Monday, June 1, 2015

Junesploitation Day 1: Zombies!

They eat the living!

107 comments:

  1. Zombie High (1987)

    Well its time to start Junespolitation with not a bang but a whimper. New girl Andrea (Virginia Madsen of Candyman fame) and her friend Emmerson (Paul Feig of hopefully new Ghostbusters fame) are accepted to a uptight private academy where they realize the rest of the kids there are acting like… zombies, which basically involves them dressing very conservatively, dancing with zero rhythym, and always reading the Wall Street Journal. This movie has almost zero energy, is shot in almost exclusively boring medium and long shots, and also has some bizarre scene transistions and music cues where I honestly thought someone’s cat just walked across the keyboard. If your gonna watch a good zombie movie today go with Zombeavers, it’s a lot more fun

    8 word review (In prep for SMM)

    “It’s Dead Poet Society- without a Robin Williams.”

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    1. I recognize that it is not a good movie, but for some reason I still had fun watching it and would probably watch it again. I will still take your advice and watch Zombeavers too.

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  2. Zombeavers (2014) First time.

    I am nearly completely new to the whole genre of exploitation. I suppose "From Dusk Till Dawn" is the only real exploitation film I can claim to have seen. So watching Zombeavers, early in the morning was a new and ridiculously fun experience. The movie starts with such a great piece of dialogue, which I think is the peak of it's scripting, and only hits such comedy beats sporadically throughout the rest of the movie. The beavers are as ridiculous as you'd expect, and the film maker knows it, and the audience knows it, and yet I think I was still surprised by some of the directions they went with zombie beavers, and they were kind of fun. I suppose you know what you are getting with characters in a zombie movie, not that I have seen a whole lot of those either (why the fuck do I listen to a movie podcast??), but I noticed that these underwritten characters just allows the actors to have a lot of fun with their parts and try to put their stamp on that particular archetype. I thought Hutch Dano especially was hilarious, and also really creepy.
    Overall, the movie is as ridiculous as I would have hoped, and as fun as I thought it would be, and I think I am ready for the rest of Junesploitation.

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  3. Zombie Lake (1981)

    When your movie is called Zombie Lake and it starts off with a naked Fench girl taking down a skull and crossbones style "do not swim in the lake" sign in order to go skinny dipping, then you know what you are in for. Nazi Zombies and naked girls.
    aka "My Step-Father is a Zombie"
    aka "Angry Zombie Hates Furinture"

    ActingLikeYouCanBreathUnderWaterIsHard-spoitation

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  4. Poultrygeist: Night Of The Chicken Dead (2006)

    Fast food chicken zombies! Insane Troma
    movie. Cool, incredibly gory practical effects. Too many poop and masturbation jokes, not for the easily offended. Surprisingly catchy musical numbers and a scene with a broomstick that has to be seen to be believed. Batshit awesome finale, creative immaturity at it's finest.

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  5. Planet Terror (2007)

    I don't have to tell you what this is, you've all seen it. The Blu-ray has been sitting on my shelf for several years, so I thought Junesploitation was a good reason to finally watch it (last saw it when it came out). Not everything works and I think PT is the lesser of the two Grindhouse films, but it's still hugely watchable and entertaining. Had a blast with it!

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  6. Land of the Dead (2005)

    George A. Romero's zombie commentary on post 9-11 America.
    In what may be the last human city, unrest in the ranks of it's hired mercenaries leaves the city vulnerable. Across the river, a horde of the evolving dead, led by the grunting Big Daddy, slowly march on this last city of the living.
    John Leguizamo, as a disgruntled merc and Dennis Hopper, as the head of the opulent Fiddler's Green, steal the show.
    This is a fun watch, filled with interesting characters and a not too veiled social commentary. It's the best of the modern Romero films.
    Bonus points for the softball zombie.

    In 7 words - The Dead Walk, and Kind of Talk.

