Synopsis
The Deep End of Horror!
Visitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of zombie soldiers.
1977 Directed by Ken Wiederhorn
Visitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of zombie soldiers.
Almost Human, Death Corps, Shockwaves, Shock Waves - Die Schreckensmacht der Zombies, Die Schreckensmacht der Zombies - Zombie 5, Zombies - Die aus der Tiefe kamen, Horror em Alto Mar, l'occhio nel Triangolo, Le Commando des Morts-Vivants, L'occhio nel triangolo, Le Commando des morts-vivants, Shock Waves - Die aus der Tiefe kamen, Ondas de choque, На волне ужаса, Хвилі шоку, 冲击波, 쇼크 웨이브, Porażające fale
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The movie that exists in my mind only as “that one with the underwater Nazi zombies”. Haunting imagery and eerie ambiance chosen over the standard rotting corpses and brain-eating gore. A spooky abandoned tropical island palace and a moody synth score. Peter Cushing. Brooke Adams. Thickly lain atmosphere out the ass. Dread builds and flourishes as the white sand beaches and statue-still forest paradise become more and more inescapable. Even ankle-high water could hold any number of low budget aquatic Aryan undead super-soldiers just waiting to slowly reveal their blonde hair and black goggles as they rise out of the sea. The kills are forgettable (except for the sea urchin one) but the deliberately paced inching towards pure evil and certain death is not. It’s boring, yes, but in a way that haunts & consumes you. Regardless, I’ll always appreciate another excuse not to go near open water.
The Deep End of Horror.
Quirky, low budget Nazis Zombie island survivor cult jam avoids many familiar Zombie tropes in favor of some primo mood drenched atmosphere and one haunting soundtrack.
Abandoned hotels littered with overgrown plant debris, the way the Nazis walk bunder/rise out of the water with their blank stares and blonde hair swaying back and fourth while submerged in the murky depths. This movie is more concerned with atmos rather than the gory details of death... I dunno, I love this movie, I love the memories I have with it, I love the soundtrack, and I love that eerie vibe I commonly associate with 70’s atmospheric dread jams like Messiah of Evil and Lets Scare Jessica to…
Holy eerie atmosphere, Batman!
I would have made watching this a priority had I known that it was this good. It's weird because my letterboxd pals' ratings seem to be all over the place for this (they're predominantly positive though.)
The plot is simple. A group of people gets shipwrecked on an island and is h(a)unted by a squadron of aquatic.. Nazi.. zombies!
It's a pretty ludicrous premise, I know, but it is executed so well.
Shock Waves literally has everything. We get: Peter Cushing and John Carradine, super foreboding atmosphere, a great synth score and lots of sequences where zombies emerge from water.
It might start off somewhat slow, but the movie picks up steam as soon as Cushing is introduced.
This was really kind of amazing.
Highly recommended!
You could probably say that Shock Waves is all talk and no action. What I mean by that is that compared to similar movies this hardly has any gore or (gnarly) kills. Instead it is mostly preoccupied with making these Nazi zombies look cool/menacing. And boy does it succeed in that! Every time one of these undead fascists is on screen/rises from a watery surface is an experience, or as my watch partner Michelle said in the comment section to her write-up: *chef's kiss*
It's a very economical movie; there isn't really much of a plot.
Quite impressive that this is able to create a foreboding atmosphere during the daytime.
It hasn't lost any of it's awesomeness on this rewatch.
The Incredibly Strange Krauts Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Aquatic Nazi Zombies!!?
'Shock Waves' is a film that I have seen several (many?) times, but always remember, or disremember, or dismember differently, in different configurations, which crystallize around iconic images or feelings rather than a single unified narrative, although the general tone, assisted by the haunting and spacy score is always intact. This is probably a function of my desire to watch 'Shock Waves' half-awake late at night when I am drifting off into dream states. These are ideal conditions under which to watch this movie. Sort of a remake of 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' if the beast people were Nazi Zombie frogmen? The sort of thing that happens when you fall asleep watching TV while 'Hogan's Heroes' turns into 'Gilligan's…
So I decided to watch this instead of one of the hundreds of unwatched Blu-Ray or DVDs - with more on the way (it's becoming a disease). And that's not even taking into consideration all the endless watchlists i have on several different streaming platforms, why watch any of them when I can just watch a low-budget flick about an island that's inhabited by underwater nazi zombies! Apparently, Peter Cushing was paid $25 thousand dollars plus airfare for his role as an SS Commander, and boy did he earn it. John Carradine pops up in a glorified cameo as the captain of the boat that goes off course and is set upon by these invincible SS super soldiers. It's enjoyable enough for what it is not much makes sense and you can't move for plot holes I just can't resist something this ludicrous. If that doesn't sell this to you then Brooke Adams in a yellow bikini just might.
as far as old zombie movies go, this one isn't too bad. the script and everyone's acting definitely could've been better, but it's hard to go wrong with strong nazi zombies. don't go into this expecting lots of cool kills and gore though because you will be extremely disappointed. i know i was. it's definitely outdated, but it's got a strong atmosphere and it's very campy. definitely worth watching once. just not worthy of any rewatches.
This unique low budget zombie movie begins with a prologue telling us about Nazi experiments to create a race of zombie super soldiers. From there we are introduced to the crew of a small yacht, which is subsequently shipwrecked on a tropical island....where they get to meet up with the creatures outlined in the prologue. Shock Waves is a film that is probably a little better than it had any right to be. The premise is both bizarre and intriguing, and it is deftly handled in a way that plays up the absurdity without falling into boring clichés. John Carradine and Peter Cushing make brief appearances as a cantankerous boat captain and Nazi SS Officer respectively, with the latter making…
1st Ken Wiederhorn
Peter Cushing sports a Blofeld-like scar over his eye and tramps around a Call of Duty map while trying to regain control over a group of Nazi zombies who've been hiding under the sea for about thirty years. Truly a film where the filmmakers discovered the location and just ran with it, because that abandoned hotel is very cool and the flora around it adds an unusually lush quality to this bargain-basement tale. Apparently it was shot in Florida, but you really can't tell. At 84 minutes it starts brightly enough but eventually becomes rote running from the monster(s) with a limited to non-existent amount of gore, meaning that ultimately it's quite a dull film.
It does,…
Up until recently I stayed away from ‘PG’ horror movies. I’ve always been about the blood and boobies, so seeing ‘PG’ on the VHS box immediately had me turning my nose up even if the box looked pretty bitchin’.
But no more! It is time to see what mild thrills I’ve been missing!
The ‘Shock Waves’ cover was always a highlight at the video store and I’m happy to report that the aqua-nazis did not disappoint! The scenes where a group of ‘em slowly emerged from the depths was iconic and their overall design is very cool.
But this movie was only 2/3rds good. The first part on the boat set the stage nicely, the second part on the island…
Vengeful nazi zombies set to a backdrop of thick atmosphere, creepy synth score and haunting setting? Should be good right? Shock Waves keeps things very simple while missing a lot of its potential. An effective one note presentation that solely relies on atmosphere and tension. With weak zombie designs and minimal gore or shlock you really have to be committed to all the straight forward aspects of the film.
A crew gets stranded in the sun soaked Florida coast. They soon realize they aren't alone as a horrifying presence stalks their every move. They hear of an old legend involving nazi monsters who dominated their enemies in world war 2 due to their sheer evil and depravity. Could this same…