Horror em Alto Mar

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

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.

As a pre-production assistant and sound recordist on this film, I remember producer Reuben Trane and Director Ken Wiedernorn returning to the production office after taking co-star John Carradine from Miami's airport to his hotel.

Everyone on the crew was interested in how Carradine, in his late '70's and a movie icon if ever there was one, looked, acted, felt, etc. We were all keen to know if he seemed fit and ready for a role that required quite a bit of physical action, including moving as rapidly as possible from a small dinghy to a larger boat, while both were bobbing at sea.

Reuben and Ken came into the office looking morose as someone asked, "So, how IS he?" I don't remember which of them responded, but one of them said, "Let's put it this way, he has trouble walking on flat land with a cane!"

But, trooper that he was, Carradine did everything asked of him without complaint. He was also often "the life of the set", and in between takes or after a days' shooting, he would regale us all with wild tales of Hollywood and the stars and moguls he had known so well.

It's been about 25 years since I worked on "Shock Waves", but the memory of old man Carradine lives on vividly. He was a helluva guy.

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.

For a film about Zombie Nazi soldiers who rise from the sea to murder a group of shipwrecked tourists, you would expect blood and guts. Well "Shock Waves" is relatively bloodless. and yet, it is an extremely good horror film! Heavy on the tension and atmosphere, this is a film, much like John Carpenter's "Halloween," that relies on mood and setting to captivate it's audience. the fact that this movie was made with a larger budget, and big name actors, helps "Shock Waves" to avoid being categorized as cheap exploitation. The cast is great, but of course the dead Nazis are the centerpiece of the production. The images of these blond SS soldiers walking out of the water are haunting and almost beautiful to behold. The fact that they don't have any reason to kill the hapless tourists makes them seem a bit more soulless than if they were killing them for "food." They don't eat their victims; they just kill them and leave them where they lie.

Featuring a wonderful, creepy electronic score and imaginative camera-work throughout, this is a must-see for fans of the genre. Of course those looking for a bloodbath will be disappointed. but those looking for some good, old fashioned horror should be pleasantly surprised with this gem. Recommended.