| Oasis of the Zombies | |
|---|---|
 French theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jesús Franco (as A.M. Frank) |
| Written by | Jesús Franco |
| Produced by | Marius Lesoeur (uncredited) |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Max Monteillet[1] |
| Edited by | Claude Gros[1] |
| Music by | Daniel White [1] |
Production company | Eurociné |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Countries | France[1] Spain |
| Languages |
|
Oasis of the Zombies (originally called L'Abîme des Morts-Vivants / The Abyss of the Living Dead) is a 1982 film directed by Jesús Franco for French producer Marius Lesoeur. Two different versions of the film were made, each featuring different lead actors.[2]
Plot[edit]
The plot involves treasure hunters who track down a lost fortune in Nazi gold in the desert, only to discover that the treasure is still guarded by the Afrika Korps soldiers transporting it, who have become zombies.
Cast[edit]
- Manuel Gélin as Robert Blabert
- France Lomay as Erika
- Jeff Montgomery as Ben
- Eric Saint-Just as Ronald
- Caroline Audret as Sylvie
- Henri Lambert as Colonel Kurt Meitzell (in the French-language version)
- Myriam Landson as Kurt's Wife (in the French-language version)
- Eduardo Fajardo as Colonel Kurt Meitzell (in the Spanish-language version)
- Lina Romay as Kurt's Wife (in the Spanish-language version)
- Antonio Mayans as Sheik Mohamed Al-Kafir
- Javier Maiza as Captain Blabert
- Albino Graziani as Prof. Deniken
- Jesús Franco as Zombie
Release[edit]
The film has also been referred to over the years as El desierto de los zombies, The Grave of the Living Dead, and The Treasure of the Living Dead.[3] It was released as Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies on U.S. video.
Franco filmed a "Spanish version" simultaneously with the French version (under the title La Tumba de los Muertos Vivientes).[4] He replaced Henri Lambert and Myriam Landsom with his friends Lina Romay and Eduardo Fajardo for the lead roles in the Spanish language version. The Spanish version is a lost film.[2]
Reception[edit]
Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, academic Peter Dendle stated the film has had a negative reception, but it "presents a simple, unhurried, and unpretending appreciation of zombies and their habitat, a fresh and provocative desert landscape."[3] Ian Jane of DVD Talk rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "It's terrible, but somehow trance inducing in its own bizarre way."[5] Gordon Sullivan of DVD Verdict wrote, "It's really a mess of tepid Eurosleaze masquerading as a zombie flick, and it doesn't even do that well."[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "L' ABIME DES MORTS VIVANTS (1981)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ a b Stephen Thrower, Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco (2015)
- ^ a b Dendle, Peter (2001). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-7864-9288-6.
- ^ Stine, Scott Aaron (2015). The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1980s. McFarland & Company. pp. 17–18. ISBN 9781476611327.
- ^ Jane, Ian (2013-02-09). "Oasis of the Zombies: Remastered Edition (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
- ^ Sullivan, Gordon (2013-03-08). "Oasis of the Zombies (Blu-ray)". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on 2013-03-15. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
External links[edit]
- Oasis of the Zombies at IMDb
- Oasis of the Zombies a.k.a. Oasis of the Dead at AllMovie
- Negative review Archived 2006-11-11 at the Wayback Machine at Something Awful
