CASE NUMBER #0019
Yes, the 19th grave has been exposed in the DOA, another examination of a wretched film herein making it a case for inclusion in this desperate landscape as these reviews become more of an autopsy than anything else, exposing the corpse of a film and understanding what ruined it and ultimately causing harm to the fans of horror. As most of society knows World War II ended in 1945 with the Nazis failure of world domination and their plague of sickness from spreading any further into society, many scientists escaped into the shadows of daily life. Meanwhile the other monsters from their military fled to both the USA and South America, hiding sometimes in plain sight, but secretly working to give birth to a new deadlier form of evil, though Nazi Hunters tracked many down, in fact Christopher Lee worked with British Intelligence and was one those hunters, but alas drifting of course, now let’s leave the history and venture into this dreadful flick.
Director and writer Philip Gardiner, known for his work on nearly 100-documentaries on the subjects of The Illuminati and Area 51 even one called Alien Encounter at Loch Ness [2014]; also a few horror productions such as Exorcist Chronicles [2013], takes on this story, and combined many conspiracy theories, though not as many as one could have hoped for sorry no lizard people or aliens. Those theories include teams of men and women resurrecting the Nazi Occult machinery and hence bringing the 4th Reich to the world in the present day. Gardiner’s film adds to the horror’s subgenre, Nazi Zombies, these conceptual films rank in 2021 with approximately 79-films in 80-years, dating back to both Jean Yarbrough’s King of the Zombies [1941] and then Steve Sekely’s Revenge of the Zombies [1943] which the later film starred the magnificent John Carradine, who later worked on Shock Waves [1977] another Nazi Zombie flick with the talented Peter Cushing. Gardener’s film doesn’t directly fit into the Nazisploitation, subgenre as it lacks in many areas and misses greatly on the exploitation aspects. However, there’s been a lot of films added into this category from some definitely better such as Sharkenstein [2016], Zombie Isle [2014], and Nazi Undead [2018] to fine creations such as Death Ship [1980] and Reichsfuher-SS (2015), basing itself from history of the SS Officer Heinrich Himmler – but all are superior than this horrendous film. In fact, watch those movies, instead of this pitiful excuse of ‘hey look what I did with a video camera’ mess.
AUTOPSY OF THE FILM:
The film’s title is a dead giveaway of the conceptual storyline, this new Reich obviously plays off the title of the television show The Walking Dead, by borrowing the term for the undead as ‘walkers’ and hence this new army for the Nazis as zombie troops. The nightmare on the screen isn’t worth seeing, seriously, please watch something else, a repeated warning. After a series of dreadful reports which came from Romania the British Secret Service, sent their best team, but none returned, hence a failed mission. A second team assembles to discuss the rumors of a rising mysterious army, the team lead by Alpha Five (Rudy Barrow (Blaze of Gory [2016])) and Alpha One – oh how original are their code names – (Philip Berzamanis) with only himself returning from the mission, knows the truth and needs to expose the darkness to the light, and crushing the evil empire again. He debriefs superiors of the mission, filled with flashback sequences, which not only puzzles the psychiatrists, but also anyone crazy enough to attempt this mess. Gardiner uses a fish eye lens, and various hues most likely to simulate the nightmare and hallucinations that Alpha One encountered, the involved using an energy source called ‘VRIL’ on the effort to revitalize dead men and women to an ultimate fighting force unable to succumb to death. However, this film process tends for over stimulated reoccurrences for the audience’s enjoyment, which struggles early and often. One needs to note that the Vril element comes from another suggestive source material which was incorporated into the flimsy script concerning the Vril Society/Project, an urban legend, but said to have influential occult powers founded in 1921 after World War I in Germany, this element energy that humans used a minute portion daily is from our nerve-center of pure divinity. WOW Crazy! Some have suggested that this society originated as subterranean race who can master all and that their name associated with life giving elixirs i.e., everlasting life; there’s even crazier aspects of this society, not included in the flick.
The production comes from Sector 5 Films, who also produced The Last Vampyre on Earth [2013]; should include more extras such as a director commentary to explain his technique to viewers, rather leaving it unfounded and confusing. It literally plays hopscotch with the plot, direction, and just spins the viewers mind into nothingness, no research just whatever comes to mind and splat that onto the screen and hurried along. The movie received distribution from both Chemical Burn Entertainment and Reality Entertainment, which are both connected to Sector 5 Films, and have all released an unhealthy number of films for the past 20-years. UGH!
Alas, the examination reveals no extras available on the screener, except for a weird music video. At times, the film shows a music video methodology, while not going to the absurd video game filming method of House of the Dead [2003] the film leaves a lot to wonder if more of the script focused on a conspiracy standpoint rather than a spy, action flick without much action or spying for that fact. THIS IS NOT A BOND MOVIE! Hell, it isn’t even Spy Hard (1996), with Leslie Nielsen, this movie doesn’t know what it wants to do except bore the audience and confuse them constantly.
FINDINGS OF POSSIBLE DEATH:
Sadly, the film ranks in a miserable 77 minutes in length, well below the standard 90 minutes for a horror film, perhaps displaying of the power of the rising walker army would lengthen the production and added scenes that are more gruesome. Dead Walkers currently contains the requirements in horror films, the T&A, the extreme language but lacks on the violence and brutalization, and just where are the Nazi Zombies, either on a holiday or starring in someone else’s Nazi horror movie. While the close-ups show makeup tricks of the horror, the overall production just ruins any visual entertainment and yet still it was added to Zombie Armageddon: The Ultimate Collection [2015], which is another Reality Entertainment release. Oh please!
SUMMARY OF CASE AND AUTOPSY:
The movie languishes in a muddy trench on the scarred frontline, however, if one wishes to venture forth and conquer the Nazi Zombie sub-genre of horror, go ahead just forget about this flick here are some fine examples Dead Snow [2009], Frankenstein’s Army [2013], and Overlord [2018]. This film just lacks in every manner, a list of charges far too long to list, save yourselves – runaway NOW!
Normally a soundtrack for a horror film, contains an edgy sound, Dead Walkers does not do that rather in the credits lies a music video, from the band Great Northern Hotel, mellow track entitled, “Cutz and Collides”, why this certain song inclusion occurs, simply unsure as various misaligned film shots occur in the background.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2909482/
IMDb Rating: 1.3/10
DOA Rating: 1.3/10
Save your money here’s the full movie: