Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Hard Rock Zombies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 5, 2022

It’s never a good sign when a film’s origin story involves the development of 20 minutes of random footage into a full-length feature. 1985’s “Hard Rock Zombies” was never meant to be seen in the traditional sense, originally created for use as a background visual in the little seen “American Drive-In,” but director Krishna Shah had a change of heart, looking to join the horror gold rush of the 1980s with his own offering of MTV visuals and cartoonish violence involving the undead and, well, Nazis. He doesn’t exactly have an idea of what he wants to do with “Hard Rock Zombies,” but Shah is doing it anyways, coming up with a barely coherent comedy that delivers a few gore zone visits and plenty of musical performances, turning this endeavor into a particularly dark and unfunny episode of “The Monkees.”

Jessie (E.J. Curse) is the lead singer/songwriter of a hard rock back trying to make it big. They haven’t had much luck attracting attention from record labels, but manager Ron (Ted Wells) has arranged a showcase for the group, taking the tour to a small California town. The locals don’t want the devil’s music performed in their town, and the band is soon murdered by a Nazi cult. Jessie’s curiosity with life after death helps to resurrect the band, who return to power as zombies, ready to seek revenge against the Nazis and deliver a mesmerizing performance for a record executive.

There’s not a lot that makes sense in “Hard Rock Zombies,” which opens with a young woman managing to drown a few men in a local lake, which, for some reason, fills with their blood. However, there’s some sense of plot in the opening act, which tracks the band’s inability to attract positive attention from moneymen, which frustrates Ron, making him work extra hard to secure a visit from a record executive, giving the boys what appears to be their last chance to impress. Conflict comes with the locals, who don’t want such music played in their town, canceling the concert, while the Nazis do away with the band (the slaughter includes a recreation of the shower scene from “Psycho”). Death isn’t permanent, and with help from ancient text turned into a rock song, the boys are back in town, but Shah doesn’t have much for the painted zombies to do once they’ve returned.

“Hard Rock Zombies” is broken up into music performances and MTV-style clips of horseplay, with Shah striving to make something fun happen while he tries to cover for the lack of a story. Sure, there are Nazis and monsters around, but it all plays like padding to get the picture to a sellable run time, and there’s limited entertainment value in watching the actors deal with broad German aggression. Better are the musical sequences, which don’t carry dramatic value, but they provide a pleasant enough distraction, offering Shah a chance to focus on something other than tedious ideas for humor and heart.

Hard Rock Zombies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Hard Rock Zombies" opens with this information from Vinegar Syndrome:

"The following presentation of HARD ROCK ZOMBIES has been sourced from a U.S. 35mm release print, which corresponds to the MPAA R-Rated version of the film, as distributed by Cannon Films. Unfortunately this version was edited by several minutes to secure an R. The remaining footage has been re-integrated from a video master, the only known surviving material for these sequences. While we have made every effort to make these format transitions as seamless as possible, you will notice fluctuations in image and sound quality which inherent in the source."

Indeed, the video footage is noticeable during the viewing experience, largely restoring most of the violence in the feature, which may be useful to fans of the movie. Detail reaches as far as possible here, offering some sense of skin particulars and musician costuming, along with small town visits, which retain modest dimension. Colors offer bold red for Nazi imagery and brighter primaries on clothing. Greenery retains some punch, and skintones are natural. Delineation struggles somewhat, due to the use of a print, which creates very heavy blacks.

Hard Rock Zombies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix offers a somewhat forceful understanding of musical performances and soundtrack cuts. Instrumentation is acceptable, with heavier percussion and bass. Vocals are clear. Dialogue exchanges are satisfactory, examining a range of accents and performance capabilities. There is a slight dip in quality when the video source is utilized, but these sequences are brief.

Hard Rock Zombies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Hard Rock Zombies Never Say Die" (66:09, HD) is a making-of featurette for the endeavor, featuring interviews with actors E.J. Curse, Sam Mann, Geno Andrews, Mick McMains, Ted Wells, Richard Vidan, and David O'Hara. The men came to "Hard Rock Zombies" with backgrounds in music and acting, with most taking a chance on director Krishna Shah despite a largely negative reaction to the screenplay. Conceived as a segment for "American Drive-In," "Hard Rock Zombies" was turned into its own picture, and the interviewees share memories of cast camaraderie, with Mann a major handful for the production, refusing to behave. Anecdotes are provided, including time with spider wrangling, makeup woes, and lack of payment, with Mann actually stealing the lone print of the movie to shake some money out of Shah. Premiere memories are offered, and post-movie life is explored.

• "Popcorn Farts and Low Budget Cheese" (21:21, HD) is an interview with effects artists Chris Biggs and Everett Burrell. The men (interviewed separately) examine their early career ambition, with Biggs going from "Star Wars" fandom to working with Roger Corman. Along the way he met John Carl Buechler, and eventually took an 18-year-old Burrell under his wing, building a working friendship. "Hard Rock Zombies" is described as a "very quick and very dirty" gig, and anecdotes about on-set life are shared, including tarantula wrangling and Biggs's introduction to stunt work. The cult longevity of "Hard Rock Zombies" is analyzed, with the interviewees genuinely surprised that anyone cares about the film.

• "From Bit Player to Band Leader" (10:46, HD) is an interview with actress Susette Boggs, who details her move from New York to Los Angeles, trying her luck in the movie business. Boggs was also a musician, finding work as a drummer, which helped her to connect with music producer Paul Sabu. Putting the band Precious Metal together, Boggs found some success in the industry, still playing gigs today. On-set memories are offered, including cast camaraderie, and Boggs's reaction to "Hard Rock Zombies" is presented, happy to be part of a campy horror film.

• "The Bible of Holy Moses" (10:29, HD) is an appreciation piece from superfan Lucy Hall, who's currently putting a book about her favorite camp rock films together. Hall is absolutely devoted to "Hard Rock Zombies," claiming the feature is a "dark humor masterpiece" and critics "don't get it." Hall's enthusiasm is duly noted.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Hard Rock Zombies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Hard Rock Zombies" is a mess, but a sufficiently contained one. It has trouble shedding the make-em-up nature of its production origin, and when focus is pulled from a hair band trying try to share their music with the world, or kill some overacting Nazis, the whole thing flops around like a dying fish. There's camp value, but only in spurts, as Shah is too busy simply trying to find his movie, unable to really think about what he's doing with this hodgepodge of exploitation, horror, and zany comedy.