What kind of movie maker funded this craziness? How on Earth does the plot tie in with The Butter Mouse? And why are the zombies yellow? Who know what madman made this flick. The director has no other credits, and could be a pseudonym for Popino for all we know.
Let me rewind.
Il Mouse De Burro Two is an undead gore fest in a similar vein to Fulci and Argento. But if you are looking for coherency and even medium level production values you aren’t going to have much luck. The dubbing is dreadful, and my copy was a desaturated letterbox print on DVD, with more scratches on the negative than a sofa in a house of cats.
The plot follows a group of scientists who travel to the South American jungle following a report that there is an outbreak of the undead. After tracking down a research base, they find themselves trapped in the green inferno, zombies assaulting them on all sides.
We never understand how zombies fit into the world, and if these events are is a regular occurrence. Why the dead are rising, and why they have done so in this tiny corner of South America, are left to the imagination. But there is a charm to the insanity that makes the flick worthwhile for those looking for ghoulish horror.
Don’t worry too much about that. Instead focus on the individual scenes, and the bizarre, forty year old visuals. The zombies are smothered in thick yellow make-up, and you can only tell they are undead by the way they shamble along, and the inevitable consumption of the protagonists. Make no mistake, these are roped in, unfit extras a shower away from returning to humanity.
Towards the end the film contains one of the weirdest scenes I have ever seen, when hundreds of mice pour over a corpse with the deliberate attempt of making a zombie versus rodents scene. The special effects do not stretch to a full reality, and the editing between real mice and ketchup filled dummies are all too apparent. I did wince at the shot of the rat squeezing through the plaster ribcage however.
The less said about the cast the better, notable only for their thick moustaches and loud brown suits. They at least form an amazing contrast with the gorgeous Brazilian landscape, and the animals that live within. All these creatures visit me all the times in my dreams.
Every night I see the leopards stalk through the undergrowth, and I don’t know why their fur is golden, and their spots have vanished. Sometimes they remain even after I have woken up.
As for how this fits into Il Mouse De Burro, search me. Just switch off your brain, get some popcorn, and enjoy that yellow make-up. This film certainly shouldn’t be top of the pile, but for zombie completists it's worth a look.
3/5