The Astro-Zombies (1968)

Director:

Ted V. Mikels

Writers:

Ted V. Mikels (screenplay) &
Wayne Rogers (screenplay)

Release Date:

May 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

Dismembered Bodies, Transplanted Organs, Are Used To Create The...

Plot:

The Plan - to build a super human; How? - by murdering innocent convenient victims and using various bits of them; The Result - Creatures on the rampage.

Plot Keywords:

Exploitation | Brassiere | Beautiful Woman | Living Dead | Electrocution

Cast

Wendell Corey	...	Holman
John Carradine	...	Dr. DeMarco
Tom Pace	...	Eric Porter
Joan Patrick	...	Janine Norwalk
Tura Satana	...	Satana
Rafael Campos	...	Juan
Joe Hoover	...	Chuck Edwards (as Joseph Hoover)
Victor Izay	...	Dr. Petrovich
William Bagdad	...	Franchot
Vincent Barbi	...	Tyros
Egon Sirany	...	Sergio Demozhenin
Jean Pirie	...	Woman killed in garage
John Hopkins	...	Det. Thompson
Janis Saul	...	Lynn
Wally K. Berns		(as Wally Berns)

Also Known As:

Space Vampires (USA) (video title)
Space Zombies

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:15 | USA:GP (re-release)

Company:

Ram Ltd.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tyros and Juan pull into the parking space, they completely miss their mark and straddle the line. After a quick cut to a cop watching them, we cut back to the car and it is pulled perfectly into the space.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Mark of the Astro-Zombies (2002) (V)

Ultra-cool trash

This is one of my favorite bad movies. It has a great look to it and if you just turn off your brain and sit back for the ride you'll be just fine, really, no lasting brain damage as a result. I don't think. A mad scientist (Carradine, big surprise in THAT type-casting) creates a race of supermen, they can't be killed and they have damaged brains and Halloween masks, and run around with machetes. Some agents from some undisclosed country (Tura Satana & friends) are after the secret. Some CIA agents are too. They try to find some of what's going on by hanging out at a nightclub. Tura & friends operate out of what must have been the luxury apartment complex of the day, but it's furnished with the absolute worst styles of furniture of the 60's, all that modern looking stuff that only looks super-tacky by modern standards, so that's worth a good smirk right there. There's also lots of important looking lab equipment that makes all kinds of weird noises, and one item looks like two plastic water bottles balanced on top of a garbage can painted red. Top notch props, in other words. Oh, and Carradine's mute deformed assistant gets lessons in everything Carradine is doing....it's all explained very carefully to him, as though he had a clue. OK, this is a mess and SURE it's terrible, but it's also incredibly fun in a trashy "I can't believe I'm watching this" kind of way. Tune in, turn off (your brain), and drop out.