, a goofy 'scientific' plot, and a few yanked-out organs and entrails don't always guarantee a good zombie flick. Classic zombie films build terror and tension, give a sense of hopelessness for the characters, and give you great-looking zombies. None of those elements are present here. Avoid unless you must have every zombie film in existence.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Zombies in England!!!!!!
Review: One of the greatest horror films ever! I would put this next to anything Romero or Argento has done. It has the best atmosphere I have ever seen in a film, fantastic scenery, great little plot and very good characters. So the dubbing isn't the best in the world, but who cares, buy this DVD if you like old fashioned horror, where the atmosphere is as important as the things that the characters are saying.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The living dead at Manchester Morgue.
Review: Or whatever title they like to use for this film is an excellent zombie film, it might be slow in the begining but it does get along during the second half of the film.
Jorge Grau who has an introduction during the start of the dvd who tells us to suffur profoundly while watching the film is Spanish used both british and american actors, he also used some other foriegn actors and whatever so it has an international cast and made the film in England. You can tell that he used the locations to great effect because the film is very atmospheric especialy that creepy scene when the male lead and the female protagonist escape from the zombies in the underground cemetery.
There seems to be an explanation to why the dead have been rising and eating the living and it seems that its coming from some farming equipment that spreads some pesticide, very weird and atmospheric film with nice gory scenes in it ,I highly recomend this to horror or zombie fans.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: '..Sleeping Corpses' is a sleeper!
Review: Sure 'Night' and 'Dawn' are confirmed zombie classics, but if you want something a little darker, a little more atmospheric, and a whole lot of popcorn-munching fun, check out 'Let Sleeping Corpses Lie'. Zombie fans who slam this film for being too slow or plodding are missing the point-sure it's not wall-to-wall action and gore but if you ask me, that's what elevates it. It's stately pace and low-key style make the later scenes of carnage and zombie mayhem all the more jarring. It helps to watch 'Sleeping' without the images of other wall-to-wall action/ zombie epics in your brain-after all-it's a film that pretends that no other zombie flicks exist. Killer photography, a jazzy score, a cool old-fashioned storyline,and a gorgeous yet creepy locale all highlight this zombie thriller. So, turn off the lights, bolt the door, and get some perverse thrills from a sorely underrated horror gem.


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