zombie review #7 **Minor Spoilers** This film was an absolute breath of fresh air. A horror film that not only delivers on the spooky atmosphere and shambling zombies (not to mention that it seems to originate the Evil Dead's shovel decapitation some 18 years beforehand), but also provides well written characters, highly enjoyable performances, and (unlike many later zombie films) something that resembles a story.
The story deals with mysterious deaths and disappearing bodies in Cornwall (England), and does about as much for that locations reputation as Straw Dogs would a few years later.
There's much to love about this film, but the main thing - more than the atmospheric photography, the mostly excellent special effects work, the sleazily charming bad guy who sounds far too much like James Mason, and the well structured screenplay that makes every scene count - is the star turn from Andre Morrel, who in this film is without a doubt the GREATEST SCREEN HERO OF ALL TIME!! No, really... if you don't believe me just watch the film. In the first five minutes he establishes his absolute dominance of the screen, and doesn't let it go for a second, giving a performance that is funny, heroic, and believably humane while also being a bit of a grumpy old man.
It's not often you can watch a zombie film and find the writing and performances among the strongest elements, and even though this is quite an old fashioned one, made as it was before Night of the Living Dead took out the voodoo and replaced it with raw flesh eating mayhem, it still impresses as a good example of how a horror film can be made without MTV editing and shallow, obnoxious characters being on the receiving end of novelty death scenes every five minutes.
Some may find it slow, or not violent enough, but it's got flaming zombies for goodness sake. FLAMING ZOMBIES!!!
The story deals with mysterious deaths and disappearing bodies in Cornwall (England), and does about as much for that locations reputation as Straw Dogs would a few years later.
There's much to love about this film, but the main thing - more than the atmospheric photography, the mostly excellent special effects work, the sleazily charming bad guy who sounds far too much like James Mason, and the well structured screenplay that makes every scene count - is the star turn from Andre Morrel, who in this film is without a doubt the GREATEST SCREEN HERO OF ALL TIME!! No, really... if you don't believe me just watch the film. In the first five minutes he establishes his absolute dominance of the screen, and doesn't let it go for a second, giving a performance that is funny, heroic, and believably humane while also being a bit of a grumpy old man.
It's not often you can watch a zombie film and find the writing and performances among the strongest elements, and even though this is quite an old fashioned one, made as it was before Night of the Living Dead took out the voodoo and replaced it with raw flesh eating mayhem, it still impresses as a good example of how a horror film can be made without MTV editing and shallow, obnoxious characters being on the receiving end of novelty death scenes every five minutes.
Some may find it slow, or not violent enough, but it's got flaming zombies for goodness sake. FLAMING ZOMBIES!!!
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