Night of the Zombies

Night of the Zombies (alternate titles: Night of the Zombies II[1], Battalion of the Living Dead[2]) is a 1981 American zombie horror war film directed by Joel M. Reed.[3][4] The film was produced by Lorin E. Price. The film was distributed on VHS by InterGlobal Video Promotions Ltd.[5]

Night of the Zombies
VHS Tape Cover Art
Directed byJoel M. Reed
Written byJoel M. Reed
Produced byLorin E. Price
CinematographyRon Dorfman
Music byMatt Kaplowitz & Maggie Nolin
Distributed byInterGlobal Video Promotions Ltd.
Release date
June 1, 1981
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

During World War II, a United States Army chemical warfare battalion was rumored to have done battle against a Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS) unit somewhere in the Bavarian Alps. The two missing in action units were never heard from again. After thirty years, investigators searching for the soldiers' missing bodies look into rumors of soldiers that have turned into zombies.[6][5]

When several of the investigators are found dead, the Central Intelligence Agency sends Special Agent Nick Monroe in search of deserters from the missing Chemical Warfare unit.[5] A top-secret nerve gas is discovered that has kept a battalion of flesh-eating World War II soldiers alive for decades.[3] The nerve gas is known by the name Gamma 693, and was created to keep wounded soldiers alive, until they could be taken to a medical unit. Special Agent Nick Monroe uncovers a plot for world domination.[3][5]

Cast
  • Jamie Gillis as Nick Monroe
  • Ryan Hilliard as Dr. Clarence Proud
  • Ron Armstrong as Police Capt. Fleck
  • Shoshana Ascher as a Prostitute
  • Dick Carballo as Bearded Man at Bar
  • Richard deFaut as Sgt. Freedman
  • Alphonso DeNoble as Krieg – Camera-store Proprietor
  • Samantha Grey as Susan Proud
  • Juni Kulis as GRO Officer Schuller
  • Robert Laconi as Bob Laconi

Production

Many scenes shot for the film were filmed in the home, and on the property of porn director Shaun Costello. The German city locations were filmed in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany. Other shots were filmed in New York.[4] Filming for this film was done despite production problems relating to budget and permit authorization.[4]

This low-budget, much-released horror film first saw the light as Gamma 693 in 1979, was resuscitated as Night of the Wehrmacht Zombies in 1981, and rose again in 1983 as Night of the Zombies.[7] The film was also released under the titles Curse of the Ghoul Battalions,[1] Die Nacht der Zombies, Sister of Death, Battalion of the Living Dead, Zombie War Games and The Chilling.[8][9][3]

"Gamma 693 /Night of the Wehrmacht Zombies/ Night of the Zombies II (...) was released on video in the UK as ''The Chilling'' , which meant it was often confused with The Chilling (directors Jack A. Sunseri and Deland Nuse, 1989)":[10] Night of the Zombies is indeed therefore not to be confused with the latter production, The Chilling, which was originally released in 1989 also as Gamma 693.[11]

Release

The film was released in theaters on June 1, 1981.[7] The film was later released on VHS tape in Toronto, Canada by InterGlobal Video Promotions Ltd.[5][12]

Further reading

See also

References
  1. "Night of the Zombies II". American Film Institute Catalog. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  2. Moreman, Christopher M.; Rushton, Cory James (2011-08-31). Race, Oppression and the Zombie: Essays on Cross-Cultural Appropriations of the Caribbean Tradition. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8800-1.
  3. Kay, Glenn (2012). "Battalion of the Living Dead (1981)". Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide. Chicago Review Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-61374-425-3.
  4. Szpunar, John (2018). "11. Night of the Zombies". Blood Sucking Freak: The Life and Films of the Incredible Joel M. Reed. SCB Distributors. ISBN 978-1-909394-53-7.
  5. Night of the Zombie VHS packaging, barcode 0 62896014189.
  6. Internet Movie Database, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082815/.
  7. "Night of the Zombies". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  8. "Night of the Zombies – USA, 1981 – reviews". MOVIES and MANIA. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  9. Book of the Dead: The Complete History of Zombie Cinema by Jamie Russell, FAB (2005) page 229.
  10. Russell, Jamie (2005). Book of the Dead: The Complete History of Zombie Cinema. FAB. ISBN 978-1-903254-33-2.
  11. Connors, Martin; Craddock, Jim (1999). VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 1999. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-1-57859-041-4.
  12. Dendle, Peter (2010). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. McFarland. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-0-7864-5520-1.
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