One of the better genre films of the 70's, SHOCK WAVES was also one of the earliest in the subgenre of Nazi zombie movies. It was also the only good one, going by what I've seen. Castaways find themselves on an island seemingly inhabited only by mysterious Peter Cushing, but it turns out Cushing is an exiled Nazi scientist responsible for creating an undying squad of aquatic SS killers -still lurking just off shore! Silly as it might sound, it's actually a boffo picture. "Once, they were ALMOST human!" screamed the ads. Also starring John Carradine, although the main focus of the film is a very young Brooke Adams (who looks incredible in her teeny yellow bikini, it must be noted). The premise of undead Nazis surfaced again in the 80's. OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES was an indecipherable little film set in the desert, while ZOMBIES LAKE was an astoundingly inept French(?) picture in which Nazi zombies rise from a lake near a secluded mountain town where the girls tend to spend their free time skinny-dipping. This film seems to be set in the late 50's, but there's not a single element (hair, cars, technology, clothing, etc) that doesn't scream 1980! Makeups change from shot to shot, camera equipment is boldly in frame, the tone changes constantly, the script makes no sense whatsoever, it truly defies description (but whatever it is, it ain't boring). I believe more recent years saw a snow-bound Nazi zombie movie. It all started (arguably*) with SHOCK WAVES, though, and the film remains the high water mark (no pun intended) of the subset.
(*Indeed, one could make a case for MADMEN OF MANDORAS or THE FROZEN DEAD -that one I haven't seen yet, but I must, Dana Andrews fan that I am- as really originating the theme, but SHOCK WAVES really solidified it.)
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