Zombie Creeping Flesh
A chemical accident in Papua New Guinea triggers a zombie outbreak, forcing a television reporter and a small commando unit to cross hostile territory while the dead overrun isolated settlements. The film is a shameless, energetic example of Italian exploitation cinema borrowing from both Dawn of the Dead and documentary-style jungle footage.
Film details
| Original / alt title | Virus; Hell of the Living Dead; Zombie Creeping Flesh; Night of the Zombies |
| Year | 1980 |
| Director | Bruno Mattei |
| Country | Italy / Spain |
| Runtime | Approx. 96–100 min |
| Main cast | Margit Evelyn Newton, Franco Garofalo, José Gras, Selan Karay |
UK status
Listed by the DPP during the Video Nasty period but later dropped rather than remaining among the final 39 successful prosecutions.
The complete version was passed for UK home entertainment in 2002.
Why it caused controversy
UK censorship / Video Nasties history
A quick status check first, followed by the film’s censorship timeline. A DPP prosecution was an obscenity case against a particular video publication — it was not automatically the same thing as a permanent nationwide “ban”.
Detailed censorship timeline & facts
FACTS & TRIVIA
- Bruno Mattei directed the film, with Claudio Fragasso also heavily involved in the production.
- The film is known by several alternate titles, including Hell of the Living Dead and Night of the Zombies.
- Stock documentary footage is woven into the fictional jungle sequences.
- Goblin music originally composed for other films appears on the soundtrack.
- Margit Evelyn Newton plays reporter Lia Rousseau.
- The film's exploitation excess has made it a cult favourite despite harsh reviews.
- Its DPP status was temporary: it was listed, but not one of the final prosecuted 39.
Distributor / VHS label
Archive cover shown is the user-supplied scan. UK distributor / VHS-label attribution varies by edition and is not asserted here without a verified sleeve imprint.
Trailer
Open a search for the original theatrical / VHS-era trailer. This keeps the archive linking to publicly available trailer sources rather than hosting copyrighted film footage.
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