Zombie Holocaust / Doctor Butcher M.D. - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Alright, so how did Zombie Holocaust come to be? We can owe that to two specific exploitation films that set off a boom of similar works: Lucio Fulci’s Zombie and Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust. Zombie Holocaust was finished in 1980 but wasn’t released stateside until 1982, in which it was released in a re-edited version titled Doctor Butcher M.D. The Doctor Butcher cut was devised by filmmaker Roy Frumkes, excising some scenes from the original film and adding footage from an unfinished anthology film in the beginning. The result is a hasty little roughie that doesn’t make much sense, but neither did the original Zombie Holocaust cut!

Zombie Holocaust kicks off in NYC, where morgue assistant and anthropology expert Lori (Alexandra Delli Colli) discovers that there’s someone munching on dead bodies in the morgue! Lori traces the origins of the cannibal back to the Maluku Islands and with the help of Dr. Peter Chandler (Ian McCullough), decides to investigate. But what the duo find is an island filled with cannibals and a sinister doctor who is experimenting on corpses. 

A huge difference between both cuts is that Zombie Holocaust has a breezy score by Nico Fidenco, similar to his work on the Black Emanuelle films. Doctor Butcher M.D., on the other hand, has a very American synthesizer score to appeal to local audiences. Neither cuts nor their scores, can cover up just how silly, thin and haphazard the filmmaking is here. Bits of gore and blood are abundant, with a notorious scene in which a zombie gets eviscerated by an outboard motor, but the underlying film is an egregious grab bag of nastiness. That being said, it’s still a wildly fun time since any narrative fat has been excised and replaced with gross-out nonsense.

Blood, boobs, and gore is what’s on the mind of Zombie Holocaust, and fortunately, this one has the sleazy horror action to back up that promise. The result is a huge kitchen sink filled with the shit that was done better in Zombie and Cannibal Holocaust, though you’ll find much gut-chomping and confounding nudity to make this stinker much funnier and exciting. Oh, and there’s a pit sequence in Zombie Holocaust that has been elusive for years, but has finally been restored and placed back in by Severin.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-rays
Doctor Butcher M.D. (Medical Deviate) is ready for your appointment with a four-disc release that offers a BD66 for each 4K feature discs and BD50s for the standard Blu-ray features and supplements. All discs come housed in a thicker-than-normal 4K amaray case with an embossed, double-sided slipcover that shows off art from both cuts included. All four discs boot up to standard menu screens with options to play the film, set up audio, explore bonus features and select chapters. Oh, and Severin has included some branded barf bags for your safety!

Severin Films has pulled out all the stops for this release, including both films being scanned in 4K from original vault elements discovered in Manhattan and Rome. Both films are adorned with show-stopping presentations, pulling the most from the sources used. While emulsion and other print damage can be seen throughout various scenes in both films, it’s much more minor and well-resolved than all previous presentations. In particular, those daytime exteriors in NYC look terrific underneath the heavy grain field, and the detail is clearly superior over Severin’s previous Blu-ray release. Plus, that scene from the pit has been taken from the original Doctor Butcher M.D. negative, scanned, restored and then placed back into Zombie Holocaust. Colors are rich without being too vivid, properly showing off the low-budget nature of the production. Bitrates are consistent and do not falter when dealing with a damaged source, plus black levels are tuned in nicely and bring the most out of those nighttime exteriors. Both presentations are aided by Dolby Vision HDR, which has been applied very well and avoids blowing out any if those aged highlights. Another stellar 4K release from Severin on the video side!

Doctor Butcher M.D. comes with an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track, while Zombie Holocaust comes with both English and Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono tracks. Audio is decent on both cuts, but don’t expect anything huge like the video upgrade since these are dubbed films. That being said, dialogue and music is balanced well, plus hiss has been reduced considerably. You’ll find solid audio work here no matter which track you choose.

As for special features, Severin has compiled their already-exhaustive list of supplements from their 2016 Blu-ray release and added a few new ones to sweeten the deal. In particular, there’s a great featurette with Rue Morgue’s Michael Gingold in which Gingold tours New York locations used in famous Italian horror films. There’s a great bit where he finds the park where the dog picks up a severed hand in The New York Ripper. You’ll be treated to hours of cult film knowledge being dumped on you with this release.

Disc 1: Doctor Butcher M.D. 4K Feature & Supplements

• Theatrical trailer (HD 2:48)
• Video release trailer (HD 1:16)
• TV spot (SD 0:34)

Disc 2: Zombie Holocaust 4K Feature & Supplements

• Trailer (HD 4:17)

Disc 3: Doctor Butcher M.D. Blu-ray Feature & Supplements

• Butchery & Ballyhoo – Interview with Aquarius Releasing’s Terry Levene (HD 31:35)
• The Four Boroughs of Blood – Rue Morgue's Michael Gingold tours New York locations of Italian horror (HD 46:01)
• Down on the Deuce – Nostalgic tour of 42nd Street with Temple of Schlock's Chris Poggiali and filmmaker Roy Frumkes (HD 21:55)
• Tales That Tore Our Heart Out – Filmmakers Frank Farel and Brendan Faulkner discuss an unfinished anthology film (HD 18:17)
• Roy Frumkes' Segment of unfinished anthology film Tales that Will Tear Your Heart Out with accompanying director commentary (SD 8:07)
• The Butcher Mobile – Interview with Gore Gazette editor and butcher mobile barker Rick Sullivan (HD 12:33)
• Cutting Doctor Butcher – Interview with editor Jim Markovic (HD 10:12)
• Illustrated Essay: “Experiments With A Male Caucasian Brain (…And Other Memories Of 42nd Street)” by Gary Hertz
• Theatrical trailer (HD 2:48)
• Video release trailer (HD 1:16)
• TV spot (SD 0:34)

Disc 4: Zombie Holocaust Blu-ray Feature & Supplements

• Voodoo Man – Interview with star Ian McCullough (HD 8:14)
• Blood of the Zombies – Interview with SFX master Rosario Prestopino (HD 23:02)
• Filmmaker Enzo G. Castellari remembers his father, director Marino Girolami (HD 7:46)
• Neurosurgery Italian Style – Interview with SFX artist Maurizio Trani (SD 4:36)
• Sherry Holocaust – Interview with actress Sherry Buchanan (HD 24:04)
• New York Filming Locations: 1980 & 2015 (HD 3:03)
• Audio Bonus: Ian McCullough sings “Down by the River” (HD 2:40)
• Trailer (HD 4:17)

There’s a flesh-eating monster on the loose and it’s in the morgue! Travel back to the grindhouse days of 42nd Street with Severin Films’ new four-disc release of Zombie Holocaust and Doctor Butcher M.D. These two sleazy, gross works of exploitation have been lovingly restored and presented in 4K, plus new special features have been added to make the upgrade even more worth it. If you’re a fan of Eurotrash, gore, horror, or even just silly Italian films, you’ll find much to enjoy with this Highly Recommended release!

Order your copy of Zombie Holocaust / Doctor Butcher M.D. on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray