Shock Waves (Special Edition)

This is one of those '70s horror flicks that utilizes the atmosphere and the creepy music to make it a definite "cult" classic. John Carradine (THE HOWLING), Peter Cushing (STAR WARS) and Brooke Adams (INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS '79) are the only recognizable actors.It's a well done movie with Peter Cushing's character being the lead as the former commander of the Nazi "undead" soldiers. He was part of a team during WWII to create a highly adaptable soldier. The soldiers then became uncontrollable and violent, even sometimes challenging their own Nazi's in the field of combat. The War came to an end and Peter's character took the soldiers on a ship to avoid capture and sailed for weeks. He intentionally ran it aground near a remote island. That's where our story picks up. Unsuspecting tourists on a sailboat ride find themselves lost and end up on that particular island of all places. They venture ashore only to find an abandoned Hotel of sorts with Cushing's character inhabiting the place. After introductions, he advises them to leave the island as soon as possible for there is danger all around the island. The window to leave is closed upon the weary traveler's and they must fight off the undead. One by one, they fall victim to their menacing "thirst" to kill and drowning.... or do they?The DVD itself could have been better, but I suppose at least it is widescreen with a few extras from Blue Underground Entertainment.The DVD is 1:85:1, Dolby Digital 2.0 and runs about 85 minutes with credits.The movie is not a gore fest, but it is spooky and the music really adds to the feel of the whole creepy island effect. Trees and the water look as if they are menacing. I am reminded of another zombie movie that came out after this in 1979 called "ZOMBIE" here in the US. It was the sequel (of sorts) to the very popular movie "DAWN OF THE DEAD". In ZOMBIE, a few crew members from a sailboat go abroad to track down one of the crew's father living on the island. Well, once there, the creepy tropical island effect with the music takes over and eventually they are all in danger.~ Richard Einhorn needs to be commended on a brilliant horror soundtrack!~ BLURAY EDITION: Some Great Features also on this edition including a very nice interview with two of the people who try and escape the island toward the end of the movie. Brooke Adams being one of them. She looks good for her age and talks about this movie and what it's like to be known now as a horror icon of sorts. Get that one as it appears to be more cleaned up than this DVD edition if you want to spend a few more bucks on it. It's worth it.

It’s a typical type of situation where folks walk into something they shouldn’t and then are slowly killed off. The concept of underwater Nazi “zombies” that kill with their bare hands and don’t like the sun in their eyes made this one novel and worth the watch. As usual, the acting is terrible and there’s little gore but it’s not a stinker.

A group of stranded tourists play hide and seek on an island teeming with waterlogged Nazi Zombies from the deep.The plot faithfully follows the standard horror archetype........trap a bunch of people in a confined spot then pick them off one by one. The violence is kept safely hidden off screen, the bodies posed afterwards to demonstrate that something had been done to them, exactly what is mostly guess work. We're alerted up front with a narration explaining there was a secret experiment with Nazi soldiers to make them invincible. Then the movie starts at the end and plays out the story as a remembrance. This doomed group of adventurers set sail on a crappy boat owned by a crabby captain with an acerbic wit (the fabulous John Carradine). Also along for the ride is a bickering couple, a stray tourist with issues about confinement, and the requisite babe of sorts (Brooke Adams as Rose). No stranger to water, the crew consists of Luke Halpin as Keith and a cook with definite hygiene problems. On the island, they meet a Nazi recluse (Peter Cushing as a cadaverous SS Commander). In no time at all, a veritable army of Nazis bob to the surface and slowly track down their victims...........one.........by...........one. The movie is 85 minutes long so they have to take their time.I freely admit that I love this film but I'm certain there are some who won't appreciate the slow pace and lack of violence and/or gore that's usually expected in zombie flicks. Instead, this film thrives on atmosphere and an overriding sense of doom. The action is sparse. And although there is a high body count, it really doesn't seem to count as it's not shown. It's not particularly scary but it is artfully done!

let's tell you the good first. Peter Cushing is terrific, and the last to be credited Luke Halpin (the older boy in the Flipper series) is very good too. John Carradine was getting pretty old but he was okay, too. (this was a movie from 1977) The Nazi zombies were all GREAT.Was this the first with Nazi underwater zombies? Could be. The other "performers" were awful, the whiner guy, the drunken woman, the cowardly guy who panics, just bad. the biggest disappointment was Brooke Adams, Luke saved her life 5 times and not once did she return the favor and by the way....she was awful, too. But getting past the bad, it was still a good fun zombie movie. stay away from this island off florida! They were a Nazi experiment gone wrong.

