Toxic Zombies

Toxic Zombies (also known as Bloodeaters, Bloodeaters: Butchers of the Damned, The Dromax Derangement, and Forest of Fear) is a 1980 horror film directed by Charles McCrann, who also acted in the film. It was classified as a video nasty in the United Kingdom in the 1980s.

Toxic Zombies
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles McCrann
Written byCharles McCrann
Produced byCharles McCrann
Starring
  • Charles McCrann
  • Beverly Shapiro
  • Dennis Helfend
  • John Amplas
CinematographyDavid Sperling
Edited by
  • Charles McCrann
  • David Sperling
Music byTed Shapiro
Production
company
CM Productions
Distributed byParker National Distributing
Release date
  • May 20, 1980 (1980-05-20)
(France)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Illegal drug plantations are sprayed with the chemical Dromax by passing aeroplanes in an anti-drug initiative organised by corrupt government officials. Instead of killing the plants, the hippie growers of the crop are turned into flesh eating zombie-like creatures.

Cast
  • Charles McCrann (credited as Charles Austin) - Tom Cole
  • Beverly Shapiro - Polly Cole
  • Dennis Helfend - Hermit
  • John Amplas - Phillips

Production

The film was produced in the late 1970s while McCrann, who was a graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School and senior vice president at Marsh & McLennnan, was on hiatus.[1]

Release and controversy

The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by Parker National Distributing. It was also shown twice on the USA Network.[1]

In the United Kingdom, Toxic Zombies was one of the films labelled a video nasty and banned in the 1980s.[2]

Reception

According to McCrann's wife Michelle, the film "epitomized (his) sense of humor".[1]

Leonard Maltin rated the film as a "bomb",[3] and it was also panned in Cinefantastique.[4] Writing in The Zombie Film Encyclopedia, academic Peter Dendle said, "Despite inconsistent behavior patterns and embarrassing acting, Toxic Zombies has the dubious honor of inaugurating the entire 'redneck zombie' subgenre that would thrive inexplicably in the '80s."[5]

McCrann would later work for Marsh & McLennan and was killed in their World Trade Center offices during the September 11 attacks.[1]

References
  1. "A past in the movies". The New York Times. October 23, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2019 – via Legacy.com.
  2. Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka (June 21, 2013). "World War Z: Watch out Brad Pitt, the zombies are taking over Hollywood". Metro. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  3. Maltin, Leonard (1999). Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1999. Penguin Group. p. 139. ISBN 9780452279926. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  4. "Cinefantastique - Wikipedia". Cinefantastique. 15: 59. 1985. The Bloodeaters, later known as Forest of Fear and Toxic Zombies, but still bad under any name.
  5. Dendle, Peter (2001). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. pp. 173–174. ISBN 978-0-7864-9288-6.


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