    -Kyle @marvelzombie616

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  7. White Zombie (1932)

    As someone interested in the history of film, horror and (to a lesser extent) zombies, watching this ticked off a lot of boxes and I enjoyed it on that level. Bela's cool and there are a few creepy moments and unsettling/annoying sound effects (e.g at the zombie mill and the damn buzzard). I liked the first and last 10-15 minutes but the middle was a little dry - that being said at just over an hour long, it's a good bonus movie to cram in today if you haven't seen it.

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  8. Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971, dir. Armando de Ossorio)

    This was my first viewing of any of the "Blind Dead" series. I dug this one. The story is incredibly thin, but the photography is great, the zombies are creepy (they're an undead order of Knights Templar) and there is a really effective atmosphere of dread though the whole thing. It's slow and there's hardly any gore to speak of, but I can't complain. I'm anxious to check out the other three films in the series now.

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    1. The Ghost Galleon 1974

      I watched the public domain version known as Horror Of The Zombies. The third entry in the Blind Dead series. Painfully slow, but the atmosphere is good and it looks like the gore came along later in the series.

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    2. I also saw Ossorio's TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1971, DVD). What can I say, great minds think alike. :-)

      If you can make it past the incredibly punishing and slow first half hour (the implied lesbianism doesn't help at all) you'll be rewarded. Galloping blind Medieval knights who listen to heartbeats and screams to track their victims is such a cool concept, and their slow-motion echo sounds compensate for the tame gore/violence they inflict. When the knights emerge from their tombs and ride their horses it's like a Frazetta or Druzan poster coming to life, a visual that inspired Ralph Bakshi and Peter Jackson for their "LOTR" versions. A fun ride.

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  9. Zombie High (1987)

    Hit an 80's sweet spot with me. Fun, but slow paced. The school dance scene was worth it. Reminded me of something that USA UP ALL NIGHT! would've run. I think it had some interesting things on its mind even and that at least most of the participants knew what kind of movie they were making.
    THANK YOU F!This movie!

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  10. DEAD BEFORE DAWN (2012)

    A group of teens get cursed by a supernatural thingie so that any time they make eye contact with someone, that someone becomes a zombie. I like this idea, as it’s a great metaphor for those who are socially awkward and find it difficult connecting to others. (Remember, a zombie movie without metaphor is no kind of zombie movie.) The filmmakers don’t play this up as much as they could, though, opting instead for a bunch of lame comedy gags. Oh, and why is Christopher Lloyd slumming it in this movie and crap movies like it? Shouldn’t he be playing Lear right about now?

    Accompanying short film: DEAD RAIN (2010). Pretty much an effects demo reel, influenced more by zombie video games than zombie movies, but it’s still enjoyable. There are a few cool gore effects, and it builds to an exciting ending.

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  11. Day of the Dead (1985)

    Its all been said before about this movie. Its good. You should watch it.

    Its not what they do, its what they dont do.

    Voiceboxsploitation

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    1. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 7:29 PM

      I revisited this after I read The Making of George A. Romero's Day of the Dead. So criminally underseen and underrated. I recommend it to Walking Dead fans all the time. "You like Walking Dead? You know who Greg Nicotero is? You wanna see where he got his start? Watch Day of the Dead." It deserves the same infamy as Dawn of the Dead. I love Joe Pilato in this movie.

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  12. That 50 word rule is being broken a lot today.

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    1. I think it's more of a suggestion than an iron-fist rule. The seven-word review challenge for Scary Movie Month? Now that's an unbreakable rule.

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    2. Uh no go back and read the first post. Patrick said he didn't want longer than 50 words because the comment section gets clogged up. And personally I get very overwhelmed when I see a bunch of novels in the comment section and other people's smaller posts get lost in the shuffle. That's not really fair and I think that's why he wanted that rule. There's some people who are new or who don't want to write super long posts that deserve to be heard too.

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  13. Zombie (1979)

    A cautionary tale about why you should never build a scientific research facility on a remote island which is for some reason also a burial ground for Spanish Conquistadors. The most interesting thing about Lucio Fulci's Zombie, aside from its amorphous chronology (originally titled Zombi 2, it was intended as a sequel to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which was known as Zombi in Italy) is that way Fulci uses the same style to shoot both gore and nudity. He's famous for his special effects, but here he shows his love for the flesh in general, as he seems to see beauty both in its purity and its destruction.

