Le commando des morts-vivants

According to the DVD details, the original film print for "Shock Waves" mysteriously disappeared some twenty years before its 21st century re-release. The setting is the (then) present year of 1977, but we recall, "In the dark days of World War II, the Nazi High Command ordered its scientists to create a top secret race of indestructible zombie storm troopers - un-living, unfeeling, unstoppable monstrosities that killed with their bare hands. They were known as 'The Death Corps'. No member of this horrific SS unit was ever captured by the allied forces - and, somewhere off the coast of Florida, they have survived…"

Next, we meet pretty bikini-loving Brooke Adams (as Rose) in a dinghy, being rescued by fisherman Clarence Thomas (not the Supreme Court justice). Obviously, Ms. Adams has survived some tragedy, but breaks her seeming catatonic state to help narrate the story, in flashback. This is unfortunate, because we are given way too much information about a survivor; although you could guess the damsel stood a better than average chance, it kills the suspense by showing this before placing her in serious danger. Adams, the heroine of the story, has gone sailing with Fred Buch (as Chuck), and another couple...

But, the story's hero is handsome Luke Halpin (as Keith), who learned all about the waters off the coast of Florida in "Flipper" (1963-68). If you are worried about whether or not young "Sandy" retained his good looks into manhood, fret no further. Crusty ship Captain John Carradine (as Ben) comments on Mr. Halpin's attractiveness, inviting a shrug. Halpin, Mr. Carradine, and cook Don Stout (as Dobbs) are the boatmen. D.J. Sidney (as Beverly) and Jack Davidson (as Norman) are the other couple. They're seven stranded castaways getting ready to meet creepy Commander Peter Cushing, if they get to the island…

With lingering shots of fish looking bored at the camera, "Shock Waves" seems to waste a lot of time doing absolutely nothing. When the Nazi zombies make their move, they do so without much gore. But, this works in the film's favor. While you expect horror movies to smear the screen with blood and guts, it's nice when someone comes along to show that a different style still works. This is evident, especially, during the sequence when the Nazis rise from their swampy slumber. Credit director Ken Wiederhorn and his crew with something stylish and surprising. And, Richard Einhorn's music scores high marks.

******* Shock Waves (7/15/77) Ken Wiederhorn ~ Brooke Adams, Luke Halpin, Peter Cushing, John Carradine

This is an underrated cult classic from the 70s, a great decade for atmospheric horror films. The eerie score, excellent location and spooky zombie makeup are all great. A few reviewers have complained about the makeup for the zombies but I thought it was good for the purposes and budget of this film. I assume these naysayers also belong to the "show us more guts" crowd. Some other complaints are about the daylight shooting. Apparently, according to some, this detracts from the movie's effectiveness to scare people. Hogwash. It takes more talent to create atmosphere and terror in broad daylight than at night. The director accomplishes this quite well and deserves to be applauded for it.

The cast is solid. Brooke Adams is a young and sexy lead. Solid support from horror vets Peter Cushing and John Carradine (whose arthritic hands are painful to look at and I can only imagine the poor man's suffering). The male lead is the mustachioed Luke Halpin (from Flipper) and he's very rootable.

On a side note I have to roll my eyes at some of the reviewers bemoaning the lack of gore and guts. This is not a zombie movie in the Romero mold. These are reanimated dead Nazis who kill. They don't eat brains or rip out guts. Why some need to see such visceral imagery to enjoy a horror film is perplexing to me but it takes all kinds I guess.

This is a great little film that combines two of the 70s most popular horror movie themes: monsters in the water and undead zombies. It also features the always-wonderful Brooke Adams (from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers") in a major role, not to mention both John Carradine and Peter Cushing.

A group of vacationers being taken on a cruise around some unspecified tropical islands experiences some trouble when a decades-old ship appears out of nowhere and rams their boat. The "ghost ship" is populated by undead SS soldiers who were created to survive both underwater and on land, and it goes without saying that they have no friendly intentions.

The new castaways take refuge on an island inhabited solely by Peter Cushing, a former Nazi commander who was in charge of the "Death Corps", and their host gives them a hasty explanation about what they're all up against.

The rest of the film is the tourists and sailors being stalked and offed by the zombies, who have really wrinkled skin and wear groovy goggles. Unlike the standard flesh-eating zombies of 70s horror, these undead guys don't wanna bite you, they just wanna hold you under the water until the bubbles stop. Genre fans hoping for some cannibalism or guts will be disappointed.

The visuals in the movie are sometimes striking. The underwater shots of the zombies are bizarre, as are the scenes of them rising up out of the ocean (or whatever body of water happens to be handy). Most of the action takes place on the island, which features a deserted resort that is pretty creepy in itself. A couple of the shots reminded me of "Carnival of Souls", with one or two scenes of undead faces looming just under the surface of the water.

The editing is a bit choppy and slightly incoherent. It seems like a few scenes establishing the characters were excised, as well as some other exposition such as the fate of the tourists's boat (what DID happen to it, after all?). The pacing is also not for all tastes, since this movie never builds into a all-out assault or anything, but it's an enjoyably creepy chiller in the classic 70s style. This is a prime candidate for DVD rediscovery. Watch it if you can find it.

Rather than re-watch Rob Zombie's homage to 70s flicks, or any of the modern remakes of the "Living Dead" films, why not just dig up some of the little seen but really good original 70s stuff? There's a lot of it out there that deserves to be seen, and this is one of them. There's a lot going for it, atmospheric soundtrack, decaying old structure, handful of frightened folks out of their normal element, the walking dead, plans for escape all go awry, very typical of the 70s pre-slasher horror genre. But this is one of the best entries, surprisingly better than I remember it to be when I saw it back in 1979 on tape. Back then, being an immature young kid, I though it was slow, but now I see it's a steady build of tension.

Ken Wiederhorn, who went on to direct the dull EYES OF A STRANGER, hits celluloid paydirt with this thoughtful, creepy and lyrical horror flick.

Mostly a work of effective moments, its images of dead Nazi soldiers emerging from the sea and advancing towards a distant shoreline have never left me or lost their power to evoke a sense of horror.

The story is a simple one, as the best horror stories are. Members of The Death Corps, an SS unit never apprehended by Allied Forces, return to menace holidaymakers with a little help from a friend.

The moderate pacing works in favor of the off-kilter narrative and the numerous sequences in which the undead soldiers attack the living are swift and highly effective.

Peter Cushing turns in a small but sincere performance, as does genre stalwart John Carradine.

Score by Richard Einhorn is memorable.

SHOCK WAVES has nothing in common with recent Hollywood horror films, but it has plenty in common with mostly unseen (outside their country of origin) Japanese horror outings such as LIVING SKELETON.