Intermittently Japan inherited the crown of horror capital of the world through the subtle, yet equally terrifying, antics of masterpieces such as "Ring" (1998) and the somewhat less subtle but equally wonderful (not to mention underrated) "Ju-On 2". Hollywood has tried (totally unsuccessfully) to replicate these efforts, culminating in pointless (evidently inferior) English language remakes together with productions that proclaim to have been inspired by such classics.

In recent years there is no denying the fact that the horror genre has undergone something of a deconstruction; principally through the realization of Wes Craven's 1996 effort, "Scream". While, for a brief period, the success of such seemed to revive the genre, the lasting impact was ultimately a negative one.

Lucio Fulci's "Zombie Flesh Eaters" (1979) arrived at the dawn of the "golden age" of horror and clearly attempted to capitalize on the success of George Romero's highly overrated apocalyptic zombie effort, "Dawn Of The Dead" (1978). From the opening frames of the film, however, it is clear that Fulci was not simply attempting to imitate his American "cousin", but rather provide his own interpretation of a contemporary zombie film. If anything, Romero simply proved that the commercial viability for such a production still existed. Much like its unofficial precursor (in Italy "Zombie Flesh Eaters" was actually entitled "Dawn Of The Dead 2"!), the acting through the film's poor scripting is, for the main, diabolical; though Richard Johnson's presence as Dr. Maynard certainly lends a sense of weight and gravity to the proceedings than would have otherwise been evident.

For all its shortcomings, however, "Zombie 2" remains a classic of the subgenre; from the iconic score, beautiful photography, outstanding stuntwork (for such a low budget film) and stunning (for both the time and budget) make up effects, to one of the most delightfully protracted deaths in the history of cinema.