Ken Wiederhorn's classic 1977 zombie gem Shock Waves finally gets a much needed HD upgrade courtesy of Blue Underground, the company who gave fans the then definitive DVD version way back in 2002. The Blu ray is region free and playable on all Blu ray players worldwide so order with confidence. My copy came with the usual slim line case that is the norm for American imports but also came house in an embossed slipcase.The set up is simple with a visibly traumatised girl (Brooke Adams) floating dazed and confused aided only by a small glass bottomed life dinghy somewhere in the middle of the ocean. She is promptly rescued by a fisherman and it is from this point that she narrates her story of a doomed pleasure voyage aboard the rickety Boneventure captained by the incredibly grumpy old sea dog Ben Morris(John Carradine) and his two man crew. After the ships compass is damaged due to a strange solar phenomenon (which is never fully explained) the Boneventure finds itself miles off course where it is nearly crushed by the hull of a huge rusted old warship that seemed to loom from nowhere out of the dark watery night. With the Boneventure taking on water and also the fact that the captain has mysteriously disappeared the first mate decides to take the passengers to a nearby island. Seemingly uninhabited, and sporting a huge and once grand deserted hotel the rag tag bunch of survivors believe they have a safe place to wait for a rescue. Unfortunately things go from bad to worse when the lost captain turns up dead and a strange island recluse (Peter Cushing) with a distinctive German accent arrives on the scene warning them of the untold dangers on the island concerning a platoon of specially manipulated and bloodthirsty Nazi zombie stormtroopers called The Death Corps, who had been contained in the rusting innards of the warship for decades but who are now free and lie in wait around the coast and waterways of the small tropical island.The idea of Nazi zombies now seems abit of a cliche and is indeed nothing new with a resurgence of undead SS officers in such films as the Outpost series and The Bunker. The sub genre was also parodied in the incredibly gorey Norwegian black comedy Dead Snow and its sequel to the point of ridiculousness . Back in 1977 though the notion was still relatively fresh with nothing really quite like it unless you consider the 1966 helmed head transplantation flick The Frozen Dead. As was always the case European movie makers jumped on the idea churning such unforgettable titles as Jean Rollin's Zombie Lake (which also plagurised the underwater theme) and Jess Franco's Oasis Of The Zombies.Shock Waves has always remained a firm favorite of mine ever since i saw it on a battered VHS tape from Vipco in the 90s, so for me to do any real critical analysis of this much loved picture is hard as I always look at this film through rose tinted glasses. That said Shock Waves is far from perfect and is definatly not to all tastes. Technical problems abound from bad continuity through to plot holes and the movie hardly looks polished. Also any newcomers to Shock Waves expecting a 70s zombie gorefest along the lines of The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue, Dawn Of The Dead or even the original 1968 Night Of The Living Dead will be surely disappointed with the lack of onscreen carnage as hardly a drop of blood is spilt throughout the whole picture so much so that it originally recieved a PG rating in the US and if re-submitted to the BBFC today would more than likely get away with a 12 certificate as the old Vipco release only carried an 18 rating due to the inclusion of trailers for other far more graphic movies. But to me non of this matters as Shock Waves remains as effective now as when I first saw it for a number of reasons. First and foremost Shock Waves is atmospheric to the core from the tropical island setting which as to be expected has drawn similarities with Lucio Fulci's Zombie Flesh Eaters through to the often grungy 16mm photography. Much like another 1970s cult horror favourite, Tobe Hooper's Texas Chiansaw Massacre, Wiederhorn manages to pull off quite a few shocks, moments of creepy imagery and raw power without resorting to over the top bloodletting often associated with the genre. Its these scenes, mostly involving the zombies rising from the water that are most effective giving the movie an eerie dreamlike quality. The cast too are mostly excellent with the two big marquee names in both Carradine and Cushing perfect in small cameo roles, adding a touch of class, experience and professionalism to such a low budget production despite being given relatively little to do. The remainder of the cast are good without being overly memorable with the exception of a pre Invasion Of The Body Snatchers Brooke Adams in her first credited starring role. A special note must also be made about the wonderful electronic soundtrack by Richard Einhorn which adds to experience immeasurable and dare I say it enhances the mood and atmosphere to help create what is a very unique movie.For me Shock Waves is a minor classic with some wonderful moments, brimming with 70s horror atmosphere so thick you could spread it with a knife. As I mentioned before its not for everyone but if you like discovering forgotten cult horror then I can wholeheartedly recommend Shock Waves.Picture:Shock Waves has always looked a little rough around the edges which could have been attributed to the fact that the original elements had been lost many years before. Blue Underground's new Blu ray release states that it was created from the only known surviving elements but when compared to their old SD DVD release this is significant upgrade especially if your a fan who has seen the film many times. Presented in the correct aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and sporting an AVC encoded MPEG4 transfer this looks about as good as I expect Shock Waves ever will unless a pristine print is ever discovered. Obviously there is always going to be room for improvement but fine detail is far stronger than SD could produce and despite a few out of focus sections which would have been inherent in the original photograpy this is fairly pleasing. The HD transfer also handles the thick grainy image more accurately lending the visuals a natural filmic appearance and thanks to a decent bitrate there are no encode problems to report. Print damage is somewhat lessened compared to previous release. That doesent mean its completely clean and indeed there is the odd line and traces of spotting print damage but it is never overly distracting and doesent diminish the overall viewing experience. Contrast at times can be a little bright especially on the brighter outdoor scenes and the image can come across as a little pale with colours hardly ever popping but dark scenes showgreater depth and are more discernable than the old DVD despite some crush and obvious fading. It is also worth noting that more image is visible within the frame on nearly all four sides. There isn't a huge amount of difference but it is always a positive to get the most accurately framed version. Hardly an award winning restoration but taken on its own terms this is a worthy upgrade that should please fans although newcomers who demand pristine smooth presentations may find the grain structure a little overpowering.Audio:Blue Underground have remained faithful to the original sound design and presented Shock Waves in its original mono delivered here by a two channel DTS-HD Master mix. Obviously this comes across as a little limited slightly lacking in atmospherics and depth but then is how it would have originally sounded. Dialogue on this lossless track is almost always discernable if at times hollow and effects feature more punch than the DVD. The most notable upgrade from this lossless track must go to Richard Einhorn's soundtrack which does indeed sound far richer and as its possibly the most important attribute to Shock Waves' sound design make this new Blu ray a very worthy upgrade.Extras:If you already own Blue Underground's previous release then some of the extras will be familiar such as the audio commentary featuring input from director Ken Wiederhorn, make-up designer Alan Ormsby and B movie director Fred Olen Ray and the documentary 'From Flipper To Shock Waves concerning star Luke Halpin. But for its Blu ray premiere, Blue Underground have produced some brand new extras to really add value to an already worthy package. First up is an all new documentary entitled 'Nazi Zombies On A Budget' which features a 21 minute chat in full HD with producer and cinematographer Reuben Trane who talks about the production and how much it cost to bring in both Cushing and Carradine for five days work apiece. Another acquisition for this new release is a 13 minute interview again in HD with the music composer Richard Einhorn and last but not least is yet another interview recorded in HD with star Brooke Adams with the title 'Sole Survivor.Shock Waves marks yet another worthy Blu ray upgrade from Blue Underground. The transfer is a significant improvement over standard definition and the new extras are the icing on the cake. Keep supporting Blue Underground's decision to re release their back catalogue in HD as there are still some very worthy titles languishing in SD DVD hell and this release comes highly recommended.

