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Shock Waves

Shock Waves

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: CLASSIC HORROR
Review: One of the most fantastic horror films ever, Shock Waves relies heavily on atmosphere and a creepy score. The setting is wonderfully gloomy and isolating, being on a deserted island in an old hotel. This film is dream-like in its ability to seep under your skin, it stays with the viewer. One must watch this film in the late hours for optimum results.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A worthy cult classic available again!
Review: A group of vacationers become stranded on a tropical island and are terrorized by a troop of what appears to by Nazi zombies that live underwater. Although it sounds silly, Shock Waves is far from that. It is actually a tense and spooky little cult movie from the seventies that has continually freaked out many a late night TV/cable viewer. At long last this movie returns to video in a delightful letterboxed release that features a commentary by cast and crew members (moderated by low budget filmmaker Fred Olen Ray) as well as a collection of poster art, stills, trailers, and even a documentary (no doubt there will be an Easter Egg goodie or two somewhere in the mix as well). Stylish and strange enough to be truly memorable, Shock Waves is a cult movie deserving its reputation, highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great special features!
Review: A neat movie, with great scenic locations. The android-genetic humans makeup are outstanding considering this was a low budget film, yet with great acting and direction that has made this film a cult classic in its genre.

As for this DVD edition the picture quality is pretty good. The interview with Luke Halpin (Also known as Sandy Ricks in 1960's 'Flipper') is superb. It was great to see him how he looks today and talks about the actors in 'Shock Waves' especially Peter Cushing. (Incidentally it would be great if the entire TV Flipper could be release on DVD!!)

Here in the UK 'Shock Waves' was already officially release on DVD a couple of years ago where the source use were direct from old film prints giving a slight grainy look yet sharp DVD quality as expected on DVD releases. Where on this US version it is from the Director's prints and digitally restored in places to show less grain and is cut down to size from the original full screen (4.3) to 16.9 to give a widescreen effect as it probably was shown in certain US cinemas. Apparently 'Shock Waves' was originally a TV movie and was filmed in 4.3 and NOT widescreen. The UK DVD Version is the original 4.3. When I compared it to this recent US Version it was trimmed top and bottom missing part of the film to give it's widescreen effect. Nether the less still an enjoyable watchable DVD!

The other extras features an enjoyable audio commentary and an extensive photo gallery displaying various posters from around the world, cast and crew plus behind the scenes 'rare' photos. Also included are Theatrical trailers presumably used for cinema purposes.

A great buy. And sure to please viewers/fans who been waiting for this DVD release!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SHOCK WAVES
Review: AN EXCELLENT,ENTERTAINING CLASSIC!VERY CREEPY AND SCARY.WELL WORTH THE PURCHASE.CHECK OUT THIS A+ MOVIE YOU WILL DEFINITELY ENJOY!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good plot for a B-movie
Review: During the war with Nazi Germany several Allied units reported coming across SS units that were virtual killing machines and would fight only with their barehands. It would seem that Nazi scientists experimented on the bodies of German soldiers killed in action. The individuals of course were the absolute worst sort (sadists, murderers, war criminals, etc.) and that is saying alot seeing it is Nazi Germany! These individuals were given a unit entitled Toten Korps ala the Death Corps. This experiment had some success but these quasi zombie like SS soldiers were uncontrolable and were pulled off the battlefields for further study. As the war was drawing to a conclusion the last remaining squad of Toten Korps was put to sea to await further orders which never come. The commander (Peter Cushing) scuttles the ship. The ship and her 'cargo' are condemened to the ocean floor....for now anyway!

The movie starts off many year later with a boat load of tourists and crew who happen to ram the old wreck stirring up its 'cargo.' The crew and passengers take refuge on a nearby deserted island populated only by the former SS Commander Peter Cushing who is in hiding. Naturally the SS zombie soldiers lay siege to the island and begin picking off the crew and tourists.

That is Shockwaves in a nutshell. The plot is great and it is what makes this movie. The acting is good for a B movie and it does create an erie atmosphere. I would recomend it because it is unique. This is not a run of the mill zombie flik with buckets of gore and pathetic special effects. This is , again, a well done B-movie! Thumbs up on this one!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Somebody call David Hasselhoff!
Review: First, let me say that I like the 1975 horror flick "Shock Waves." Secondly, it must be the only film in history that has Peter Cushing, John Carradine, Brooke Adams AND scuba Nazis. After years of struggling to find this little known creepfest on video, I am pleased to see it has finally been released on DVD.

What I noticed after watching this film again recently (...), was how reliant "Shock Waves" was on mood and atmosphere to create its horror. Director Ken Wiederhorn has draped his film with creepy images of gothic mansions and decaying laboratories and, of course, hungover android Nazis standing on the ocean horizon, ready to destroy every living thing within sight.

Unlucky travelers, among them Brooke Adams and Fred Buch (?!), are in the wrong place at the wrong time when they are stranded on an island whose only inhabitant seems to be Peter Cushing in an old dark house. Van Helsing he's not. In fact, Ol' Pete's a former SS scientist who created a race of underwater-breathing Nazi androids for use as WW II submarine commanders. Naturally, these Aryan zombies are accidently released into what is already is very weird environment. Complete with tattered SS uniforms, black jack boots and dark sunglasses, these...scuba soldiers proceed to crush every thing in their path, including one especially artificial-looking shark.

