Zombie Rampage

I can remember buying a VHS copy of this movie back in the 90s at a horror convention. The first time I watched it I was a bit shocked at how horrible the whole thing was. However, I recently saw this again in one of those 50-pack DVD deals. I found myself sadly nostalgic about ZR. I watched it, laughed, cringed and nearly cried. I have to say, Todd Sheets is no George Romero but he is one of the pioneers of the indie horror scene like it or not. He and his VHS movies have a place in Horror film history. I think only die hard indie horror film buffs who were born long enough ago to remember how hard it was to make a movie on VHS can appreciate Todd's work.

Todd if you read this, don't go quietly into that dark night. Come back, and come back with a "Rampage!"

I can't believe /THE/ Erin Kehr is in this movie. What a gem. Spectacular acting, I just wish the character Dave would've been in every scene.

It's low budget but worth a watch I thought it was a decent zombie film with a good soundtrack.

This film begins with a fight breaking out between two rival gangs ending in the death of the brother of one of the gang leaders named "Tommy" (Dave Byerly). Needless to say, this upsets Tommy--to the point that he spends most of his gang's money on a book that the seller promises will bring his brother back from the grave. Unfortunately, the rival gang leader "Rokko" (Roger Williams) learns of this and decides to purchase another copy of the book from that same seller in order to raise his own army of the dead--mistakenly thinking that they will follow his orders. Meanwhile, a serial killer is also going around murdering women and he is operating in the same location as these two rival gangs. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that there were so many things wrong with this film that it's really hard to mention all of them. For starters, the picture quality is rather hazy, and the movie suffered from poor lighting throughout the course of the film. The action sequences were amateurish, the script needed serious improvement and the acting was equally bad. Likewise, the lack of character development made it extremely difficult to figure out the identities of all but a few of the characters. In addition to that, the makeup was pretty much hit-and-miss with some of the zombies looking passable enough while others required much more attention to detail. Similarly, some of the gore aspects were done quite well while others were much too basic. Be that as it may, considering all of the faults just mentioned, I cannot in good conscience recommend this film to anyone other than serious zombie enthusiasts and I have rated it accordingly.

Here's one for the record books, A movie that'll make you wonder exactly how bad does this Z-grade Horror stuff get. A movie that makes Hell Of The Living Dead look big-budget, a movie that makes Redneck Zombies look... well, at least a little better. You have officially reached the bottom of the barrel of the Living-Dead sub-genre. It's not too late to turn back.

Yeah, Zombie Rampage was definitely shot on video by a fellow named Todd Sheets. If Mr. Sheets were actually known for something, it would be the worlds worst Zombie movie maker. This particular one, possibly being the worst of the worst. This disasterpiece starts out and ends up as incoherent as it could possibly be, which is fine considering the paper-thin plot. Two rival gangs and one's plot to raise its fallen members from the dead. The other gang, believing they'll control them if they raise them first, perform the ritual instead. The zombies, of course, are controlled by no one, and are somehow up and around long before any rituals take place, which is kinda weird, come to think of it. And a whole lotta sound issues, camera issues, continuity issues, screwed-up lines, and not to mention, a rather humorous amount of angry yelling and screaming. With all that said, Zombie Rampage actually turned out to be exactly what I was hoping for, which honestly makes me question my own state of mind.

Todd Sheets once said that he considers Zombie Bloodbath, a movie he made four years later, to be his first film, which is completely mind-boggling if you've seen them both, I'll just leave it at that. Sheets may not put it on his resume, but Zombie Rampage, at the very least, is a movie. While even most bad Horror movie lovers might despise this misunderstood garbage, there are redeeming qualities to be had. For example, it's not every day you get to see a baby ripped apart by zombies, as fake-looking as it may have been. And don't even get me started on the gore, there's more than enough to go around. Ultimately, Zombie Rampage is a heart-warming homage to anything from Lucio Fulci's Zombie to Romero's Night Of The Living Dead, Sheets even steals music from them, among others, which is just sad. I'd love to say it's not as bad as it sounds, or as it looks, but the truth is, it is so much worse. Reserved for the ones with zero standards, unlimited patience, and a blinding passion for Living-dead cinema. And remember, regardless of what Todd Sheet's tells you, Zombie Rampage is definitely a movie, and nobody can take that away from it. 7/10