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    1. "Both in its purity and its destruction." Very well said sir.

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  14. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 10:54 AM

    Return of the Living Dead (1985)
    "Do you wanna party?It's party time!"
    Stampeding zombies... Linnea Quigley dancing on a crypt... Demon from Friday V, Tommy from Friday VI, a snapping half skeleton on an embalming table... the black and slimy, limping Tarman... did I mention Linnea Quigley dancing on a crypt?Trash can bite me and eat my brains any day of the week -- who cares if she has but'er-zombie face?

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  15. Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore) 1994
    Caretaker of small town cemetery, Francesco Dellamorte double kills the recently returned with a handgun while spending his time with his simpleton sidekick who vomits at the sight of the Mayor's beautiful daughter.
    Existential hilarity ensues...

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    1. Great choices everyone, I love this film a lot, Super choice Austin, especially Anna Fachi of course, and the dark humour of the movie too

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    2. This is criminally underseen and underrated. Great choice!

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    3. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 7:17 PM

      I love this movie. It should have made Rupert Everett a star. If fate hadn't dealt Michele Soavi a nasty blow, this movie may have led him to bigger notoriety.

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  16. White Zombie (1932)

    "The soul is gone! I can't bare those empty staring eyes!"

    A few things -
    1) Lugosi has the most expressive hands ever
    2) The leading lady's looks creepy even while alive
    3) Zombie love stories were done long before Warm Bodies
    4) Lugosi doesn't need to be a vampire to hypnosis people with his eyes.
    5) Lugosi makes everything better

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  17. Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1973, dir. Bob Clark) (First Time Viewing): Bob Clark made this the year before his slasher masterpiece (slashterpiece) Black Christmas. This is a scuzzy, atmospheric slow burn as some art students literally play around with corpses in a cemetery. Once the zombie mayhem starts kicking in I was astonished at how good it was. This belongs in the pantheon of great zombie movies! Highly recommended! Junesploitation has already delivered and it’s just day 1!

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    1. Whoa! That sounds very interesting!

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    2. Oh man, I remember seeing this at my video store when I was little and being creeped out by just the evocative title - gotta watch it!

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    3. Its the best title ever. Really memorable

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  18. Shadow: Dead Riot (2006, dir. Derek Wan)

    How do these things happen? The HK-based cinematographer of Fist of Legend heads to Philly to direct a Women in Prison / Zombie hybrid starring Tony Todd and Misty Mundae... and for at least the first half an hour, it's great. Larger than life inmates, intentionally funny one-liners, punchy editing, and even some martial arts... but it overstays its welcome, and by the end I'd gotten pretty bored. Still a pretty surprising oddity. Trailer

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  19. Maggie (2015)

    I was aware going in that this isn't really in the Junesploitation spirit, but it's a zombie movie and I really wanted to see it, so I'll save the sleazy stuff for tomorrow.

    It's a very bleak movie about a father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) dealing with the impending death of his zombie-infected daughter (Abigail Breslin). I've heard people question the casting of Schwarzenegger since his normal skill-set doesn't apply here, but I think it was a good decision since we the audience have an almost Pavlovian reaction to his presence, we see him and know there's a hero there to save the day. This movie never even suggests a possibility of saving the day, so we have to watch our hero handle the inevitability of losing what he's unable to protect. It's good but not great, and certainly not what you may expect from the suggestion of Arnie vs zombies. I wouldn't recommend it for Junesploitation, but its worth a look later on.

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  20. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 12:38 PM

    Zombieland (2008)
    Soft, spongy... mmmmm... wait, this isn't a brain. Whew. I haven't rewatched this in years. I thought I'd watch something else familiar and fun. To survive the zombie apocalypse, you need rules -- but finding a box of Twinkies would be nice, too. It's the little things that are the spice of life -- and the living -- after all. But if you can't find the Twinkies, it'd be even nicer to bump into Emma Stone. But you know what's REALLY cool? There are 6 people left in the world; one of them is Bill Murray. But Eddie Van Halen? He's a zombie. Oh, and Pacific Playland is not as fun a place as it used to be.

