SHOCK
WAVES (1976)Director: Ken Wiederhorn
Blue Underground
SHOCK
WAVES (1976)Schlock master John Carradine stars as the arthritic, crusty captain of a deteriorating cruiser touring with four passengers -- Rose (Brooke Adams, who sports a yellow bikini for most of the film), a daring athletic type, and an annoying used-car salesman and his tolerant wife. Also aboard is the alcoholic galley hand and first mate blond pretty boy Keith (Luke Halpin). After some unexplained solar phenomenon, which makes everything look orange, the boat crashes into an abandoned "ghost" vessel. The next morning they are forced to evacuate and find refuge on a small island, but the captain ends up dead.
On
the island, they discover a large, abandoned hotel: Its single occupant turns
out to be a Nazi commander (Peter Cushing). Battered and scarred, Cushing (professional
as always and with a very convincing accent) was exiled during WW2 while experimenting
with the "death corps," genetically altered soldiers meant to act
as unstoppable, unflinching killing machines. Cushing warns them to leave, as
his experiments are out of control. Sporting goggles and green SS uniforms,
these rotting corpses live in and out of water, killing anyone that gets in
their way. You can expect some nice shots of these zombies creeping out of the
water and attacking unsuspecting victims.
This first-time effort by director Ken Wiederhorn is a moody low budget thriller perfect for late night viewing. Shot entirely on location in Florida in the summer of '75, the film has flaws (terrible synth music for example), but it's genuinely scary, and the zombie make-up (by CHILDREN SHOULDN'T PLAY WITH DEAD THING's Alan Ormsby) is quite effective. Far better than other zombie/nazi flicks of the period (ZOMBIE LAKE, OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES), it's PG-rated and doesn't rely on gore to deliver some nice shocks. Wiederhorn acquired the England-based Cushing for the film via a friendly nod from ace producer Richard Gordon (who worked with Cushing on ISLAND OF TERROR), and having him in the same film as Carradine is a plus, even if the two have no scenes together.
According
to the back of the DVD cover, "Although the film's original negative mysteriously
disappeared over 20 years ago, SHOCK WAVES has now been transferred from the
director's own vault print and digitally restored for this premiere DVD release."
Taking that fact into consideration, Blue Underground has done an excellent
job with the elements at hand. The film was shot on Super 16 and then blown
up to 35mm, so grain and other imperfections are to be expected. Letterboxed
at 1.85:1 and 16x9 enhanced, the colors aren't bad, and print imperfections
are minimal. The Dolby Mono soundtrack is in fine condition. This is still the
best that SHOCK WAVES has ever looked on home video, much better than the VHS
tape from Prism as well as the U.K. Vipco DVD that came out last year.
Included is a commentary with director Wiederhorn, make-up man Ormsby and filmmaker Fred Olen Ray. The young Ray was the uncredited still photographer on the film, and he pleaded for the job when he discovered that Peter Cushing and John Carradine were cast. All three share some fun stories about Cushing and Carradine, as well as the other cast members, the locations and the filming conditions. Also included is an 8-minute featurette entitled, "From FLIPPER to SHOCK WAVES: An Interview with Actor Luke Halpin." Former "Flipper" star Halpin (who know does Hollywood stunt work) looks pretty much the same as he did when he starred in SHOCK WAVES, and it sounds as though he had a great time making it. Also included is the original U.S. trailer, a TV spot, and two radio spots. The still gallery is one of the most impressive ever for a DVD, showcasing not only behind-the-scene pics, but also original ad and video artwork, drive-in ads, personal production items from Wiederhorn, Ormbsby's original zombie design art, and much more! (George R. Reis)