DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D.(medical deviate)

[kyle dusty]

this saturday,i walked into a small movie store called"sam's" in haltom city,texas..i usually spend my saturdays looking for obscure movies or music..well after searching through about six pawn shops and three different movie stores,i saw this "sam's"store with $1to$4.99 written on the window..a co-worker told me about this place two years ago but i had never searched for it..as it turns out,this was their last day to be open,and everything in the store was $4.99(except for the junk $1 tapes)..i looked around and noticed a couple of movies that i hadn't seen in along time.."HELLTRAIN"on wizard video was one of them,so i knew i was in the right place!!approaching the horror section i eyed the D's..and there it was!!!DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D.(medical deviate)..my other copy bit the dust in 92' so the 16th of june 01'would forever mark the reunion of me and the Dr...i was overjoyed!!i composed myself,headed to the counter,and paid my $4.99 with pleasure..WOW!!!ONE WEEK "ALIEN DEAD" THE NEXT WEEK "DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D."(medical deviate)I BET IT WAS YOU CHOPPED THAT HAND OFF---

[Chris K.]

DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D. is a fascinating movie, and yet it is a canibalization of an Italian feature called ZOMBIE HOLLOCAUST. ZOMBIE HOLLOCAUST was filmed in 1979 by director Marino Girolami for producer Fabrizio De Angelis (the same producer behind Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE, which was filmed at the same time). It was obvious that Fabrizio De Angelis wanted to capitalize on the success of ZOMBIE, so ZOMBIE HOLLOCAUST was made. ZOMBIE HOLLOCAUST recieved an uncut limited release in the United States until in 1982 a company in New York called Aquarius Releasing, Inc. bought the rights to the distribution of ZOMBIE HOLLOCAUST. But Aquarius' owner Terry Levene had to re-edit the film and give it a new music score that is really outlandish at times. Even the gore sequences had to be toned down a bit. But that did not stop Aquarius from doing more than just cut some sequences out. A scene in which a zombie rising from a grave with a tombstone that says 'Snuff Maximus' was added in from an unfinished 1978 film from Roy Frumkies called TALES THAT'LL TEAR YOUR HEART OUT! Wow! And to top it off, Marino Girolami was credited as 'Frank Martin' in the credits for the American version just to make the film more American than Italian (of course, it did not fool some due to the obvious English dubbing). And the title was changed from ZOMBIE HOLLOCAUST to DOCTOR BUTCHER M.D.

As for Aquarius, the company also released CANNIBAL FERROX (1981) as MAKE THEM DIE SLOWLY while Lucio Fulci's THE BEYOND (1981) was released as THE SEVEN DOORS OF DEATH. Of course, Terry Levene claims that HIS versions are better. I SHOULD SAY NOT!

[StatCat]

I only saw the zombie holocaust version which is more complete but with different music. I think the dr butcher version has a different opening scene than zombie holocaust. Maybe that is the scene with the rising zombie?

[Steve.]

I think Cannibal Holocaust aka Eaten Alive was made around the same time as Dr Butcher (Bandwagon leaping!). Although CH is another over-the-top cannibal/zombie flick, it is quite unsettling at times - it's done in an almost documentary-style (Cinema-verite, I think the term is) making it disturbing and grotesque in some scenes. Most of these Italian directors cheerfully ripped-off US movies and shamelessly "borrowed" each others ideas.

[kyle dusty]

wow! how very informative..i knew about most of what you wrote,..except i was slightly confused about the "zombie holocaust"tie-in..i think this was an era of everyone try to out gross the other,lets make some nasty scenes..it all turned out so funny though,with the music,the overdubbing etc..