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  21. FNight of the Living Dead (1968)

    Not as unique a choice as the other posts on here, but I've never actually seen this movie the whole way through before. I was pretty surprised by how brutal this film is at times. I knew a lot of what to expect from discussions on F This Movie about it, but there were still some big surprises for me, one of which was the behavior of the zombies. I kind of expected the epitome of the slow, stupid, easy to avoid zombies, but with the very first attack in the film, Romero really sets up how scary and relentless these things are. You be hard pressed to find a zombie movie today that's willing to be as bleak as this was willing to be back in 1968. The still frame pictures at the end were pretty haunting images for multiple reasons I won't mention in case anyone else hasn't seen it yet. It's also really interesting to see the genesis of all the tropes that still define this genre.

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    1. I saw it for the first time recently too. Interesting how brutal it is and at times hard to watch. I can't imagine how shocked people were by it in the '60s!

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  22. Zombeavers
    I expected it to be awful, but it was a lot of fun. Some lines (intentionally) made me laugh aloud. A good mix of awful and surprisingly good practical effects. Very little cheap CGI.

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  23. [REC] 3: Genesis (2012, dir. Paco Plaza)

    This is the first movie in the "REC" series that I've watched. However, it's basically more of a prequel than a continuation. A wedding reception is crashed by zombies. In the ensuing mayhem, the bride and groom get seperated and spend the majority of the movie looking for each other. I have a weak spot for Spainish horror movies. Although this movie doesn't do much to distinguish itself, it has an ace in the hole in Lotecia Dolera. She's pretty great. Warning: bummer ending.

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    1. You should watch the first 2, they are pretty good. I haven't seen 3 and 4 yet.

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  24. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1973)

    "The dead are losers. If there's anyone that doesn't deserve respect it's the dead."

    Thanks to Matt Sollenberger for the recommendationsploitation! My favorite thing about this movie is the kind of Zombies it has. Good ol' fashioned corpses coming out of the grave instead of fresh people getting bitten and turning. There's something much creepier about this kind of Zombie. It's a slow burn, but the first hour is made entertaining by the main hippy guy's INSANE monologues. And it feels very satisfying once the dead rise. Enjoyed it!

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    1. YES! Glad I didn’t oversell it! I agree with your sentiments about the traditional rise-from-the-grave zombies. They’re a surprisingly rare breed.

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    2. They are aren't they? I don't understand why. But it's such a treat to see zombies that look like year-old rotting corpses.

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    3. I saw this a few years ago at a 24-hour Massacre and didn't love it, but it was like 5 in the morning and that could not have helped. I need to see it again.

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    4. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 7:04 PM

      If you haven't seen it yet, Bob Clark's Deathdream is an interesting movie with an undead premise. It also works as Vietnam war allegory. Tom Savini did the make effects. It was shot maybe thirty minutes from my apartment. The El Rey Network reruns it pretty consistently.

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    5. I watched that last year and thought it was pretty boring, unfortunately :(

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    6. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 7:36 PM

      Fair enough. It's certainly a film of its era. (Era.)

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    7. I remember really liking the dad's performance though. I thought he was great.

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    8. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 7:50 PM

      Agreed. If all goes according to plan this month, I'll be watching another film he stars in. The Car.

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    9. Holy crap, that was him?! I saw The Car a couple of years ago and thought it was pretty good. Wheels of Terror is THE go to phantom car movie IMO though.

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    10. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 8:02 PM

      Yeah. John Marley. He's been in quite a few movies that I didn't recall him being in either.

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    11. Hey Michael. I really enjoyed Deathdream when I watched it a couple years ago. Definitely a movie of its time so I got really stoned and everything worked out great.

