The Aftermath

A fabulous music score evocative of the Great Bernard Herrman films. It has a full symphonic original music score on a low budget movie!Landmark effects by the soon to be famous Skotak Brothers(3 time Academy Award Winners for ALIENS, ABYSS and TERMINATOR 2). This low budget film transcends the usual genre limitations, and deals with its subject matter on an emotional as well as visual level. That may be one of the reasons it is so disturbing to some, and so misunderstood by others. At a recent international sci fi convention it was voted among the best "end of the world movies" ever made. I saw it on laser and highly recommend it.

I remember seeing this low quality cheese production several years ago. It was repackaged in the UK as 'Zombie Aftermath', but 10 minutes into this extravaganza, it became apparent that the only zombie on view would be 'versatile' 'actor' Steve Barkett.

Steve's the kind of guy who was always picked last in a line up to play school sports, an out-of-shape middle aged trainspotter who you would certainly not cast as the lead. At first you wonder how he landed this role, until a cursory glance at the video box reveals that he wrote and directed it.

There certainly are some laughs to be had, as Steve comes to terms with the horror of a post apolcalyptic Earth (and viewers come to terms with the horror Steve's limited abilities, both in front of and behind the camera) and if you're prepared to pan a river of boredom in search of a piece of cheese gold (as I always am) then get prospecting.

After knowing it "inspired" DEFCON-4, I went in search for this film, since I'm addicted to PA (Post-Apocalyptic) movies. I don't care about budget and technical limitations. I'd rather focus on the feel and the honesty of the work. And in this field, The Aftermath really shines. The history and characters easily overlook the obvious low budget restrictions and put to shame many hi budget counterparts.

The premise is: 3 astronauts come back to Earth after a long space mission, just to find it destroyed by nuclear war. One of them die on the spaceship forced landing, and the other two must find their way through the new and haunting reality of a nuked world, facing radiation, mutants, marauders and the lack of hope for the future.

The dialog, acting and the action scenes are somewhat laughable, but no one can deny the fact that there's an obvious labor of love beneath each take. OTOH, inventive (altough simplistic) visual effects, a huge and loud soundtrack and the voice-over only adds to the bleak atmosphere. There are effective sequences like the radioactive rain, the dead city landscapes and the corpses on the beach. Surely they're the film highlights.

A great movie despite the low budget restraints, and much better than the most contemporary (and some newer) PA movies.

As a very early entry into the post-nuke game, this one was kind of a genre-defining film for what would follow. Yes, it was insanely low budget, and corny at times, but what really makes it work is Steve Barkett. You know he wasn't a pro, but his amount of enthusiasm for the project more than made up for his lack of skills. He's rolling, jumping, kicking, driving, shooting; no stuntmen here! Flicks like this probably inspired others to get into movie making. It just looks like they had a hell of a lot of fun doing it. This was a movie with a lot of spirit- something the 150 million dollar pictures can't say.

A group of astronauts is in space when WWIII goes down, and they return to earth of find a burnt-out, zombie-infested, wasteland. Criminals run loose, raping and pillaging at will. This film was blatantly copied by Def Con 4 several years later, which was good also. Sid Haig is great as Cutter, the ruthless leader of the filthbags. There is a good amount of decent gore and some nudity to keep you going, but the main plot is the good vs. evil and the battle with Cutter and his band of evil-doers. One thing: this movie will be hard to find. It took me a couple years to find it. UPDATE: I just saw that they have now released this on DVD as Zombie Aftermath! I need to go upgrade my old VHS copy at once!!

If you like B-movies and the post-nuke genre, you will not be disappointed. You may even want to go out and try to make you own movie! This one is a slice of tasty cheese. Recommended. Also, check out Survival Zone (another rare bird).

I can see how someone would think this movie is so bad its good, but to those familiar with movies, so bad its good is an actual category and The Aftermath is not really in it.

Sure, there are decisions that put a smile on the viewers face, but all in all Barkett seems honest and wholesome here, unlike the completely unaware perverts and imbeciles who usually make those movies.

Freud says every dream is a wish, and similarly, the kind of film one makes is, too, an insight into ones psyché and seemingly what Barkett wants is: to be an astronaut, a family, and to shoot bad guys. Whats wrong with all that?

Some of the action and acting is subpar, but the movie makes up for it with actual characterization and by having a heart and a strong, useful message.

Should someone be looking for an introduction to legitimately so bad its good movies, try Plan 9 from Outer Space, Starcrash, Deathstalker, Lifeforce, Robot Holocaust, Battlefield Earth or The Room.

Ps: that kid died in the desert and you know it.