The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie)

By John Reppion

This 1974 Spanish/Italian production predates both Dawn and Day of the Dead (being released in 1978 and 1985 respectively) and can almost be seen as a re-imagining (or, if you’re less diplomatically minded, a rip off) of Night of the Living Dead set in rural England.

George (Ray Lovelock) is a young, bearded, bohemian antique dealer based in Manchester (although we assume that he’s originally from London or thereabouts judging by the accent he’s been given). Hastily locking up his shop on a Friday night he races off on his motorbike headed for a newly procured country retreat which he and some friends are in the process of renovating. Stopping at a petrol station on route, George has his bike reversed over by a tired and overwrought Edna (Cristina Galbó). This being the 1970’s George simply insists that Edna now has to take him where he was going and in fact climbs into the driving seat of her mini cooper making her shove over “it’s the least you can do, innit?” (the attitudes of the men towards the women in the film are both cringe worthy and funny at times – anyone who has seen the BBC TV series Life on Mars will know the sort of territory being covered here, except, of course, this isn’t satirical). After a good bit of haring around country lanes Edna manages to persuade George to take her to her intended destination first and head on to his house in the mini which she can pick up later. Unfortunately, Edna doesn’t seem to know the way to her sister and brother in law’s cottage and the pair end up hopelessly lost in the Lake District. Stopping to ask for directions, George leaves Edna alone in the car parked outside a graveyard with a babbling brook running next to it. After a short walk George finds a farmer in the midst of having an experimental machine demonstrated to him by two men from the Ministry of Agriculture. The contraption, George is informed, drives pests into a state of madness (we’re shown footage of warring ants) which makes them destroy themselves and each other. Meanwhile, Edna is confronted by a strange man who comes stumbling out of the cemetery with weird red eyes (much like the eyes of the “infected” in 28 Days Later… except that, unfortunately, the doubtlessly painful lenses don’t actually show up very well in the film). Edna manages to escape into the arms of George (now accompanied by the farmer) but there’s no evidence of the man when the group return to the car and it’s assumed that Edna is just being a typical, hysterical woman. When the pair finally do arrive at Edna’s sister’s place they find her husband being attacked and murdered by the same man who approached Edna from the cemetery. It’s not long before the police arrive, headed by an incongruously American Inspector (Arthur Kennedy) who isn’t buying any stories of the dead returning to life and doesn’t much care for George and his ilk (“You're all the same the lot of you, with your long hair and faggot clothes. Drugs, sex, every sort of filth!”). What follows is like some weird cross between The Wicker Man, Night of the Living Dead and a Carry On film.

For all its short comings, The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue is an enjoyable and entertaining film; yes, there’s a degree of “so bad it’s good” shlock and cliché in there but there’s also some very well written and executed stuff too (the Zombi-esque heartbeat loop which dominates the soundtrack when the zombies turn up is worth the price of admission alone in my book). More than anything the film is interesting because of its non Romero oriented ideas about the origins and characteristics of the zombies themselves. Its importance should not be underestimated; I’ve already mentioned 28 days Later… but there are unquestionably many genre films and books alike (such as Stephen King’s Cell for example) which owe a considerable debt to this flawed classic. If, as a result of reading this review, you are now planning on watching The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue, please do heed the advice offered on the original theatrical poster: "To avoid fainting keep repeating, it's only a movie... only a movie... only a movie... only a movie...".