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    12. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 10:28 PM

      It took maybe two repeat watches for me to really warm to it. It's rough and indie and I think it's fine. It's rough, homegrown quality reminded me of Romero post-Night and pre-Dawn. I hate to say this because I feel by saying it lessens (or damns) this movie somewhat, but Bob Clark has definitely made better movies.

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    13. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 10:31 PM

      Oh, and Patrick -- how much do I owe you for stealing your line? I couldn't resist, I'm sorry. It's infectious.

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    14. "Deathdream" is awesome and John Marley (aka David Banner's dad in the Thanksgiving episode of "The Incredible Hulk") rules! By Junesploitation standards Clark's movie and Marley's performance are a little high brow, though. ;-)

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    15. Michael GiammarinoJune 2, 2015 at 10:01 PM

      I hope I don't sound like I was giving Deathdream the short shrift.

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  25. Teenage Zombies (1959)

    I thought a pre-Romero zombie movie would be interesting. I was wrong.

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    1. The poster has a gorilla. Not what I would have guessed.

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    2. The gorilla (clearly a guy in a gorilla suit) was a bit of a saving grace.

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  26. War of the Dead (2011) - First viewing

    A Lithuanian-Finnish-American co-production about a joint Finnish-American platoon on a top-secret mission behind Russian borders in 1941 who come across undead soldiers raised by Nazi experiments. The glaring historical inaccuracies aside, the movie fails on most fronts - the plot is absolute nonsense, the dialogue is clunky, the Finnish actors aren't very good English speakers and the effects aren't great. Lots of dramatic close-ups, unnecessary slow motion and swelling music. Not to be recommended to anyone.

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  27. Shockwaves 1977

    I was worried if this was gonna hold up?

    Hang on, Blue Genetically-engineered Nazi Zombies that can breathe under water with Peter Cushing, need i say anymore :)

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    1. Quote
      I hope they know what there doing?

      Of course they do there sailors arent they?

      So were the crew of the Titanic ...

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    2. Michael GiammarknoJune 1, 2015 at 6:56 PM

      This has been one of my must-watches for some time. Sigh... someday.

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    3. Its quite dated but if you're a completist like me it has its moments, its a great concept

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  28. Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead (2014)

    I never saw the first Dead Snow. Our hero gets a zombie arm, inspired choice. Nazi zombies driving tanks, great fun. Zombies killing kids and moms pushing strollers, not so fun. Star Wars girl annoying. Cop subplot pointless and not funny. Good over the top gore gags. Solid zombie flick.

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    1. 2 was fun, but You should check out 1. I like it more. Over the top, but not as "silly"

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  29. Ghoul School (1990) I couldn't resist, Patrick!

    When you have "Jackie the Jokeman" guest appear in your movie, that's all you need to know. Holy hell this film was awful and holy hell I loved it! It's super goofy, no budget, shot on video, made in 1990 but looks like it's from 1984 and the sound is pretty bad. The principle is great as he should be - he's a veteran actor (Richard Bright RIP) who played in The Godfather films and played "Chicken Joe" in Once Upon Time in America. Poor guy ended up in this and didn't use his real name, Richard Bright, but instead Eddie Gambino!

    It would be impossible to stay under 50 words talking about this film. The Battle of the Bands segments rule! The T-shirts that were obviously made for the movie and the awfulness of the Zombie make-up is amazing.

    This is right up there with "Science Crazed" which I watched last year. Highly recommended!

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    1. How about that basketball scene, huh? You'd think one of those guys would make a shot at some point.

      Did you watch the version where I'm quoted on the DVD cover? It's the only reason to watch.

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    2. That basketball scene was legit! I was dying laughing. I had to rent this from Amazon (yep, I paid 2 bucks for it!) as it was the only way for me to get it so not sure if it's the version where your quoted or not. I loved it though. To me, it represents all that Junesploitation is about!

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    3. Btw -if anyone is planning to watch this, Amazon has it listed as 2004, that is incorrect unless that's when the DVD was reissued in which case I would guess that is the one you are quoted on, Patrick.

