Rating: 
Summary: "And now they have returned"
Review: Once again, William Lustig's company Blue Underground released another cult classic film on DVD. This time around, it is the 1977 zombie flick "Shock Waves." Zombie pictures are usually quite formulaic; some unexplainable event-a plague, virus, radiation exposure, military project gone horribly awry, or some similar disaster of epic proportions-results in the deceased rising from their graves to wreak havoc on the living. Over the top gore is the usual result from interactions between ravaging zombies and their hapless living victims. George Romero started the modern fascination with the undead in his black and white classic "Night of the Living Dead." More films followed from Romero and from other directors. For instance, Lucio Fulci scored points with his ultra gooey 1979 "Zombie." Recently, Danny Boyle of "Trainspotting" fame attempted to rework the formula in "28 Days Later" by having his creatures falling victim to an extreme rage type virus. "Shock Waves" is different from these films in that there is no gore, the dead have not risen en masse to destroy humanity, and these zombies are not interested in consuming their victims. Surprisingly, "Shock Waves" carries a 'PG' rating.A group of vacationers on a charted boat encounter trouble when a strange weather condition sends the boat off course. The captain of the vessel (played by John Carradine) downplays the entire incident in an attempt to soothe his passengers' frayed nerves, but even he is slightly worried about what's going on. His navigator Keith (Luke Halpin) expresses concern, too, especially when the boat nearly runs into an abandoned freighter in the middle of the night. As for the passengers, only Norman (Jack Davidson) makes a lot of noise about being lost at sea. The other travelers, including Norman's wife Beverly (D.J. Sidney), Rose (Brooke Adams), and Chuck (Fred Bush) seem to take it all in stride. When that wrecked freighter floats by, however, the tension ratchets up considerably. For one thing, the two boats touched just enough to push our group's ship onto a coral reef. Stranded without a radio-Carradine's character inexplicably tossed it overboard when it would not work-the crew and passengers row to a nearby island. There they find an abandoned building inhabited by a threatening former SS commander (Peter Cushing) who tells them a weird story about the freighter now sitting on the rocks offshore. According to this ex-military officer, he was in charge of a special division of the SS during the war called Der Toden Korps, or the Death Corps, an outfit composed of criminal elements of society turned into some sort of living/non-living soldiers by German scientists. The results were horrific, and as the war ended Cushing's character sank his vessel rather than turn these odd hybrids over to the Allies. Now, it seems the soldiers have risen from the seabed and returned to their commander. The remaining crew and passengers of the charter boat are now caught on an island populated by zombies clad in military uniforms and wearing dark goggles that have the ability to function underwater. These very creepy looking zombies for some reason wish to destroy everyone on the island. It is going to be very difficult to get off an atoll without a boat, and phones are out of the question. The people trapped in this situation will need to use their wits if they want to survive. Nothing in this summary gives away important aspects of the movie. In fact, you will learn most of this information from the film's short introduction and from the trailer included as an extra. What the trailer will not give you is a sense of the film's creepy atmosphere and claustrophobic environment. Aside from the performances, which are all great for a low budget thriller, it is the island, the zombies, and the musical score that raises the goose bumps on your arms. Setting the story on a small tropical island completely out of touch with the rest of society imbues the film with a distinct sense of isolation, an isolation the filmmakers punch up on a routine basis with lingering shots of the vacant sea and the empty terrain of the island. Moreover, the zombies are downright ominous. This particular bunch of SS soldiers was trained to fight and live underwater, so when they arrive on the island they tend to move in and out of the ocean. There's a great shot of the Toden Korps "waking up" and rising out of the sea that recalls to some extent Nosferatu rising from his coffin in F.W. Murnau's classic film. And don't forget that music! A more brooding synth score would be difficult to find. It has that late 1970s and early 1980s feel to it without sounding cheesy. These three elements make the movie; so much so that I hardly missed the gore that usually accompanies any true zombie film. The movie has a few plot problems. How, for example, is it possible for zombies to remain underwater for thirty years yet their uniforms are still intact? Too, the Rose character figures out how to stop the zombies yet no one else seems interested. The only thing mentioned is a vague reference to the SS soldiers despising the light. If I knew how to survive in a situation like this, I would tell everyone around me how to do it. Still, these problems don't hamper the overall effect of the movie. The Blue Underground DVD contains a short interview with actor Luke Halpin, a commentary track, a trailer, television and radio advertisements, and a detailed gallery. The transfer quality, although in widescreen, isn't very good. Colors are hazy and washed out with significant grain marring the picture. It's surprising to see a Blue Underground transfer of less than stellar quality. Horror fans should pick up "Shock Waves" in a hurry. It's a nice addition to your zombies run amuck collection.
Rating:
Summary: A shocker of psychology, not gore
Review: One of the most impressive things about this little shocker is how it makes its point without resorting to slashing, gore, blood or similar affects.
This little movie, from 1975, is up there with "Squirm" and "The Ring" as creepy films that will keep you on edge throughout. This was one of Peter Cushing's final films and the film debut of young Brooke Adams, who really looks good in opening scenes swimming in a yellow bikini.
The drama revolves around a bunch of witless "Gilligan's Island" types whose tour boat first conks out, then runs aground. The captain is the first to be killed mysteriously. The crew and passengers trek to a nearby island, where Cushing discloses the existence of Nazi underwater shock troopers leftover from World War II.
These guys arrive on a ship that doesn't really exist. You can probably figure out what they do afterward although the way they do it may surprise you.
This film has a very effective "music" score that aids the action and plot. Using electronic devices popular in the 1970s and later used to strong effect in John Carpenter movies, this film moves along slowly but effectively with the musical sequences helping unleash the action to come.
This was an unusual low budget flick in that it featured two aged stars (Cushing and John Carradine) and no other male leads of note. Adams was anything but a household name when this film was released, although she went onto a nice career in the movies.
I can't agree with those that equate this film with gory opuses such as "Dawn of the Dead". This movie reiles on the intensity of its musical descriptions to build anticipation of things to come that results in high suspense. It is similar to the quality that made "Blair Witch Project" such a success at the theaters.
This is what makes this movie worth watching almost three decades later, while the actors are dated by the long hair and odd attire prevalent in the era of Disco. It is the classic virtues of terror, anticipation and psychology that make this little movie memorable.
Rating: 
Summary: Low budget classic
Review: Restrained use of violence is most welcome as the considerable visceral impact of this guilty pleasure is provided by the images and music. Although filmed on a low budget, the filmakers were obviously sincere in their efforts to provide the best possible movie they could. Fine performances by most of the cast, especially Cushing, Carridine and the exotically beautiful Brooke Adams. The look of the underwater zombies is among the best in the canon. Some sections of the print are somewhat dark, but you will never see a better version then this. Quite beautiful really, considering its low budget pedigree. Highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: BLOND AMBITION
Review: SHOCK WAVES has for years been a often referenced, reviewed and beloved little gem of a zombie film that could. But it was also hard to find on video for years, and most people had to make due with dupes or copies taken off late night television, but no more. SHOCK WAVES on DVD is finally here, and it is just about perfect. Presented in widescreen with a touched up print, and a host of extra's (a fun and informative commentary, a photo gallery that not only gives us some insight into the behind the scene work, but also clues us in on some of the footage missing from the film - plus a great selection of poster art and production notes), SHOCK WAVES is sure to please any fan of the zombie genre without question. My only complaint about the film is that, while it builds atmosphere, suspense and a general feeling of unease, it is up until the last third of the film a bit of a bore. It seems that the Nazi Zombies are everywhere and yet nowhere as well, and Peter Cushing, a true star, actually has nothing more than a cameo role here (spending most of his times either in shadows, long shots or on the run). But when the film finally cuts loose, it's a thrill ride up until the final frame that leaves you grappling to turn on the lights quickly and check under the bed, just to be sure. A powerful film that has actually inspired a "tribute" from Peter Benchley, the author of JAWS, in his novel WHITE SHARK, which is almost a novelization of this film. For fans, SHOCK WAVES is a must, no collection can be complete without it. For those new to the zomibe wasteland, SHOCK WAVES is a slow starter that once going won't stop until you're good and scared.
