I recently watched I Was a Teenage Zombie (1987) on Tubi. The plot centers around a group of friends who accidentally kill a drug pusher while attempting to clean the streets. They dispose of the body in the local river, unaware that a toxin in the water brings him back to life with a thirst for revenge.
Directed by John Elias Michalakis in his first directorial project, the film stars Allen Rickman (A Serious Man), Cindy Keiter (Law & Order), Jim Martin (Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey), and Michael Rubin (Paradise Motel).
Despite not being a Troma film, I Was a Teenage Zombie feels reminiscent of their style, capturing the essence of low-budget 80s New Jersey horror. The acting has a raw, amateurish quality, reminiscent of a group of high school friends making a movie together. While there are some entertaining characters, particularly the drug dealer, the zombie itself is poorly executed, and a zombie sex scene fails to deliver.
Overall, I Was a Teenage Zombie is only worth watching if you enjoy films that are so bad they're almost good, but still bad. I'd give it a 4/10, but it's worth a viewing for its campy charm.
