Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)

Resident Evil: Degeneration is the full length CGI movie by Capcom and Sony Pictures based on the Resident Evil video game franchise. With closer ties to the game then the live action films Degeneration takes place seven years after the original Raccoon City incident with the T-Virus infection. Claire Redfield is part of group to support those affected by bio-terrorism and medical disasters and now she’s at the Havardville Airport as another outbreak begins to spread. Zombies are on the loose, again! For those who are big fans of the game series you’ll definitely appreciate the nods to the original source and if you’re just a zombie fan you’ll still find some entertainment.

 

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Zombie Diaries (2008)

This is a British Zombie film.  This is a “mockumentary” about an virus outbreak that has yet to hit England, but rest assured, it does.  It is set in present day.   The film itself is shot to look like it was filmed with a camcorder.   These are also the traditional “Romero” Zombies and not the modern running zombies.  Its a bit of an anthology, but read on for more……

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Zombi 2 (1979)

Everyone and their mother knows about George Romero and his “Zombie trilogy”. OK, I’m being facetious, but any self-respecting horror fan has seen one, or all of the original films. These films set the standard for modern zombie films (let’s face it, zombie films have been around since the early days of film, he didn’t invent the genre). Yet, on the other side of the pond, the Italians were at full blast making cannibal and zombie films that easily competed with Romero’s in the gore department. One of the most well-known Italian zombie flicks was simply known as Zombi, or Zombi 2 (but it had about a billion other names as well). This film may not have the social commentary that Romero’s films had, but as for violent content it was hard to compete with at the time. Even by today’s standards Zombi 2 has some very gruesome depictions that would turn off many viewers, and that is exactly what we want to see in our zombie flicks!

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Doctor Butcher MD (1980)

Zombie films are some of the most entertaining exploitation films one could hope to see. More often than not the films are full of death and gore to make up for a lack of plot (or a pitiful attempt at some sort of social satire–a few actually pulled this off, but that’s not what we’re focusing on now). Zombie films need a few key things. One being zombies, two being victims, and three being a closed in area where no matter how good at maneuvering the characters are, they are always in peril (even if any sensible person could get out of it). This brings me to the zombie flick Doctor Butcher MD (or as the casual horror fans know it, Zombi Holocaust). This film has it all, and even went ahead and threw in cannibalism to the mix.

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Night of the Seagulls (1975)

The final film in the Blind Dead series sure left me shaking my head.  Night of the Seagulls has an awesome premise, a really nice set up, and you can tell a lot of love went into it.  But, it feels like Amando de Ossorio was tired of the series and felt that he wanted to end it before he ran out of ideas. This is especially shown in the rushed ending, which although it makes sense, has the depth of a shallow grave.  Tombs and Return were excellent heart-pounding films, and to a lesser extent The Ghost Galleon followed in their footsteps, but Night of the Seagulls plodded along to a whimpering finish, just like many of the girls in the film.

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The Girls Rebel Force of Competitive Swimmers (2007)

Another day, another oddity from Japan. This time, it comes in the form of trashy, low-budget mayhem under the title The Girls Rebel Force of Competitive Swimmers. Well, at least that title wouldn’t have you think you were getting yourself into anything other than something off the wall. It’s how off the wall the film is however, that you may not be prepared for. You’ll get soft-core lesbian scenes, a juggling fire-breathing zombie that keeps mumbling about apples and bananas, and a pussy laser…yep, a pussy laser.

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The Ghost Galleon (1974)

The Ghost Galleon is the third film in the Blind Dead series written and directed by Amando de Ossorio, and is different from the first two films in just about every way except the Blind Dead’s importance and some beautiful cinematography. Where Tombs of the Blind Dead was an exercise in tension and Return of the Evil Dead is a terrifying thrill ride, The Ghost Galleon could best be described as the blooper real of the series. Even though it’s no where as well done as the first two it still has its place in this epic collection of films, and if you enjoyed Tombs and Return you owe it to yourself to watch Galleon.

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Return of the Evil Dead (1973)

Tombs of the Blind Dead is one of the most solid, terrifying films ever made. It gets under your skin and does not let go until the final frame. That being said, Amando de Ossorio’s sequel, Return of the Evil Dead is like Tombs of the Blind Dead, on steroids. Everything in the sequel is heightened to an almost ridiculous level. The pacing is break-neck, the action is top notch, the nudity is cranked up and the character development actually competes with many of the better dramas ever made. Didn’t see that coming from a film about The Knights Templar coming back from the dead, did you? If Tombs of the Blind Dead was Ossorio’s Alien, then Return of the Evil Dead is his Aliens.

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Man, I really wish they got a better guy to announce the trailer.  He sounds like a drunk:

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Vengeance of the Zombies (1973)

Hearing a lot about Paul Naschy, Vengeance of the Zombies felt like a good place to start checking out his films. Zombies. Vengeance. Beautiful. Maybe not. Naschy’s career spans almost 50 years, and he’s well known amongst the Spanish horror crowd. The driving force behind seeing this film, was the special release of Vengeance of the Zombies and The Night of the Werewolf, both starring Paul Naschy. Vengeance is a decent addition to any zombie fan’s collection, not quite on par with the bigger zombie films, but far from the worst.

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Sorry, it’s not translated, but it’s Paul Naschy, today, speaking about the film. Very interesting if you get the DVD.

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Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (1981)

How do you write a review about a film that is so ridiculous that it really can’t be watched straight?  This is the question I’m pondering as I review Burial Ground.  Judging by my score, I’m guessing a lot of people will think this film is, meh, but they’d be wrong.  I’m trying to judge the overall fun factor with actual talent in film-making.  So, for this film, the score reflects Burial Ground as a film.  A score of 10 is also awarded for the complete lack of common-sense, cheesiness and all around rewatchability The Nights of Terror brings with it.

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