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    4. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 6:53 PM

      Okay, now I need to see this movie.

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  30. Bio Zombie (1998, Wilson Yip)

    A couple of scummy bootleg VCD salesmen accidentally unleash a zombie apocalypse on a small underground shopping mall. This combination ode to Dawn of the Dead, Dead Alive, and the Resident Evil video game series feels long even at 95 minutes, but it does have a great scene where a character has to fish a set of keys out of a recently deceased person's mouth. The ending is also enjoyably fatalistic in a way that doesn't feel cheap or mean-spirited.

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  31. Zombie Hood (2013)

    I was going to watch Zombie High, but after seeing several F Heads also chose it I switched to this one, thus providing further proof that you should always go with your first choice. Film throws a bunch of characters at us in the first half-hour; whoever lasts for more than 2 scenes becomes a major character. I know dumb behavior is expected in horror films, but some of these Brits really give Marty McStupidhead a run for his money. I will say, the makeup effects are pretty good considering this movie's nonexistent budget.

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  32. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
    (1990, Tom Savini)

    More than 16 years ago I watched Tom Savini's remake of "Night of the living dead" on VHS, a period where I craved for every Zombie-movie as a teenager!!! A very difficult period for a German teenager, because most of the horror movies from the past 3 decades were banned or even confiscated, and there was NO internet!!!
    However, I decided to give this modern classic a revisit and what do I have to say at all?? It's still a great movie!!! Decent production value, good looking zombies, great actors and a very intense atmosphere!!! Maybe it sounds ridiculous, but nowadays the movie feels a bit like a long "The walking dead"-episode and could perfectly fit to the franchise!!! Give this movie a try, if you haven't seen it yet!! You won't regret it!!

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    1. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 6:50 PM

      This is one of my favorites too. It's certainly on my list of great horror remakes. The cast is just so friggin' good. It's an accomplished feature debut for Savini

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  33. Dead Snow: The snow glows red on the mountain tonight, lots of dead things to be seen. A kingdom of Nazi Zombies and it looks like, I'm Lieutenant Raine. The heads are flying like the bullets in my gun. I can use this chainsaw, to save time.

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  34. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 6:35 PM

    Zombie Lake (1981)
    I'm a Jean Rollin novice. I think I've seen Raisins de la Morte years ago but I remember next to nothing about it. Zombie Lake is cheap and laughable, but I found myself laughing with it. I am shocked this movie looks as good as it does, as old as it is. Especially on Netflix. I find I connected with it on an atmospheric level. The color photography is actually really good, but I think this movie would have benefited if it had been in black and white. As a zombie movie it fails. As a sexploitation film, as a Nazisploitation film, I think it works. I'd like to think Rollin made this movie with tongue firmly in cheek.

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  35. Toxic Zombies a.k.a Bloodeaters a.k.a Forest of Fear (1980) Dir. Charles McCrann - his only film

    At least the synth score was great! FBI drops "Dromax" some drug to kill crops cause they're after "the Dope Growers". The"Dromax" turns them into Zombies. "Agent Cole" is the equivalent to agent Chester Desmond although nowhere near as cool. What a wicked game they play though (I know, I know) cause nothing happens at all. Holy shit this was boring and just typical of your below average, slow Zombie movie.

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    1. Sadly, the star/director/producer of Toxic Zombies, Charles McCrann, died on 9/11 when American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Regardless of how bad Toxic Zombies was, RIP to Mr. McCrann...

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  36. Fido (2007):
    This was my first time seeing this comedy/satire zombie movie. I really enjoyed the darkly comedic mix of tones. It reminded me of a combination of Starship Troopers, Pleasantville, and Day of the Dead. All of which I love. It has alot to say about things other than just zombies, such as violence, conformity, and appearance. There are also many great performances. My only complaint is that I wished they would have shown me more of the world the movie exists in. They set up such an interesting society that has detailed rules and is filled with acute observations, but we never really get to see outside of the small town where everything takes place. But maybe that's the point?

