By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I have always loved the idea of Nazi Zombies. When properly put forth, the living dead are some of the scariest monsters ever put on screen. Combine that with Nazis who in both historical accounts and fictional stories are horrifying villains, it screams “perfect horror film.” The thought of a sociopathic person who lacked a conscience in life transcending into a nearly immortal sociopathic zombie should be a winning combination.
Still, there are so many poorly executed movies that use the Nazi Zombie idea. Many times, the films are simply Eurotrash movies with a lot of sex and little plot. Others are gore-fests that lack any type of originality or entertainment value. Thankfully, there are exceptions to this rule. Shock Waves may very well be the best movie to use this plot device.
The film opens as Rose (Brooke Adams) is rescued and taken aboard a ship. She is distraught and nearly incoherent as her voice narrates the production. Just a short time ago, Rose and her group of friends were having fun aboard a yacht being piloted by the grumpy and insulting Captain (John Carradine).
At nightfall, their boat is struck by a large ship leaving them stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere. One passenger, Keith (Luke Halpin) swears that the yacht that hit them was moving, but it seems like a crazy story as when the sun broke it was clear that only the frame of the ship remained. Keith is confused but doesn’t immediately share his concerns.
As their boat is unable to function, they decide to tour the island that they are stuck on. They come across a large mansion where a Nazi flag is hung. Over a loud speaker they are asked questions by the owner of the estate. After a short banter, the man (Peter Cushing) comes down and tells them all a wild story. He was a former SS Commander. His team, however, were not the typical German soldiers. They were basically science experiments.
The Nazi Scientists, in an attempt to make the perfect soldier, created conscienceless beings whose thirst for violence led them to murder even those soldiers that were part of their own infantry. They were impossible to stop. Ever since WWII, the monsters have been underwater awaiting their next prey.
Now, that the island has occupants again, the zombies waste no time and begin attacking.
This film is without much dialogue. Generally, that would be a bad thing however the visuals are so compelling and downright creepy that one hardly notices the lack of conversations between the characters.
It reminds me a lot of Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981). Neither movie concentrates much on the individual characters or the relationships between them, but instead on the monsters. The entire production focuses on the zombies and their methods of attack.
I found this accidentally on Youtube and decided to give it a go. I am so happy that I did. It was compelling, intriguing and amazingly entertaining.
As always Peter Cushing and John Carradine were fantastic. Though the horror duo didn’t have on-screen time together, seeing them both in any film is always a treat.
All of the actors were decent. The zombies were awesome. Everything from their make-up, the way they walked and the way in which they all worked in unison was captivating.
The conclusion is entertaining. It’s important to pay close attention to what Rose is writing in her diary.
Overall, I highly recommend this film.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10
This movie was great and scared the shit out of me as a kid!
Also loved John Carradine in The Howling…
The Howling is fantastic!! You’re right about this one. Very scary!