My quick rating – 5.1/10. I’ve always been a fan of City of the Living Dead (aka Gates of Hell), so it’s no surprise that Nightmare City (aka City of the Walking Dead) ended up on my radar, especially given how often the two are compared. On the surface of things, of course, this appears to be simply another gloriously bonkers zombie flick from that great nation of Italy. An airplane is irradiated en route, lands for reasons that are unclear, and out come the bloodthirsty undead to wreak havoc across rural Italy. These aren’t your slow, shambling undead either. These ones run, think, and most importantly, use weapons. Knives, guns, whatever’s lying around… apparently, radiation unlocks a full arsenal.
It is a premise that offers the possibility for complete and utter madness, violence, and just plain old-fashioned, gory brawl hell, but, alas, the execution is not quite what it should be. The plot is quickly thrown into complete disarray, veering wildly from point to point without rhyme or reason. Characters come and go with minimal development, and it’s hard to feel invested when the film itself doesn’t seem particularly interested in focusing on what is playing out. The pacing doesn’t help either, with bursts of frantic violence followed by oddly sluggish stretches that grind the energy to a halt at the worst possible times.
When Nightmare City really leans into its zombie rampage moments, it does indeed offer the prerequisite gore and brutality: limbs are slashed, throats cut, and the body count rises steadily. However, kills are mostly blunt and functional, relying more on their shock value than any semblance of tension or atmosphere built up to them. There’s very little of that creeping dread that defines stronger entries in Italian horror, and the constant barrage of violence starts feeling repetitive rather than unsettling. An idea of zombies wielding weapons is somewhat novel and at times amusing, but without some stronger storytelling to back that gimmick up, it doesn’t really land.
On the visual front, the movie has the definite look and feel of 80s-era Italian horror, and the special effects and zombie makeup, while a little tacky, are actually fairly decent for a low-budget production and exude a certain level of grimy, rock-and-roll authenticity. In terms of cinematography and production values, it is beyond a doubt that the movie is, to a certain extent, a product of its own era and might present a bit of a problem for a more modern viewing public.
Ultimately, Nightmare City feels like a film with a great hook that never figures out how to use it effectively. I find it difficult to classify among the better-remembered Italian zombie movies for these very reasons, among others. While there is some nostalgic fun for fans of the genre, Nightmare City is an experience that will be over and done with once the radioactive ash has settled.