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  37. Day of The Dead (1985)

    I'm gonna try stick to seven word reviews. Fail.

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  38. White Zombie (1932)

    The Blob was originally written about Lugosi's eyebrows, but they decided to go with something less obtrusive.

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  39. Zombi 3 (1988)
    (aka zombie holocaust)(aka zombie flesh eaters 2 the hand returns)

    Infected body gets cremated releasing a zombie virus on a island. The movie has a few wtf moments including a floating zombie head attack! Apparently, this movie also had 3 directors because the original director Lucio Fulci suffered a stroke half way through filming. I wasn't a big fan except for a few zombie kill scenes, but there's way worse Italian horror out there.

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  40. Day of the Dead (1985)

    What's bad: the dialogue, the acting, the on-the-nose military commentary, the Night Court-esque score, the racial stereotypes

    What's good: the effects, the gore, the death scenes, the on-the-nose science commentary

    Still loved it.

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  41. LAND OF THE DEAD (2005)
    I love this flick. Was so happy going to the theater that day and it did not let me down.
    Big George, I salute you.

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  42. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 10:16 PM

    [Rec] 3: Genesis (2012)

    I've never seen [Rec] or [Rec] 2. I own [Rec] but never got around to watching it. I saw Quarantine and I like it, and I'm of the understanding that Quarantine is a shot for shot remake. I take it for granted that I'm already a fan of the original film based on that. I dug this quite a whole hell of a lot, and that's all due to the bride. I loved her. Without her, it's still a well done movie. With her? I don't know, maybe I'm smitten. (And maybe she reminds me of Boof from Teen Wolf.)

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    1. Highly recommend REC and REC 2! I think the second film starts like, fifteen minutes after the end of the first film, so they make a really great double feature.

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  43. The Wickeds (2005)

    Zombie-Vampires? Maybe? I don't think they actually decided between the two.

    This was terrible. I actually ran a virus scan on my computer while this was playing because it was more interesting.

    I knew it would be bad with all the one star ratings on Netflix...but it could have at least been fun. It wasn't.

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  44. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

    My first time seeing the movie, and it was excellent. Everything (writing, score, cinematography, acting, etc.) holds up really well. While it wasn't "scary", it was very unsettling and creepy. The ending was fantastic.

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  45. Sugar Hill (1974)

    Junesploitation started with a bang for me with the really fun and weird SUGAR HILL. I strongly recommend this voodoo zombie blaxploitation horror movie to everyone on either Blaxploitation day or a free space day. The characters of Mama Maitresse and Baron Samedi are awesome and this one has a fun Dr. Phibes vibe. throughout.

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  46. Michael GiammarinoJune 1, 2015 at 11:01 PM

    I am so looking forward to the Blu ray for that film.

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  47. Rammbock: Berlin Undead (2010, directed by Marvin Kren)

    A surprisingly good mashup of REC and Rear Window in which a doughy, pasty-faced guy attempts to reconnect with an ex against the backdrop of a zombie outbreak. Rammbock features a handful of great high-angle shots, a percussive and driving score, and some novel twists on traditional zombie tropes which feel packed with contemporary subtext. Plus one of the characters kind of looks like Justin Bieber, so you get the fun mental digression of imagining Justin Bieber attacked by the voracious undead.

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  48. Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead (2014)

    First time seeing this one - it's been in my queue for ages. Uh wow. What a batshit fucking bonkers movie.

    This movie has:
    - a doctor attaching a zombie arm onto the hero's body, giving him special zombie powers
    - a Nazi zombie pulling out a man's intestines and using them to siphon gas into an antique nazi tank
    - MULTIPLE children, elderly and handicapped people being BRUTALLY murdered
    - an epic battle between armies of zombie Nazis and Russians filmed as a shot-for-shot homage to the first big battle in Braveheart
    - an effed-up love scene with the same "hand reaching up and touching a fogged up car window" shot from Titanic in a way that is competely sick and hilarious

    Absolutely insane, truly hilarious, and gory as fuck.

