Shock Waves (1976)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Main Menu Audio Audio Commentary-Filmmakers' Featurette-From Flipper To Shock Waves TV Spots Radio Spots-2 Gallery-Photo Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Peter Cushing Trailers
Rating
Year Of Production	1976
Running Time	84:31
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Ken Wiederhorn
Studio Distributor	Zopix Company Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Clarence Thomas Brooke Adams Luke Halpin John Carradine Jack Davidson D.J. Sidney Fred Buch Don Stout Peter Cushing Sammy Graham Preston White Reid Finger Mike Kennedy
Case	Gatefold
RPI	$19.95	Music	Richard Einhorn Norman Gay Jessica Sack

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	Yes
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    A group of tourists on a small boat off the Florida coast are caught on a reef. A hulk emerges from the depths due to an undersea disturbance, accompanied by the sky going a strange colour. On a nearby island they discover an old hotel, in which lives an old man with a German accent (Peter Cushing). He warns them to leave, but it is too late: the creatures on the ship are loose. In fact they are the remnants of an elite SS zombie squad, neither alive nor dead and capable of fighting in any terrain, especially in the water (and under it). How they got there is not convincingly explained, but no matter, they are there and they plan to leave no-one alive.

    A very low budget effort from the mid-1970s, this should be terrible. But it turns out to be quite good. There is no gore, just suspense and a very spooky feel to the film, enhanced by the grainy, off-colour photography and the excellent score. Cushing does not have a large role in this film, and nor does John Carradine, who plays the skipper of the boat, but they are both very good. Brooke Adams is the heroine.

    The acting of the non-stars in the cast is pretty bad, most of them being local actors who the director hired because they were cheap I suspect. The zombies though are quite well characterised, wearing blonde hair and dark goggles, and they look a little scary. This is a low budget independent horror film and it shows, but not as much as similar genre outings. It comes in the three-disc set Superstars of Horror Volume 1: Peter Cushing, and is not available separately.

Video

    The film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced.

    It was shot on 16mm film, so it is neither sharp nor detailed. There is a lot of grain and colour is never accurate. There is a washed out look to the film. Contrast is average at best, and shadow detail is poor. That sort of thing often helps a horror film.

    There are some faint scratches, dirt and white flecks evident throughout. Otherwise there are no serious artefacts other than those already mentioned.

    The disc is dual-layered, but the film seems to be contained wholly on one layer. There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The sole audio track is Dolby Digital 2.0 mono.

    The audio is not brilliant but is acceptable. Dialogue is clear and there is no hiss or significant distortion. It does not jump with life but does the job nonetheless. Bass seems to be a little lacking.

    The music score by Richard Einhorn is excellent. It is comprised of electronic sounds and really adds to the mood of the film. It reminds me of the score for the original Assault on Precinct 13, not in style or content but in the importance it plays in making the film as good as it is.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Audio Commentary-Filmmakers

    A good commentary with director Ken Wiederhorn, stills photographer Fred Olen Ray (later a noted genre director himself) and make-up artist Alan Ormsby. There are a few amusing stories and a few dead spots.

Featurette-From Flipper To Shock Waves (7:43)

    An interview with Luke Halpin, former Flipper star, who talks about the film with enthusiasm and a refreshing lack of pretension.

TV Spot (0:30)

    An original TV spot with voice-over narration. It is widescreen and 16x9 enhanced, so I suspect it is not in the original aspect ratio.

Radio Spots (1:02)

    Two very similar radio advertisements.

Gallery-Photo (1:38)

    Nearly 100 posters, behind the scenes stills, promotional material, sketches and more.

Theatrical Trailer (2:52)

    An original widescreen trailer which is 16x9 enhanced.

Trailer-Peter Cushing Trailers (6:50)

        Trailers for Biggles, And Now the Screaming Starts, Bloodsuckers and The Abominable Snowman, all of which feature our star.

    This release seems to be identical to the US Region 1 release from Blue Underground, so there is no reason not to shop locally, unless you just want this film by itself.

    A spooky zombie movie that is better than it has a right to be.

    The video quality is about as good as the source material will allow, which is not very.

    The audio quality is not bad.

    A good range of extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall