 |
| aka Revenge of the Living Zombies on my VHS copy |
Whelp - Revenge of the Living Zombies sure is a zombie movie. Provided your definition of "zombie movie" doesn't include things like interesting characters or an engaging plot. Bottom line, it delivers the requisite zombie goods and nothing else. You get some solid late-80s gore effects and lots of the undead shambling around. So if that's all you want, you'll be fine. Honestly, I expected it to be terrible... and *no* story is better than a terrible story, right?
Anyways, before being retitled, the film was called FleshEater. It was written/directed by and "stars" Bill Hinzman, who managed to build a career out of being (arguably) the most recognizable zombie from Night of the Living Dead. Hinzman is the titular FleshEater, who is released from his grave when a farmer removes a stump and reveals some weird satanic stone alongside a locked coffin. Of course, he opens the coffin, and who should be inside but the FleshEater himself. The FleshEater bites the farmer (as zombies are wont to do), and the undead plague begins.
And since zombies need victims, we've got a group of kids heading to the woods for a night of partying. It's pretty amazing how flat and unmemorable they are as characters - there is nary an identifiable character trait between the eight (or so) of them. I guess one guy is kind of annoying... So we hang with the kids for a bit, and they slowly get picked off by the zombies. Once they recognize the danger, they make a dash for an old farmhouse. But Hinzman & co. kind of hit a wall there, because shortly thereafter we pretty much ditch these guys to focus on some other people... a random family living in the nearby town, and of course the posse getting riled up to try and take the zombies out. Yes, some of kids reappear, but it's strange - Revenge of the Living Zombies isn't really *about* anyone.
But it delivers in the zombie department at least. I dug how old school the zombies were. They aren't fast, they don't try any funny business, they don't say "braaaains"... they just want to kill you. Of the MANY things that are "borrowed" from Night of the Living Dead, the overall vibe of the zombies is probably the most effective. It's all rounded out with some decent gore too. You get all of the usual business: stringy bites of flesh, splattery head-shots, and even an appearance from the elusive stomach heart. Really, it's got all of the different types of late 80s gore that you could want. It's not spectacular effects-wise, but it's consistently above-average.
Which is good, because it feels like an effects demo reel at times. The story/characters just sort of exist to either (a) get killed, or (b) get naked. Sometimes both. Which I guess is an example of a filmmaker knowing their limitations. Revenge of the Living Zombies doesn't really even *try* to deliver anything else. There isn't an awful lot of tension or an attempt at creating any sort of atmosphere. It's very by the numbers and the attacks (and even the ending) are pretty clearly telegraphed.
So I'll stop here, because I feel like I'm treading water. There are only so many ways I can say "decent gore and absolutely nothing else." (Please note - I'm not saying this is an out and out splatter-fest. But there's a good amount of gore considering the budget and era.) So, I guess your mileage will depend on what you're looking for in a zombie film. If gore is all you want and you're good with the late 80 aesthetic, I think you'll dig Revenge of the Living Zombies. I mean, I'm not mad I watched it or anything. But sometimes you want a little more of a story to sink your teeth into, you know?
I would probably not recommend this film.
No comments:
Post a Comment