Shock Waves

Ken Wiederhorn, who went on to direct the dull EYES OF A STRANGER, hits celluloid paydirt with this thoughtful, creepy and lyrical horror flick.

Mostly a work of effective moments, its images of dead Nazi soldiers emerging from the sea and advancing towards a distant shoreline have never left me or lost their power to evoke a sense of horror.

The story is a simple one, as the best horror stories are. Members of The Death Corps, an SS unit never apprehended by Allied Forces, return to menace holidaymakers with a little help from a friend.

The moderate pacing works in favor of the off-kilter narrative and the numerous sequences in which the undead soldiers attack the living are swift and highly effective.

Peter Cushing turns in a small but sincere performance, as does genre stalwart John Carradine.

Score by Richard Einhorn is memorable.

SHOCK WAVES has nothing in common with recent Hollywood horror films, but it has plenty in common with mostly unseen (outside their country of origin) Japanese horror outings such as LIVING SKELETON.

'Shock Waves' is a low budget horror movie with few special effects... actually not very special effects at all. We're talking a half a dozen "zombies" which are basically people in Nazi uniforms holding their breath underwater. The cast apart from Brooke Adams ('Invasion Of The Body Snatchers', 'The Dead Zone') are unknowns, with guest appearances from horror legends John Carradine and Peter Cushing. One would think this would be a real turkey only good for a few laughs, but not so, it's a surprisingly effective thriller with atmosphere to spare. One of the reasons I enjoy horror movies is that creative directors are capable of making something special out of virtually nothing. 'Carnival Of Souls' and 'Night Of The Living Dead' are obvious examples. El cheapo budgets, unknown actors, minimal effects, but two of the greatest horror movies ever made. I'm not saying 'Shock Waves' is anywhere near THAT good, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected from the cheesy packaging on the video box. The concept of underwater Nazi zombies is an intriguing one, and was subsequently used by Jean Rollin and Jess Franco in 'Zombie Lake' and 'Oasis Of The Zombies'. I always enjoy seeing John Carradine, but his role is, let's be honest, little more than a cameo. I have a major crush on Brooke Adams, she's goofy but beautiful, and admirers won't want to miss this one as she spends most of her time in a bikini. One minor complaint - I wished Peter Cushing had more screen time. He's my favourite horror actor after Vincent Price and I always enjoy his performances. All in all 'Shock Waves' is an underrated and creepy movie that all horror buffs should try and see. It's just one of many overlooked 1970s horror gems that deserve more attention than they get (see also 'Count Yorga, Vampire', 'The Brotherhood Of Satan', 'The Crazies', 'The Legend Of Hell House', 'Deranged', 'Alice, Sweet Alice', 'Thirst',etc.etc.)

This seems to be my day for giving props to low-budget horror movies. No one can mistake "Shock Waves" for high art, but it is a remarkably good shocker, especially given its low budget and rushed production schedule. The movie features very effective (if too-often repeated) images of Nazi zombies crashing through the woods and slowly submerging in various bogs and rivers. I really liked it.

If you're looking for excessive violence, avoid this one; the Nazis kill off-screen, or using...ahem...non-piercing methods of dispatch.

I appreciated seeing longtime genre actors Peter Cushing and John Carradine, who "frame" the movie with a couple of scenes apiece at the beginning and end. The rest of the cast is pretty forgettable, though Luke Halpin is good enough as the hero and it's interesting to see the lovely genre actress Brooke Adams getting her start. (Is it just me, though, or is her default expression a frowny face?)

I'm not sure that I could make a horror movie this good, given so little time and so little cash. I admire the effort. Definitely pick up the cheap DVD if you see it sitting around Best Buy - the cover is so lurid, you can hardly miss it.

This is a great little film that combines two of the 70s most popular horror movie themes: monsters in the water and undead zombies. It also features the always-wonderful Brooke Adams (from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers") in a major role, not to mention both John Carradine and Peter Cushing.

A group of vacationers being taken on a cruise around some unspecified tropical islands experiences some trouble when a decades-old ship appears out of nowhere and rams their boat. The "ghost ship" is populated by undead SS soldiers who were created to survive both underwater and on land, and it goes without saying that they have no friendly intentions.

The new castaways take refuge on an island inhabited solely by Peter Cushing, a former Nazi commander who was in charge of the "Death Corps", and their host gives them a hasty explanation about what they're all up against.

The rest of the film is the tourists and sailors being stalked and offed by the zombies, who have really wrinkled skin and wear groovy goggles. Unlike the standard flesh-eating zombies of 70s horror, these undead guys don't wanna bite you, they just wanna hold you under the water until the bubbles stop. Genre fans hoping for some cannibalism or guts will be disappointed.

The visuals in the movie are sometimes striking. The underwater shots of the zombies are bizarre, as are the scenes of them rising up out of the ocean (or whatever body of water happens to be handy). Most of the action takes place on the island, which features a deserted resort that is pretty creepy in itself. A couple of the shots reminded me of "Carnival of Souls", with one or two scenes of undead faces looming just under the surface of the water.

The editing is a bit choppy and slightly incoherent. It seems like a few scenes establishing the characters were excised, as well as some other exposition such as the fate of the tourists's boat (what DID happen to it, after all?). The pacing is also not for all tastes, since this movie never builds into a all-out assault or anything, but it's an enjoyably creepy chiller in the classic 70s style. This is a prime candidate for DVD rediscovery. Watch it if you can find it.

As a pre-production assistant and sound recordist on this film, I remember producer Reuben Trane and Director Ken Wiedernorn returning to the production office after taking co-star John Carradine from Miami's airport to his hotel.

Everyone on the crew was interested in how Carradine, in his late '70's and a movie icon if ever there was one, looked, acted, felt, etc. We were all keen to know if he seemed fit and ready for a role that required quite a bit of physical action, including moving as rapidly as possible from a small dinghy to a larger boat, while both were bobbing at sea.

Reuben and Ken came into the office looking morose as someone asked, "So, how IS he?" I don't remember which of them responded, but one of them said, "Let's put it this way, he has trouble walking on flat land with a cane!"

But, trooper that he was, Carradine did everything asked of him without complaint. He was also often "the life of the set", and in between takes or after a days' shooting, he would regale us all with wild tales of Hollywood and the stars and moguls he had known so well.

It's been about 25 years since I worked on "Shock Waves", but the memory of old man Carradine lives on vividly. He was a helluva guy.