Rating:
Summary: Shock Waves: The Deep End of Horror
Review: Shock Waves is a film that I saw, believe it or not, when I was around five years old. My brother and my cousins watched this movie on TV one day, and it scared the living crap out of us. And since that day, I have always remembered this movie. Then, for a couple of years, I forgot about it, then recently, I decided to look it up on amazon.com, and found out that they were releasing the DVD soon. Well, let me tell you, I was pumped. So I bought the DVD expecting it to be just another bad horror B-movie, but it is actually pretty good. I really enjoyed this movie, and I actually remember certain parts of the film from when I was five, so that goes to show, how much this movie frightened me.
The basic plot goes like this: During WWII, the Nazi's created a supersoldier. A solider that could fight in any condition, and would not need weapons to defend themselves. Just a thoughtless zombie killing machine. They were sent into battle and killed anything it saw, then once the war was coming to an end, the Nazi's sent the zombies on a boat commanded by Peter Cushing, and was basically waiting for the call to either go back into battle or eliminate the zombies, because after the war was over, their existence would be futile. So the war ended, and Peter Cushing sent the zombies along with the ship underwater, and went into exile himself. And there they've stayed for decades.
Then, decades later, a group of people on a boat trip make their way around to the area where the zombies were submerged. And the disturbance from their boat awakes the sleeping zombies. Then all hell breaks loose.
Overall, this is a good movie. There's a certain low-budget creepiness to this film. And the music is great, so creepy. The acting is great, and not to mention, the zombies are scary as hell.
Rating:
Summary: Blond Zombies
Review: This is another excellent Peter Cushing movie where he was an SS doctor/officer that attempted to create the "master race" - aka zombies (all blond). At the end of the war, the zombies were entombed in the bow of a ship and sunk to the bottom of the ocean near an unknown island. Chance would have it that a ship on a pleasure cruse, captained by John Carradine, happens to sink near the island during an earthquake and the zombies are also freed. The real trouble begins for the people stranded on the island...
Rating: 
Summary: Regarding "widescreen" presentation of a full frame print...
Review: This is in response to the review below by "Johnny", where he references my earlier comments about how this "widescreen" presentation of a full-frame print cuts off the top and bottom of the original picture. It is true that if you have never seen the original full-frame print to compare this "widescreen" DVD to, you may never miss the 1/3 of the image you are missing on this DVD. People just need to be aware that simply because this DVD is "widescreen" does not mean that you are getting all of what the director filmed. In this case you get less. On the plus side, although the DVD image is grainy, especially during dark scenes, it is MUCH better in this regard than my VHS copy. OK, so I have complained of the way the full-frame print is presented in "widescreen" on this DVD, but complimented the DVD image quality compared to any previous VHS release available. So, the bottom line question to ask of me would be, "Which version will you watch next time?" The answer is now... the DVD, even with the poor screen format presentation.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent zombie flick...
Review: This isn't exactly your average buckets-o-gore, slow-moving (the zombies, not the movie) zombie film, but it's close enough and almost just as good. I say almost, because quite frankly, there could have been a little more gore...it wouldn't have hurt. The plot is the kicker. During World War II, the [Germans] experimented with making the perfect soldiers. They began their research from ancient stories of unstoppable warriors whose power comes from the ground...these soldiers are neither alive or dead, but they are rotting and can live under water all the live-long day, so I'm leaning more towards dead.
A group of tourists cruising the islands run aground a deserted island after going into what might be the Bermuda Triangle or a similar anomally and hitting the [German's] old sunken ship. They find an old hotel, inhabitted only by Peter Cushing, playing a not-quite-ex-[German]commander. The hijinks ensue as the zombies begin attacking the tourists. This is campy 70's horror at its best. Check it out.
Rating: 
Summary: I really wanted to like this movie!
Review: This movie is BAD, just plain bad. I watched the whole movie hoping to get something out of it, but there is nothing there. Watch it if you MUST but i am warning you it is awful. No entertainment value here. Just a little piece of cinema history i suppose?
Rating:
Summary: Effective creepiness
Review: Though parts of this movie may have an element of cheese to them, it's sum is still damn scary. I remember seeing this on the local channels as a kid and it scared the hell out of me. I was pleasantly surprised to experience that same feeling when I watched this DVD.
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