Unlike most other contemporary horror directors from Italy, Pupi Avati always attempted to make his films rely on more than just graphic gore and gratuitous sex. The screenplays he turns into horror movies are usually atmospheric, complex and ambitious enough to blend versatile horror styles that are extremely hard to blend! With "The House with the Laughing Windows", for example, this resulted in one of the most extraordinary gialli ever, as it brought forward an out-of-the-ordinary plot and some breathtaking suspense. "Zeder" regretfully isn't as good as "House
", but you can still clearly notice that Avati wanted to approach the popular zombie sub genre in an entirely different and innovating way. That alone is a praiseworthy effort, if you ask! Just compare this film with Bruno Mattei's "Hell of the Living Dead" or Umberto Lenzi's "Nightmare City" and you'll quickly see which is superior. "Zeder" introduces Stefano, a young novelist who wants to unravel an obscure mystery/conspiracy that is way out of his league and even involves the Catholic Church and the prominent medical world. Following a discovery made by the famous (apparently) Dr. Zeder, everybody in this film is desperately looking for the so-called "K-Zones". These are pieces of land where the dead come back to life when buried there. I won't go into further detail because A) the plot twists are numberless and impossible to summarize and B) I'm not even sure I fully understood everything.
In all honesty, "Zeder" is too talkative and the entire lack of zombie action is pretty difficult to forgive, even if you like horror that is mainly story-driven. The story introduces too many unmemorable characters and they disappear again shortly after without any kind of explanation. What REALLY happened to Stefano's police officer friend, for instance? And why is the Vatican so interested in resurrecting the dead? Avati manages to mount several very atmospheric moments, and also the music is quite creepy, but the whole film eventually goes a bit nowhere. The neat scenery and camera-work are much appreciated but, in the end, this is only part of what makes a horror movie great. Multiple viewings are required here.
In all honesty, "Zeder" is too talkative and the entire lack of zombie action is pretty difficult to forgive, even if you like horror that is mainly story-driven. The story introduces too many unmemorable characters and they disappear again shortly after without any kind of explanation. What REALLY happened to Stefano's police officer friend, for instance? And why is the Vatican so interested in resurrecting the dead? Avati manages to mount several very atmospheric moments, and also the music is quite creepy, but the whole film eventually goes a bit nowhere. The neat scenery and camera-work are much appreciated but, in the end, this is only part of what makes a horror movie great. Multiple viewings are required here.