Les raisins de la mort (1978)

A young woman discovers that the pesticide being sprayed on vineyards is turning people into killer zombies.

Director:

Jean Rollin

Writers:

Jean-Pierre Bouyxou (story), Jean Rollin (story)

Stars:

Marie-Georges Pascal, Félix Marten, Serge Marquand

Cast

Cast overview:
Marie-Georges Pascal	...	Élisabeth (as Marie George Pascal)
Félix Marten	...	Paul (as Felix Marten)
Serge Marquand	...	Lucien
Mirella Rancelot	...	Lucie
Patrice Valota	...	Pierre
Patricia Cartier	...	Antoinette
Michel Herval	...	Michel
Paul Bisciglia	...	Lucas
Brigitte Lahaie	...	La grande femme blonde (as Brigitte Lahaye)
Olivier Rollin	...	Le mort-vivant qui se fracasse le crâne
François Pascal	...	L'homme du train
Evelyne Thomas	...	Brigitte
Jean-Pierre Bouyxou	...	Le mort borgne / Le mort-vivant à la faux

Storyline

A young woman discovers that the pesticide being sprayed on vineyards is turning people into killer zombies.

---

Plot Keywords:

vineyard | pesticide | female full frontal nudity | breasts | stabbed in the chest | 

---

Taglines:

When the wine flows, the terror begins ...

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Distributor's official website for private individuals Distributor's official website for professionnals

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

5 July 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

As Uvas da Morte

Filming Locations:

Causse du Larzac, Massif Central, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films A.B.C., Off Production, Rush Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min (uncut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally envisioned as a disaster-themed film, but as the production developed, director Jean Rollin saw the potential for it to be a horror film instead.

---

Goofs

During the long zoom in the scene where Élisabeth meets the blind girl at the deserted valley, a man can be seen walking in the distance.

---

Connections

References The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)

User Reviews

Creepy and Original 'Environmentalist' Zombie Gore Film by Jean Rollin

I must admit that, unlike many of my fellow Eurohorror fanatics, I am not the biggest fan of Jean Rollin, but then, I am still far from being an expert on the man's work. Most of the Rollin films that I've seen so far reach from stylish but flawed (e.g. "Fascination") to stylish but boring (e. g. "La Rose De Fer") to plain ridiculous ("Le Lac Des Morts Vivants"). Therefore, I was very positively surprised when I recently saw "Les Raisins De La Mort" aka. "The Grapes of Death" (1977) a highly original, creepy, intelligent and overall very impressive Zombie/Gore film, which is by far my favorite of all the Rollin flicks I've seen.

"Les Raisins De La Mort" is a Zombie film with a somewhat environmentalist premise: In a mountainous, wine-drinking area of France, pesticides that are meant as insect repellents for grapes, turn the population sick and murderously insane... Unlike your usual fully braindead zombies, the infected here are still (somewhat) capable of thinking, talking and having feelings, they just have the insatiable urge to murder...

"Les Raisins De La Mort" has the reputation of being one of the first French gore films, and it is also a highly effective one. The cinematography and settings (beautiful French landscapes and villages) are extremely elegant, which is a quality that most Rollin films have. This one's intriguing premise and suspense is a quality that I would only attribute to this one (out of the bunch of Rollin films I've seen). Marie-Georges Pascal, who sadly committed suicide at age 39 in 1985, makes a likable protagonist as Élisabeth, a girl who gets lost in the land of the infested when trying to visit her fiancé, and Mirella Rancelot is memorable as a blind girl, a likable character whose stare into nonentity is both sympathy-evoking and slightly eerie. The film delivers what gore fans expect, the zombie-makeup (the infested begin to get moldy and rot away) is extremely disgusting, and the gore effects are bloody as hell and very well done. For a Rollin film, this one is very low on the sleaze and nudity, only the ravishing actress/pornstar Brigitte Lahaie (Rollin's favorite actress) gets naked in a supporting role. The score is pretty good and underlines the eerie atmosphere.

Overall, this film delivers everything one might hope for in a Zombie film: a nice setting, suspense and creepiness, and loads of (both disturbing and disgusting) gore. Atmospheric, effective and definitely Rollin's best, in my opinion. Highly recommended!