SHOCK WAVES (1977 - HORROR / ZOMBIE FLICK) *** out of ***** OR 6 out of 10
(Interesting swimwear choice, guys...)
CAST: Peter Cushing, John Carradine, Brooke Adams, Luke Halpin, Fred Buch, D.J. Sidney, Jack Davidson, Don Stout, The Amphibious Nazi Zombie Supermodel/Bookie Troop
DIRECTOR: Ken Weiderhorn
IT'S LIKE THIS: The Zombie Sub-Genre can basically be categorized into two main sections: "Shamblers" and "Sprinters".
Shamblers, as the name suggests, are the original slow-moving, stiff-gaited, arms-outstretched, rigor mortis-afflicted zombies that were popularized in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) and DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979), and all their clones and rip-offs all the way up to THE WALKING DEAD on cable. Essentially, these fuckers are so sloooooow that you could be casually strolling along, whistling "Papa Don't Preach" as you go, with an army of 10,000 pus-bags trailing just five feet behind you - and still have virtually nothing to worry about. And even if they did get too close, you could just break into a semi-brisk walk - and it would take these slowpoke undead assholes at least five weeks to catch up to you. And when they finally did, you could really fuck with them and break into a light jog. At that point, the zombies would probably commit suicide out of despair. After calling you a sadistic jackass.
Sprinters, however, are another story. Around 2002, when 28 DAYS LATER and its Olympic-Gold-Medal-winning infected zombies ran off with some solid international box-office, the rise of the Sprinter Zombie began. And Zombie-Dom would never really be the same again, as these fast-moving cadavers began spazzing their way through DAWN OF THE DEAD 2004, DAY OF THE DEAD 2008, ZOMBIELAND, REC, 28 WEEKS LATER, and most recently in WORLD WAR Z. Never mind that a running zombie is biologically impossible because death usually makes one's limbs stiffer than Taylor Swift's "acting" (see THE GIVER - thank goodness her role is small). Let's just say if you are dealing with Sprinters, you'd better have been spending time on the treadmill, because these bastards ain't out for no Sunday stroll. They'll keep on chasing as long as there's a surface to chase on. In other words, fat fuckers like me all over the world would suddenly have something tremendous to worry about.
The zombies in our next "31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN" review are sort of in-between the Sprinters and the Shamblers. They definitely aren't as manic and speedy as the former, but they're not exactly as "molasses-flowing-uphill-in-the-middle-of-winter" lethargic as the latter. Instead, our zombies walk with a certain purposeful, relentless, cat-like grace that makes them look like a cross between a runway model and a seriously pissed-off bookie stalking someone who owes him money. Oh, and I should also mention that our zombies are... Nazis. Don't worry, it will all make sense. Sort of...
Our movie is titled SHOCK WAVES, and we begin on a tourist boat that is cruising the most remote part of the Florida Keys. Clearly, this trip is one of those cut-rate ones you see advertised in old leaflets at the front counter of third-rate motels off some Interstate in South Florida. "The Love Boat" this vessel definitely ain't. And its passengers are certainly not from the Jet Set Crowd either. First, we have the cranky crew comprised of: (1) Captain Ben Morris (John Carradine), cantankerously crusty seafarer who really needs to see his dentist soon; (2) Keith (Luke Halpin), cute blond dude who is Captain Ben's first mate and therefore I feel very sorry for him; and (3) Dobbs (Don Stout), the boat's cook who really should consider changing his name to "Dumbs" because, well, he's about as smart as pile of damp logs.
Not exactly angling to steal away any "Congeniality Prizes" from our dour crewmembers are the pains-in-the-ass tourists they are saddled with: (1) Chuck (Fred Buch), dude who fancies himself as some sort of stud but comes across more like some creepy, under-dressed gym teacher (dude, for fuck's sake, put some goddamned pants on and cover up those tiny-ass 70s gym shorts!); (2) Norman (Jack Davidson), uppity suburbanite who would probably have an aneurysm and die instantly if he stopped his non-stop complaining for even six seconds; (3) Beverly (D.J. Sidney), Norman's blonde wife who is somewhat cute and seems okay but can't be that bright if she married Norman willingly; and last but definitely the hottest: (4) Rose (Brooke Adams), sexy and seductive brunette who clearly deserves a much better cruise than the one she's stuck on.
As our story opens, our group led by Captain Ben are "enjoying" a day hopping from island to island. Of course, by "enjoying" I actually mean: (1) Captain Ben relentlessly browbeats Keith; (2) Dumbs, er, Dodds hangs out in the galley below decks, drunker than a fish in a vodka aquarium; (3) Chuck prances around the deck in his tiny-ass gym shorts, convinced of his utter masculinity and oblivious to his utter creepiness; (4) Norman and Beverly harp on one another so much they must think they are auditioning for the "Heckyl and Jeckyl" show; and (5) Rose spends most of her time in the ocean swimming to spend as little time as possible with the choads she is trapped on the boat with. Don't worry, Rose sweetie, I would do exactly the same thing.
Well, as exceedingly joyful as this "vacation" is, it suddenly gets even better when Captain Ben runs the boat aground on a reef next to an uncharted island. With the boat taking on water, our passengers and crew realize that the only thing worse than being onboard with each other, is being at the bottom of the ocean with each other. So they hightail it off the boat and onto a dinghy and make for the eerie island nearby which, to them, is synonymous with safety. Excuse me while I laugh my ass off at their grossly-mistaken assumption.
