Search - Shock Waves on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children Movie Release: 1977 DVD Release: 09/30/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 25 mins Studio: Blue Underground Members Wishing: 16 Genres: Horror, Creature Film

This horror film concerns a shipwrecked yachting party. Rose (Brooke Adams) and her fellow yacht-mates, including the captain (John Carradine) run aground on an island when they hit an odd-looking freighter. Once beached, they meet up with an aging SS Commander (Peter Cushing) who had been in charge of a crew of zombies. This is not meant as a comment on the quality of the men under him, they were "real" zombies. Since the zombies were taken from the ranks of murderers and other miscreants, they were not activated and the SS Commander sunk them with his submarine. Now they are rising up from the depths to create mayhem among the stranded members of the yachting party. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Peter Cushing - Scar
Brooke Adams - Rose
John Carradine - Capt. Ben
Fred Buch - Chuck
Jack Davidson - Norman

Blue Underground's DVD of Shock Waves presents this cult fave in a nicely assembled edition guaranteed to please both novices and the film's old fans. The video transfer isn't the best it could be because it was done using one of the few existing prints (the negative disappeared long ago), but still delivers a sharp, frequently colorful image despite minor print damage and a few poorly color-timed night shots. The mono audio lacks the frills of a stereo mix but sounds nice and sharp, especially during the moments featuring Richard Einhorn's shivery synthesizer score. This disc also delivers plenty of extras, the most interesting one being a commentary track featuring writer/director Ken Wiederhorn, makeup man Alan Ormsby, and the set photographer (and B-movie mogul) Fred Olen Ray. All three men offer the wisdom and grizzled wit of true genre veterans as they reveal all the complications of shooting a film with a heavy amount of aquatic locations on a low budget and share plenty of fun anecdotes about the amusing eccentricities of their beloved star, Peter Cushing (he was apparently obsessed with the idea of going to the International House of Pancakes to have "buckwheat cakes"). This disc also throws in a nice eight-minute interview with Luke Halpin that features him discussing his fellow cast members fondly and presenting a few insightful thoughts on how the acting profession has changed over the years. The extras area is rounded out by a pair of trailers, a nifty gallery of stills and promotional art (including a great ad that pairs the film with Tentacles), and two amusingly hyperactive radio ads. In short, this edition of =Shock Waves is the ideal edition of this film and a great way for curious film fans to get acquainted with it. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide