In the 1970s and 80s, there were quite a few films like "Shock Waves"...films involving Nazi zombies or some other zombies living on some island and which harass a group of tourists. So, when I saw this film on YouTube I thought I'd seen it before...but hadn't. Instead, I saw a film a lot like it...and there's a good chance you have as well!
The picture begins with a short prologue about Nazi super soldiers who were developed by scientists near the end of the war. The credits roll and the story then begins. A young woman is found adrift in a dingy out in what you assume is the Caribbean. She's hysterical at first and when she composes herself, she thinks back to what she's been through...and this extended flashback makes up nearly all the film.
Some tourists are out on a really crappy boat run by a weird old captain (John Carradine). They run adrift on a reef and are stuck. The next day, the captain is missing and everyone else makes there way to shore...as there is an island nearby. But they also discover the captain's body on the way....and that's really not a good sign! They also discover that this abandoned island isn't so abandoned after all, an old German guy with a mega-cool scar on his face (Peter Cushing) is living in what looks like an abandoned mansion. He insists that their timing stinks and they must get off the island ASAP....and then they discover another dead member of their group! He then explains that a ship filled with zombie-Nazi warriors has somehow returned to the island and the soldiers are pretty much unstoppable...so they need to HURRY and leave!!
So is any of this nonsense any good? In other words, although the plot is silly, is it entertaining and well made? While the idea of the film is cool and the make-up and special effects are effective, the characters and what they do are, at times, incredibly stupid. The character 'Norman' is a good example. He's NOT like a real person at all and is simply an annoying clichéd caricature. There's also a super-dopey scene involving a sailboat that simply defies logic. How could these folks be THAT stupid?! It's hard to fathom and group of survivors being this intent on offing themselves!! And, this sort of stupidity keeps occurring...making them too dumb to live! This severely impacts the film....taking it from a neat idea that COULD have worked to yet another schlocky low budget horror film that you could easily skip.
The picture begins with a short prologue about Nazi super soldiers who were developed by scientists near the end of the war. The credits roll and the story then begins. A young woman is found adrift in a dingy out in what you assume is the Caribbean. She's hysterical at first and when she composes herself, she thinks back to what she's been through...and this extended flashback makes up nearly all the film.
Some tourists are out on a really crappy boat run by a weird old captain (John Carradine). They run adrift on a reef and are stuck. The next day, the captain is missing and everyone else makes there way to shore...as there is an island nearby. But they also discover the captain's body on the way....and that's really not a good sign! They also discover that this abandoned island isn't so abandoned after all, an old German guy with a mega-cool scar on his face (Peter Cushing) is living in what looks like an abandoned mansion. He insists that their timing stinks and they must get off the island ASAP....and then they discover another dead member of their group! He then explains that a ship filled with zombie-Nazi warriors has somehow returned to the island and the soldiers are pretty much unstoppable...so they need to HURRY and leave!!
So is any of this nonsense any good? In other words, although the plot is silly, is it entertaining and well made? While the idea of the film is cool and the make-up and special effects are effective, the characters and what they do are, at times, incredibly stupid. The character 'Norman' is a good example. He's NOT like a real person at all and is simply an annoying clichéd caricature. There's also a super-dopey scene involving a sailboat that simply defies logic. How could these folks be THAT stupid?! It's hard to fathom and group of survivors being this intent on offing themselves!! And, this sort of stupidity keeps occurring...making them too dumb to live! This severely impacts the film....taking it from a neat idea that COULD have worked to yet another schlocky low budget horror film that you could easily skip.