POSSIBLE SPOILER - Can someone explain the ending of this movie?

[The Burgomaster]

Okay, many years ago I went to the movies and saw THE GATES OF HELL starring Christopher George.  Last week, I bought CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (same movie, different title) on DVD. I didn't understand the ending when I saw it in the movies. I watched the DVD and STILL didn't understand the ending. So I replayed the ending AGAIN and I STILL didn't understand it.

Here it is (without giving away too much, for those of you who haven't seen it and actually dare to admit that you WANT to see it):

A guy and a woman emerge from an underground tomb where they have just battled the living dead. As they emerge from the tomb, the police show up with a little boy who they had rescued earlier in the movie. The boy runs toward the man and the woman. The woman screams. The screen "cracks" in a sort of spider-web pattern, and the movie ends.

What the hell was she screaming about? What the hell does the end of this movie mean? (It has nothing to do with the dubbing, either. A scream in Italian translates to a scream in English).

*
*
*
*

[Deej]

For the answer to this you have to go  to Paquita's post about kids in movies. The lady was screaming because she just new that the kid was gonna something precocious or cute, and after the horrors she had just faced she could take no more.

[Drezzy]

Methinks the kid could've been a zombie, or the woman was wacky.

[Apostic]

There's the chemical spill theory, related via Dr. Freex:

http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/Readers/RC_Gates-o-hell.html

Or maybe it was just a "leave it to the imagination scene" at the end.  That was my first reaction.  However, we're talking Fulci here, so "leave it to the imagination" seems out of character.

regards,

Apostic

[Chadzilla]

The first time I saw it I figure the kid was a zombie (so were the cops), what with their showing up late and all, and Fulci not being able to shoot a few seconds of his leads getting wasted seems about right.

[Squishy]

Somewhere, out there--possibly in a DVD review?--someone described, online, the original ending, which made more sense. If I locate in again (and someone doesn't post it first), I'll let you know...

[BryceDavid]

I think there was another ending and somehow, they ran out of money or something and the ending in the movie is basically that. I know I've read about it somewhere. Can't remember where though. I had the COTLD DVD and sold it. I much prefer THE BEYOND.

[Squishy]

http://www.terrortrap.com/thebeyond/beyond.htm

Try this (WARNING: FULL-BLOWN SPOILER-O-RAMA WITH GORY PICS), with a different ending than the one you describe, PLUS commentary from the filmmakers regarding its meaning.

If that doesn't do it, the IMDB entry has a buttload of links under "External Reviews." Happy hunting...

[jmc]

That page talks about THE BEYOND, not CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD.

I read an interview with Fulci somewhere where he says that kid was a zombie....

[Squishy]

Whoops! That is indeed totally my bad. That's what happens when you combine sleep deprivation and hasty reading.

But I did remember correctly that there was a review site out there with some theories about the ending: once JMC got my head straight about the title, it was easy to locate. Problem is, I didn't remember at the time how facetious it was.

Stomp Tokyo also has something on the subject.

Sorry about that!

[jmc]

I was going to pull a quote from Fulci about it, but all he said when asked about the kid being a zombie was "Yes.  It was the editor's idea."  He didn't say anything about being forced to do that due to coffee spill or anything, though.

[Apostic]

'I was going to pull a quote from Fulci about it, but all he said when asked about the kid being a zombie was "Yes. It was the editor's idea."' - jmc

This would explain a "leave it to the imagination" scene generally out of character for Fulci.

regards,

Apostic

[The Burgomaster]

Thanks for all the responses. I figured the kid was supposed to be a zombie . . . except that, at no point do we have any reason to believe that he was killed and turned into a zombie, PLUS, all of the other zombies LOOK like zombies . . . but the kid just looks the same as he did throughout the whole movie: like a normal kid!

[JohnL]

When has an Italian horror movie ever made sense?

[The Burgomaster]

JohnL wrote: "When has an Italian horror movie ever made sense?"

You're right. I must be crazy wasting even 1 minute of my life trying to figure out the logic behind an Italian horror movie. ESPECIALLY a Lucio Fulci film starring (yeesh) Christopher George.

As a punishment, I will have to stand in the corner and go to bed without supper. (NOTE - for those of you who don't realize it, parents actually used to be able to punish their kids like that . . . now it's grounds for a lawsuit and 10 - 20 years in a federal penitentiary).