A real favourite from my VHS rental days. An eye catching video cover in a large oversized box looked great on the shelf.....pity about the jumping picture and impossible to fix tracking problems. Thankfully all that's gone now and we can enjoy Ken Wiederhorn's 1976 entry in the Nazi zombie sub-genre in all it's glory. Don't expect the usual gut munching and extreme violence usually associated with these things, this is almost totally blood free with the killings pretty much hidden from view. Lets face it though, the film works really well as it is and so the focus is more on the basics such as a great setting, an atmospheric sun drenched island with it's isolated mansion and Caribbean vistas, eventually put under siege by our zombie friends, rising from the depths in a very effective and convincing manner.Tremendous to see the likes of Peter Cushing and John Carradine adding a quality dimension to the proceedings, although neither get a great deal to do. Cushing in particular spends most of his time walking around as if on a mission.Yes, picture quality varies throughout and film grain is certainly evident, but this can't be eradicated totally and does add that vintage feel reminiscent of old times (if you can remember the old times).Not to everyone's taste of course, in fact if you've been weaned on super smooth, super slick fare with fast paced editing you may be disappointed. If not, then this deserves a place in your collection.Just to point out, the release here is Blue Underground's original region free dvd and NOT their Special Edition.**** BLU-RAY***A word about Blue Underground's Blu-ray release. Picture quality is sharper and looks more effective on a bigger screen, however this has increased the grain factor (the film was shot on 16mm), and while this is acceptable, it's still a little disappointing. If viewing on a 60'+ screen you might want to be a little wary.

This is the best of the so called "Video Nazis".A very decent cast star in this creepy zombie flick where the results of old Nazi experiments rise from their watery graves to attack some stranded tourists on a swampy desert island.Excellent picture and sound with some good bonus materials.

Peter Cushing - John Carradine and Nazi Zombies - well if that hasn't sold you what about the fact that the oddness of the film adds to the eeriness of the film. The Zombies aren't to bad either. Well worth buying as its Region free!

Classic bit of old horror, Strange looking zombies, I probably wouldn't class as zombies but still a good watch when having some beers round a mates