Zombie Lake (1981)

In a small village, somewhere in France, German soldiers, killed and thrown into the lake by the Resistance during WW II, come back.

Directors:

Jean Rollin (as J.A. Laser), Julian de Laserna (uncredited)

Writers:

Julián Esteban (story) (as Julius Valery), Jesús Franco (as A.L. Mariaux)

Stars:

Howard Vernon, Pierre-Marie Escourrou, Anouchka

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Howard Vernon	...	The Mayor
Pierre-Marie Escourrou	...	German Soldier (as Pierre Escourrou)
Anouchka	...	Helena
Antonio Mayans	...	Morane (as Robert Foster)
Lynn Monteil	...	Helena's Mother (as Nadine Pascale)
Youri Radionow	...	Chanac (as Youri Rad)
Bertrand Altmann	...	(as Burt Altman)
Gilda Arancio	...	Blonde Girl Swimmer
Marcia Sharif	...	Katya
Yvonne Dany	...	(as Yvonne Dani)
Jean Rene Bleu	...	(as Jean-René Bleu)
Jean Rollin	...	Stiltz

Storyline

In a small village, somewhere in France, German soldiers, killed and thrown into the lake by the Resistance during WW II, come back.

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Plot Keywords:

public nudity | sex | pubic hair | nude swimming | nude bathing | 

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Taglines:

How Long Can You Hold Your breath?

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Spain

Language:

French

Release Date:

13 May 1981 (France)

Also Known As:

Zombie Lake

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 9,947,266 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eurociné, J.E. Films (Julian Esteban Films)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jesús Franco was planned to direct but was replaced by Jean Rollin at the very last minute. Rollin later said he deeply regretted having accepted as soon as he read the script. Jean Rollin felt so embarrassed by this film that he wouldn't admit for years he directed it, under the name J.A. Lazer.

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Goofs

As the body of the murdered woman is carried to the mayor's office, the mayor can be seen behind the pebbled glass of the door waiting for his cue to step out.

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Quotes

Morane: So, you think that ghosts killed them?
The Mayor: Yes, that is what I think.

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Connections

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! Part 2 (2006)

User Reviews

Night of the Living Brain Dead Rip-Offs

Let's clear one thing up first, if you want a good zombie horror movie then go rent something else. If you are looking for nonstop naked Euro babes and unintentional laughs in the form of terrible dubbing and FX, then look no further. Considering director Jean Rollin isn't exactly a hack and has made quite a few interesting and stylish horror films, why does THIS have to his best-circulated film in America?

Here's a taste of what you're in for gang...

Nazi soldiers shot and killed during WWII rise from a lake and terrorize the citizens of a picturesque, small French town. The green-faced flesheater make-up could easily be the worst ever. It opens with a very long segment featuring a naked woman walking around, sunbathing, then swimming. Zombie POV shots show her doggy paddling around for what seems to be an hour before she is pulled under. In another scene, a zombie stalking a woman has normal hands, but when he attacks and kills her his hands are suddenly green. My favorite part is when an all-girl basketball team arrive in a van ("Come on out girls! HAHA!"), strip naked and splash around in the lake. Underwater shots capture them from all angles before they get killed. Howard Vernon, Europe's answer to John Carradine, stars as a mayor who tells a reporter in flashback the fate of the zombie soldiers. OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES (1981) has a similar theme and was made by the same crew, but different director (Jesus Franco). Both are insufferably terrible!

Score: 1 out of 10