Plot: What’s it about?
The lush, rolling countryside of France is a gorgeous sight to behold, but not when a bunch of undead Nazi soldiers stalk the paths. And that is just what happens in Zombie Lake, but how in the world did something as unusual as this ever happen? It seems that back in World War II, a group of German soldiers were killed and instead of proper burials, they were tossed into a lake to rest forever. I guess those soldiers were pissed off about it, as they often rise from the waters and murder folks, but the local police blame ghost stories and such, never trying to uncover the awful truth. But soon, the townsfolk will have to take action against the Nazi undead, or else the zombies will devour the town and fondle all the chicks. In the end however, does it really matter who wins, when the path to the finale is as much as this one?
Do you like zombies, but wish they would do stuff other than stalk people and eat their brains? If so, then rejoice and rush out to wherever you purchase movies, as Zombie Lake has been issued on our beloved format. Now I won’t claim this to be a masterpiece of horror or even a great picture, but I loved every second of Zombie Lake and so did my friends. We’re all big fans of low rent and offbeat flicks however, so don’t assume you’d dig this based on my assessment of the merits. This looks like a typical zombie movie from the cover, but trust me, Zombie Lake is nowhere near the average zombie flick, not even close. Of course, you’ll plenty of the living dead and to add some laughs, these are Nazi zombies, but these undead dudes have more issues on their minds than eating human brains, I assure you. Indeed, these guys love to chase down the ladies and have themselves a touchy-squeezie good time, if you know what I mean. Heck, what more can you want from a flick than Nazi zombies, hot chicks, and some wacky love scenes?
As you can imagine, this isn’t the kind of movie that appeals to us all, but I have to admit, Zombie Lake is one of the better horror films I’ve seen of late. I’d never seen this movie prior to this release, but I had heard a lot of funky reviews, so I was primed to spin the disc when it arrived. As usual, I was worried that the film would fail to live up to my expectations, but man, I had no idea what I was in for with this one. This was a strange, off the wall ride and I was suckered in the entire time, I loved this movie. I’ve never been one to pass up a good exploitation flick and Zombie Lake is one to be sure, all the elements are in place and in fine form here. There’s blood and flesh spattered throughout the running time, as well as some very unusual sequences that serve to confuse and entertain the audience. I know the viewership for a movie like Zombie Lake is very limited, but I highly recommend this offbeat picture, but only if you’re a fan of strange exploitation/horror movies.
Video: How does it look?
Zombie Lake is presented in a 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a nice looking transfer overall, but some flaws do surface to lower the score. The source print is cleaner than I expected, but some debris is evident, as well as some slight pulsing at times. No serious issues though and not enough to ruin the experience, so no hard feelings on that end. The colors look on the washed out side, but not too much so and contrast is stable, but nowhere near razor sharp, which is to be expected. I don’t think this transfer will be used to show off any home theaters, but it still looks very good when you consider the materials.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc houses mono options in both French and English, but no subtitles were included and that forced me to view the English choice here. Of course, the dub is terrible and all, but I had to understand the dialogue, so I had little options to turn to. The track has some age related and perhaps storage issues, but sounds adequate and not much more than that. The music, sound effects, and dialogue all show some distortion, but not much and not enough to lessen the experience, at least in my case.
Supplements: What are the extras?
In a welcome and unique inclusion, this disc offers about six minutes of alternate “clothed” sequences. This means that while in the feature, the girls were nude, here they wear clothes or at least bra & panties. Very cool and fun to see, although I am sure most prefer the naked approach and who could blame them? This disc also houses an alternate title sequence in English, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