But the mood is the key, and this flick thrives on a foreboding, ominous tone. In "Shock Waves," the trees are covered with hanging moss (this film must take place off the coast of the southern United States), walls are streaked with mold and cobwebs, the wind is constantly blowing, odd noises can be heard in the darkness, and then you have a manic John Carradine spouting gibberish as if he were still acting out the opening scene in "The Grapes of Wrath."

When watching "Shock Waves" today, I am reminded of many of those terrible Italian zombie films from the same period, in which unlucky travelers are stranded on an island and soon become the appetizers of the hungry undead. This film, thankfully, is not as graphically violent as those repulsive extravaganzas. In fact, "Shock Waves" relies far more on suspense and mood than violence.

If ever a film was deserving of cult status, the unique and utterly bizarre "Shock Waves" certainly is. For those not yet acquainted with its eerie allure, this Nazi-zombie-shocker will be a pleasant surprise.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Shock Waves DVD Debut
Review: For many years, Peter Cushing Fans Have sought a copy of this low-budget movie. Now! It's finaly here. Peter Cushing and John Cardine, two of the great Masters of Horror, along side a cast of good actors made this film a classic from begining to end. Fan of the genre, will love it. The restoration of the film isn't perfect but it's 100 time better then the US video tape version, that existed year ago.

The story is original and very eerie. Peter Cushing fans will love to see it again, and again and for the first time on DVD and Wide-Screen. I'm not going to reader digest the story and tell you parts of the story lines. You probably, already know it. All I'll say is this. It's a great Peter Cushing Movie and a great film for anyone who like this genre. GREAT CLASSIC!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: We've Been Hit By A Ghoooooooost Ship
Review: God bless the kind folks at Blue Underground who like these midnight horror flicks as much as the fans, and have the funds to put them out on dvd. Shock Waves is one of the many fun titles they have released. I originally saw this movie on USA when they had a show called "Saturday Nightmares" back in the late eighties. This movie's always been a favorite of mine coz of it's concept and because of Peter Cushing. Just the idea of the Nazis screwing around with science and the supernatural to make zombie soldiers is creepy-and it's not too crazy a notion to assume they actually might have tried that. I've always like the whole stranded on an island concept for some reason. Plus, I'm not a big fan of the water, so the fact that all this chaos emerges from the ocean adds a little depth(Get it? Depth? Ocean? Water?)to the scariness for me. Yeah, it's cheap, the acting is mediocre(except Cushing of course), it's corny at times, but it has something. The look of the zombies, the way they move, the way they stare at people.......it's creepy. Cushing makes too early of an exit as well as Carradine, but what can ya do? For a "zombie" film there is a surprising lack of gore, but that's no big deal coz the movie goes more for the suspense angle, and succeeds most of the time. Roger Waters samples this film for a song on his Amused To Death album. That's bizarre. I guess Roger Waters likes Shock Waves as well. Could Roger Waters lead you astray? NO! So watch this.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A soundtrack to die for
Review: Hard to rate this one with the old "stars" format here at Amazon. So many of the classics (like this) deserve 5 stars merely for the budgets they had coupled with SURVIVING this LONG, but then again aren't of the caliber of 5 stars when you talk about acting and dialogue.

No doubt about it the fours stars I gave this are for two areas: The demented, delicious soundtrack and just the "look" of the sets and the zombies. Viewing this after so many years, who can forget the "pool set"? :) Who can forget the row of disturbing Nazi Zombies just standing off the coast? Some of the images are truly classic. And who can forget that simply odd tone of the keyboards? Perfect.

What didn't seem too strong about this movie looking back at it are the performances (2.5 stars) and sadly (my biggest grievance) the Nazi's while morbid looking really weren't as formitable as I would have liked. Breaking though rotten wooded fences may have played well in the mid 70's but now seems a bit cheesy. Still, if you are on the rotten wooded fence about buying this, don't be, it really is a cinematic timepiece that is fun and is worthy of your collection.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Different....need more like it!!
Review: Having only seen previews for this movie before other horror movies I had rented, I had some serious doubts about this one. It looked so cheesy in the previews. But, I read the reviews on this site and gave it a shot.....it was wise of me.

This is a really fun movie. The pace is slow, but the suspense is quick to hit you. My favorite part of the movie, other than the creepy score, is the plot. It really is thick. Basically, you have 4 travelers on a chartered boat, headed for who knows where. The boat constantly breaks down and they eventually get lost. The crew on the boat is clueless and the travelers are getting irate. I love the dialogue at dinner when the travelres are pleading for the captain to turn around.

Anyway, that is the set up. Eventually, they find an island and that is when the fun starts. Nazi zombies...they're everywhere!!

No gore or creative kills in this movie, but the suspense and plot make up for that. This movie is really a ball and I highly recommend at least seeing it.


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