Shock Waves (1977)

Directed by Ken Wiederhorn [Other horror films: Eyes of a Stranger (1981), Dark Tower (1987), Return of the Living Dead: Part II (1988)]

I’ve known about Shock Waves for over ten years now, and I’ve heard generally good things about it in that time. After seeing it, though, I think it’s at best okay, and I don’t personally know if it’s really a movie that will really stand out in the long run.

Like some 70’s movies, Shock Waves does move a bit sluggishly. That said, while most of the action isn’t going on until the final half hour, it’s a pretty atmospheric, and somewhat bleak, movie. It’s somber, and feels totally like the 1970’s atmosphere that I tend to expect.

Despite having Nazi zombies, I don’t think that this movie has quite the character of other 70’s zombie films, such as Tombs of the Blind Dead, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie/The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue, and Sugar Hill. Certainly the movie does some things well, such as the atmosphere, but it just can’t pull everything past the finish line alone.

Neither Peter Cushing (The Gorgon, Scream and Scream Again, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Island of Terror, The Flesh and the Fiends, Night of the Big Heat, Dracula, The Creeping Flesh) nor John Carradine (Bluebeard, The Unearthly, House of Dracula, The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals, Horror of the Blood Monsters) get a lot of screen-time, but obviously, both are icons of the genre, and as a personal fan of Peter Cushing, it’s always a pleasure to see him.

The real focal points are Brooke Adams (The Unborn, The Dead Zone, Sometimes They Come Back, Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Luke Halpin, but unfortunately, neither one has much character. We literally learn nothing about either one of them; they’re just empty vessels being chased by zombies, and that’s it. Fred Buch did have character, and as such, was one of the more interesting characters, while Jack Davidson played one of the more annoying characters I’ve seen recently, but that’s not really enough to bring life to the film.

That might be the biggest issue – it’s a decent movie, but it’s just dry at times, reminding me of Death Ship every now and again, and when I’m reminded of Death Ship, that’s a problem. Most of the time, zombies just drown people, so it’s not some gore-fest like Zombi 2 either. It has atmosphere, and it’s somber, but that’s really all it has.

I’m not saying that Shock Waves is a bad film. I personally think it’s a bit below average, but it definitely has some charm. Others seem to enjoy it a bit more than I did, and I would say that if you’re into zombie movies, Shock Waves may be worth checking out, but it didn’t personally wow me by any stretch.

6/10