While hanging out at the top of a coconut tree (don't ask) Chuck notices the rooftop of a very large building in the middle of the island. Our stranded group of morons makes their way through the jungle and eventually find themselves in front of an abandoned hotel that looks like the bastard child that would result from a one-night stand between the "Overlook Hotel" from THE SHINING and a 70s Malibu beach pad full of hippies. The place is empty and run-down, but it's also considerably larger than the boat they were on - and that means more room to spread out in and less chance of getting on each other's nerves.
You're probably wondering where the fucking zombies are in this. Patience, dear reader. You see, while our Stupid Seven were making their way to that ghost hotel in the middle of the island, something... strange began to happen just offshore on the reef. About a couple dozen figures suddenly rose out of the water and moved with a sense of purpose towards the island, looking like a cross between supermodels and pissed-off bookies stalking someone who owes them money. And they're dressed like Nazis. And they're now headed in the general direction of the abandoned hotel.
Ruh-roh!
Meanwhile, back at the Hotel De Creepy, our group of stranded dimbulbs discover they're not alone. Turns out that someone actually lives there, and he's not happy to see them. He's a Nameless German Guy (Peter Cushing) who basically asks them what the scheize they're doing there. Nameless German Guy demands they leave immediately - and when the group tells him they can't because their boat is sinking on the reef and the dinghy is too small to sail to the next island, he gives them instructions on how to find a sailboat hidden in the mangroves nearby. Then he turns and heads back to his room to eat a ton of sauerkraut or something.
Why does Nameless German Guy want our stranded tourists off the island so badly? What does he mean when he says that they're in serious danger? From what (duh)? And who - or what - are those Nazi Zombies that came out of the water? And what happens when they begin to hunt down our stranded group? What does that Nameless German Guy know that he's not telling them? Where did these "Amphibious Nazi Zombies" come from? What do they want? Will anyone get off this island alive?
Don't bet on it...
BUT SERIOUSLY: Our last review was the cheesy but also undeniably effective Italian EuroHorror Flick, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (review # 582). That film was able to surmount some technical and narrative weaknesses and score an Above Average (6 out of 10 OR *** out of *****) rating on the strength of its supremely eerie atmosphere and nightmarish setpieces that built to a satisfyingly enigmatic (and haunting) final image. Sometimes, a horror film can be considered a relative success even if it has some glaring imperfections - as long as it chills you to the bone. CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD fits that bill perfectly.
Our next "31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN review" is a similar film. Titled SHOCK WAVES, it has a genuinely bizarre premise that is also cheesy - but it also has a truly creepy atmosphere that somehow papers over any potential pitfalls that could sink the film. Director Ken Weiderhorn manages the neat trick of turning a sunny, sub-tropical island into a vividly oppressive and bleak environment. The abandoned hotel where much of the action takes place also adds to the atmosphere of dread.
CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD had a lot of strikingly scary imagery that created and sustained a lot of tenion. So does SHOCK WAVES. The sight of the "death corps" moving in slow motion underwater and rising from the sea in unison is unforgettable. On paper, the idea of "amphibious Nazi zombies" must have seemed ridiculous. Onscreen, though, Weiderhorn makes it really work. What's even better is how silent and relentless the zombies are, which makes them all the more spooky and formidable.
The characters aren't exactly deep and multifaceted. However, they are sketched out enough for us to be interested in them, even if its pretty clear from the very first scene who the sole survivor of the group will be - since the opening scene shows Rose adrift and traumatized in the dinghy. She is rescued by luck by a passing fishing boat, and the rest of SHOCK WAVES unfolds in one long flashback to the events on the uncharted island. You'd think that this structure would dampen the suspense factor since we know exactly who will make it and who won't.
Surprisingly, it doesn't. If anything it actually enhances the sense of foreboding that hangs over this film. By telling us up front where it will wind up, SHOCK WAVES keeps us wondering how it will get there. Brooke Adams makes for a great heroine. She would hit the big time just one year later in the first remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS in 1978. This movie feels like a nice baby step for her. Luke Halpin, who played the kid in the TV show FLIPPER, is Keith, the ostensible male lead, and he's equal to the task given to him by the script. Genre royalty John Carradine and Peter Cushing lend a touch of class to the proceedings in their small but pivotal roles.
The reason SHOCK WAVES doesn't quite rate higher than Above Average despite its uniquely creepy villains and ominous atmosphere, is because it kind of just... ends. There is no real climax. The story feels like its building to a crescendo that never quite arrives. Fortunately, the closing images are eerie and sinister enough to leave us with an unsettling effect that somewhat makes up for the lack of a vivid final battle against the amphibious Nazi zombies. Not completely, though.
Still, SHOCK WAVES is deserving of praise for taking a sunny, idyllic-looking tropical island, and making it pulse with sinister, doom-laden vibes. This type of setting predates by three years or so another zombie film that also strands a boatload of tourists on an island infested with the living dead: Lucio Fulci's ZOMBIE (review # 88) from 1980. Like that film, SHOCK WAVES is a decent, interesting horror movie experience that might've been more with a higher budget.