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  49. Oasis of the Zombies (1982) (first time viewing)
    Sadly, my Junesploitation started off as slow as the zombies in this film. Bad dubbing, poor direction and acting. Nearly every shot started as a long shot that zoomed in. I thought maybe the cameraman got as bored filming it as I did watching it and fell asleep on the zoom button. Here's to a better day 2!

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    Replies
    1. Michael GiammarinoJune 2, 2015 at 2:27 AM

      Welcome to the world of director Jess Franco, Kyle! He has a reputation for deliberately paced Eurotrash films.

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  50. Dawn of the Dead (1978) (first viewing)

    I decided I could never pretend to talk intelligently about zombie movies having never seen this one. Honestly, for as much critical acclaim as it's had all these years, it was way more fun and campy than I was expecting. Awesome film.

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    1. Saw it for the first time a few months ago at a retro night- the camp plays so well in a crowded theater, should you ever get the chance to view it in that setting.

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  51. Zombeavers (2014)

    The word genius gets thrown around a lot. Not by me. I keep it locked in a wooden box, chewed in to form by an undead rodent. Zombie plus beaver...how has no one thought of putting this unbeatable combination onto film? What have we been doing with our lives? Where are my glasses? These questions and most of the answers to a few of life's unanswerable questions are answered. Is there a God? Does he have buck teeth and like to block the flow of water? Yes...5 stars...out of 25.

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  52. Cockneys vs Zombies (2012)

    Way, way more fun than it had any right to be. Desperately wants to be Shaun of the Dead and while it's not in that league, a game cast and some surprisingly good practical effects make it a lot of fun.

    Probably going to be lost in translation for non-Brits, though, innit.

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  53. A Junesploitation Day 1 twofer!

    Day of the Dead (1985): pretty great!
    White Zombie (1932): barely a movie!

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  54. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
    The original, the grand-daddy of them all. It has been a long time since I have revisited this film. It still works for me.

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  55. Night of the Living Dead (1968) (First Time)

    No wonder it's a classic. Knocked me on my butt. I loved how the events in the ending were so haphazard and played off without any significance. I have nothing more to say.

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  56. The Evil Dead (1981)
    I know I know. Its not totally a zombie movie. Its demons that make them act like zombies, but any excuse to watch works for me. I can't really say anything new about this movie. Haven't seen as much gore on screen since the Robocop unrated cut earlier this year. Truly unparalleled for its time.

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  57. Oasis of the Zombies (1982)

    Schlocky low budget zombie movie from the early '80s. Looks like it was filmed on a VHS camcorder on Extended Play because they were worried about running out of tapes.

    Between having a wicked sinus headache last night, the medicine I took for the headache, and the fact I was watching Oasis of the Zombies, I was asleep in twenty minutes. Slept through the night. Didn't have the time or the courage to go back to it today. Not an auspicious start for Junesploitation.

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  58. Kill Zombie! (2012)

    I learned two things from this Dutch movie. Swearing in Dutch is freakily similar to English, and Shaun of the Dead was so much fun is has spawned yet another movie in it's style.

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  59. Started with Night of the Living Dead.

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  60. Dead Meat (2004) Dir. Conor McMahon

    McMahon directed a film I watched earlier this year called "From the Dark" which I thought was surprisingly good. He also did the film "Stitches" which was meh. I have been meaning on checking out his two other films so here is one of them. Irish micro budget Zombie film which is pretty great and, believe me, I am really tired of Zombie films. This one is set in the Irish countryside and the Zombie virus is caused by dead animals. It has some awesome gore. I mean, a dude gets a vacuum cleaner extension to the eye and then the eye gets sucked out. Awesome or what?! Shovels through the gut, high heel to the eye, shovels to the brain, 2nd high heel to the retina, stick to the cornea, screwdriver to the ear, oh, and that's the first 35 minutes. The camera work is reminiscent of old Raimi at times and all in all, this was a pleasant surprise.

    Btw - Since I watch a lot of Genre Films are we allowed to post after the day has passed if it's still relevant?

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