Movies
[BD Review] ‘Zombie Lake’ has a Slow Pace and Dull Story
Reviewed by Patrick Cooper
French filmmaker Jean Rollin left behind a legacy of fantastique films with his signature poetic flourishes, such as The Rape of the Vampire. His 1981 film Zombie Lake, however, is devoid of any creativity or poetic trimmings. It is simply a cheap zombie movie with lots of t&a peppered throughout. Kino/Redemption released Zombie Lake the same day as Jess Franco’s Oasis of the Zombies. That’s certainly no coincidence since they’re pretty much the same movie in different makeup. Both feature Nazi zombies, a bastard child, and World War II. Both movies are crappy and terribly slow, but I did enjoy Zombie Lake a bit more thanks to its frequent zombie attacks and colorful small-town characters.
The story goes back to Nazi-occupied France. The German forces are stomping their ugly boots through a small village when one of the soldiers saves a local woman from a mortar attack. Because love knows no allegiance, the French woman and the Nazi solider make love in the hay. When he returns with his troop nine months later, he discovers that the French woman he banged has suffered complications during childbirth. On her deathbed, she gives the soldier a terribly cheap looking necklace as a token of her appreciation. “You Nazis rolled through my village and killed a bunch of people. Then we banged and now I’m dying from giving birth to your bastard. Here, take this necklace.” Before the Nazis can leave the village, a force of French resistance fighters slaughtered them all and rolled their corpses in the lake.
The village’s mayor tells this convoluted yet tender tale to a journalist interested in writing a story about the “damned lake.” Ever since the incident the lake has been supposedly cursed. We already know it is because the film opens with a Nazi zombies emerging from the lake and killing a naked woman. They seem to have a taste for females who are either naked or in their bikinis. It’s their comfort food. So they bumble around town eating women in various stages of undress and that’s basically the movie.
There’s a tortuously corny subplot involving the soldier from the flashback who’s now a zombie. He finds his illegitimate daughter who recognizes the cheap necklace he’s wearing from a picture of her mother. They hold hands and look fondly at each other. He probably smells awful but that doesn’t seem to bother her. Seeing his daughter brings back the humanity in him and he helps the townsfolk defeat the undead horde. But, let’s be honest, it’s really about naked girls getting eaten.
Rollin’s zombies are some of the most hilarious I’ve ever seen. They’re all painted turtle green but they all have the same heads of hair they dead when they died. The contrast looks absolutely ridiculous. The paint isn’t waterproof either, so when they slog themselves outta the lake it’s all runny and patchy. Because of the heavy makeup around their eye sockets, their eyes look enormous like they’re surprised all the time.
What the movie does have going for it is that it doesn’t feel remotely like a standard zombie movie that’s simply biting Romero. This distinctive vibe could’ve originated from Rollin’s own style, but it feels more like he just had no clue how to make a zombie movie. It was a departure for him that didn’t pay off. I also like the villagers, who have a surly authenticity about them. The pace and dull story absolutely kill the film for me though. Zombie completists will definitely want to check out, but for those hoping for a scare, look away.
A/V
Kino/Redemption Films presents Zombie Lake in a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. Like with their Oasis of the Zombies release, there is no digital correction – the minimal amount of dirt, specks, and scratches were left in tact. The colors look great and all of the imperfections serve to enhance the film’s sliminess. The 2.0 audio is free of any noteworthy disturbances and sounds fine.
Special Features
ENGLISH VERSION OF THE FRENCH TITLE SEQUENCE for some reason.
ALTERNATE SCENES: two scenes that were edited for television in which bikinis were added to the females who are nude in the uncut version.
TRAILERS for Zombie Lake, Oasis of the Zombies, Rape of the Vampire, and Demoniacs.
One of the all-time foundational fixtures in horror is the vampire. That means over a century’s worth of bloodsuckers in film, in various styles and mythology, from across the globe.
As prominent as this movie monster is, with dozens of adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula alone, there’s an overwhelming selection of vampire fare that makes it easy for many worthwhile gems to fall through the cracks. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to underseen vampire horror movies worth seeking out.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Mr. Vampire – The Criterion Channel – Plex, the Roku Channel
This supernatural genre-bender from director Ricky Lau stands far apart from standard vampire fare thanks to its comedy, martial arts, and jiangshi. Taoist priest Master Kau (Lam Ching-ying) guards the realm of the living by maintaining control over the area’s hopping vampires, and other restless spirits. When Master Kau is hired to oversee the reburial of an affluent town elder, he and his two bumbling assistants find themselves in a supernatural battle to the death when the elder’s corpse resurrects as jiangshi. Produced by martial artist and Hong Kong cinema legend Sammo Hung, Mr. Vampire was a huge box office success in Hong Kong and launched a franchise. Still, it’s a charming, lively horror comedy that could use more love among contemporary audiences.
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To – Plex, Prime Video, SCREAMBOX
Writer/Director Jonathan Cuartas‘s feature debut feels like a spiritual sibling to We Are What We Are in many ways. Both offer meditative, brooding depictions of isolated families far removed from the rest of the world. Both families are willing to commit unspeakable acts on behalf of their loved ones. In this case, siblings Dwight (Patrick Fugit) and Jessie (Ingrid Sophie Schram) find themselves routinely tasked with murder so their sickly younger brother Thomas (Owen Campbell, Super Dark Times) can have the fresh blood to survive. In the vein of The Transfiguration or Martin, this brooding debut feature grounds its vampirism in reality and focuses on the constricting, devastating toll of familial obligation.
The Night of the Devils – Kanopy
A disturbed man, Nicola, recounts the story of getting stranded in the woods, only to find refuge in a charming family’s house. The longer he’s there, the more he uncovers something is deeply amiss. Witches, vampires, and sordid family secrets ensue. Like Mario Bava’s anthology segment “The Wurdulak” in Black Sabbath, The Night of the Devils is also based on The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy. Director Giorgio Ferroni balances the gore and sleaze with haunting Gothic atmosphere and stunning cinematography. While it’s methodical in its buildup, the craftmanship and grim ending make this underseen Italian and Spanish co-production worth the watch.
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat – Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), Plex, the Roku Channel
Director Anthony Hickox (Waxwork, Hellraiser III) has a blast with his high concept horror comedy that sees vampires living in the reclusive desert town Purgatory. They seek a peaceful life, with the plan to get an artificial blood factory in operation. Everything goes off without a hitch until Van Helsing’s descendant, Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell), arrives in town. It’s a vampire western horror comedy that lovingly pokes fun at vampire tropes. The simple setup becomes anything but thanks to town politics, new tourists, and Van Helsing’s irresistibility to a vampire (Deborah Foreman). David Carradine presides over the vampire hijinks as Count Jozek Mardulak. For those looking for something fun and lighthearted, this pick is your best bet.
Vamp – AMC+, Plex, the Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi
This highly entertaining horror comedy features a vampire that doesn’t get nearly enough attention; Grace Jones exudes raw power as vamp Katrina. Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace star as two fraternity pledges that venture into the city to hire a stripper, all to impress their frat brothers. They find themselves in a shady part of town, unaware that the dive bar they’ve entered is full of vampires. Naturally, they find themselves in an all-night battle for survival. The neon haze-soaked urban setting makes for a refreshing change of pace. The bromance between the leads is as sweet as it is funny. Most of all, though, watch for Grace Jones’ riveting performance.
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