Director: León Klimovsky
Year: 1973
Country Spain
Alternate Titles: La rebelión de las muertas; Walk of the Dead; Revolt of the Dead Ones; The Rebellion of the Dead Women
Genre: Supernatural; Zombie
Plot:
Speaking in London about their Middle Eastern philosophy, a cult leader and his companion manage to infect the thoughts of a local and his girlfriend who stumbles upon a murder mystery while trying to study cults and tries to put a stop to it before an evil voodoo sorcerer unleashes his nefarious plans.
Review:
This here isn't all that bad, and certainly has some good points. One of the main factors which gets some points for it is the mix mash of genres present in this one which is a strong point. The fact that it manages to do so offers up some creativity that might not be apparent to some, going from a stellar combination of Middle Eastern mysticism to black masses, slasher setpieces done by voodoo-raised zombies and sacrificial cults that combine into a wholly unexpected series of twists and turns. There’s a distinctly enjoyable quality to this one as the connection between these seemingly disparate elements are slowly brought together as it travels along, not only helping to give the film a distinct atmosphere with all the crazy connections but adds a fun cheese aspect when they start to work into the storyline.
The supernatural elements brought on from the black mass rituals are really creepy and genuinely unnerving, helped by their attention to detail and authentic feel. The first one, were witnessing a participant dressed head-to-toe in gold paint with stoic figures around the back watching a Devil-figure drink blood from a horn-shaped like a human leg, is a standout scene, and the later mass ritual is something to behold in its impressiveness at featuring the bizarre occult rituals and setup required. A sequence in the morgue that features a wax voodoo doll filled with blood and set on fire where the dead sit up under the sheets behind them offers a great visual alongside the absolutely chilling scene of the figure emerging and heading to stalk the unsuspecting attendant. The slasher aspects here get the majority of the blood and gore in their kills which adds a nice touch. The zombie plot allows for some nice make-up effects, as the zombies look suitably dead without the just-killed look, draped in gowns and come with demonic grins add another flavor to the film, and altogether makes this one really interesting and watchable.
This one here does have a couple of mild flaws. The biggest issue here is the film’s main storyline as the fact that it mixes everything together and uses so many different ideas and themes is something that can cause confusion and annoyance. The slasher story set inside the Devil-Worshiping cult story is one that stands out, mainly for being as confusing as it is hard to explain the need for it. It adds to the body count and provides some blood and gore to the film, but it really feels like it belongs in another film and really takes the time to be explored and thought out more. The zombie plot is the most puzzling since they follow up on the more traditional voodoo-raised version that becomes slaves rather than the raging, flesh-eating kind more commonly known, and their appearance as that kind will no doubt be something that will be hard-pressed to get over for some.
The last part here is some curious technical aspects that don’t belong here. The main culprit is one of the most bizarre and out-of-place musical scores in a genre film possible, sounding completely out-of-key with the activity on-screen with loungy, jazz-driven pieces that don’t mesh at all with the mysticism and supernatural happenings. A big fight sequence at the end is incredibly bad, looking far too staged for its own good and comes across as foolish, much like the slow-motion movements of the when they’re under the masters’ command. A couple of incidental scenes with no purpose being there, as the bicycle meet and the London walk-through, disrupt the fine pacing and serve no real purpose leaving them to be possibly cut without affecting the film at all. Otherwise, this one here is pretty good.
Overview: ***.5/
One of the more interesting features around, merely for its creativity and bizarre behavior that it won't be something for all but still has enough going for it to be worthwhile. Really only useful for those heavily interested in the occult, die-hard Naschy or European horror fanatics, while those with no interest in these won't find much here to enjoy.
Comments
Post a Comment