Shock Waves review

This film was recommended to me, and as I have been on a bit of a zombie kick lately, I figured it was about time I check it out. I'm glad I did, as it's a fun film and it's certainly a nice change of pace.

The premise is as follows: A former Nazi commandant is inhabiting an island and conducting experiments on Nazi Zombies.  Pretty simple and to the point. While this film isn't perfect, it does exude a certain amount of charm that makes it a fun watch.

Performance wise, it's pretty uneven. Peter Cushing stars as the semi-retired Nazi and he's a blast to watch. There's also a nice extended cameo from John Carradine as the captain of the vessel that brings our visitors to Cushing's island. The rest of the cast is so-so. Performances often tend to run on the campy side, but that's what makes it enjoyable for me. Horror doesn't always need to be grim and serious!

The zombies in this movie are pretty cool too. While there's nothing revolutionary in the makeup department, the effects suffice. The creepy goggles that the zombies wear are sort of unsettling as we don't really see their eyes. In addition, I dig the fact that the zombies reside underwater. This was a pretty cool touch as that hasn't really been done before. It also makes for a pretty awesome scene as they emerge from their underwater tombs.

Now, on the downside, there isn't really much gore. For a zombie movie there is very little bloodshed. The zombies actually tend to dispatch their victims much as a soldier would, including a lot of stealth neck breaking. While I would've loved to see some brain munching and gore, this is only a minor fault as they are soldiers, so the methodical approach to killing does indeed make sense. Also, this was initially rated PG so what can you really expect gore wise?

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable film. I wouldn't say that it's one of my favorites of the zombie sub genre, but it was certainly worth the watch. I do suggest that zombie fans check it out as it does offer some unique and creative additions to the zombie world.

Highlight Scene: The emergence of the zombies from the ocean is pretty awesome. The slow trod as their heads begin to surface is eerie and effective and will definitely stick in your mind.