Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Shock Waves Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 30, 2014

Ken Wiederhorn's "Shock Waves" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; radio spots; video interviews with producer/cinematographer Reuben Trane, composer Richard Einhorn, and actors Brooke Adams and Luke Halpin; audio commentary with with co-writer/director Ken Wiederhorn, make-up designer Alan Ormsby, and filmmaker Fred Olen Ray; and large collection of original posters from around the world, advertising materials, lobby cards, original stills, behind-the-scenes photos original concept art by Alan Ormsby, and vintage VHS/DVD covers from around the world. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Nazi zombies

A small yacht is hit by a seemingly empty freighter somewhere in the Caribbean Sea and soon after its captain disappears. The men and women on board of the yacht head off to a nearby island, where they discover a large mansion and meet an elderly SS officer (Peter Cushing, Twins of Evil) who urges them to leave as soon as possible. The man then disappears into the wilderness, while the visitors are attacked by a group of highly skilled Nazi zombies.

Ken Wiederhorn’s low-budget directorial debut, Shock Waves, has to be seen in the early morning hours in order to be appreciated. It is a strange hybrid of a film -- it is kitschy and rather unevenly edited, but it is very atmospheric and surprisingly well scored -- but if one is in the right state of mind, it actually works quite well.

Large parts of Shock Waves remind of Lucio Fulci’s Zombie Flesh Eaters, though it is not difficult to tell that Wiederhorn had a much smaller budget to work with and lacked the experience the Italian director had. This becomes particularly obvious during the action sequences where the camera movement is quite nervous while the zombies’ actions frequently seem awkwardly hectic.

These rough elements, however, also give the film its identity. To be perfectly clear, they create the impression that Wiederhorn might have captured with his camera a very odd real event and his film was then shelved until someone decided that it can be shown unmanipulated. This isn’t to imply that the footage is in any way believable, but it is not overpolished or intentionally degraded -- films such as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield have literally pushed this technique to the extreme and the copycats they have inspired are quite difficult to endure -- and because there is a natural unevenness and edginess to it the action is far easier to enjoy.

The cast features some big names, but there are no real stars in this film. Cushing, Carradine and Adams are all treated with the same attention the rest of the actors get. The performances are good, but none of the actors leave any lasting impressions.

The film’s biggest strength is the terrific ambient soundtrack from Richard Einhorn. Simple but very atmospheric electronic tunes are mixed with unique sound effects that give the film a very distinctive psycho-surreal quality which essentially places it in a category of its own. Without the soundtrack neither the underwater footage nor the zombie attacks would have looked and felt as atmospheric as they do.

The costume designs were created by Jacqueline Saint Anne (TV ‘s Columbo). Alan Ormsby was the film’s special makeup designer. (Ormsby’s writing credits include Paul Schrader’s Cat People, Bob Clark’s Porky's / Porky's II: The Next Day, and TV’s Nash Bridges).

Blue Underground’s new Blu-ray release of Shock Waves uses a new high-definition transfer which was struck from the only known surviving elements. The film’s original negative apparently disappeared many years ago.

Shock Waves Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ken Wiederhorn's Shock Waves arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

The high-definition transfer has not been struck from a new master prepared after an extensive restoration of the film and predictably there are some visible signs of aging and wear, but the end result is quite pleasing. (The original negative for the film no longer exists so the transfer was struck from the only known surviving materials). To be perfectly clear, there is clearly room for important improvements, but the basics we typically address in our reviews are quite good. For example, most close-ups convey satisfactory detail and clarity, though there are quite a few rough areas where fading and density fluctuations affect image depth. Generally speaking, colors also appear natural, but color stability could be improved (there are areas of the film where minor color pulsations are noticeable). General image stability can be improved as well. Early into the film and towards the end there are different sequences where some minor wobble is noticeable. It never becomes distracting, but it is quite easy to spot. The big and positive news here is that even though the film looks quite rough at times no attempts have been made to digitally repolish it. In other words, despite all of the different limitations mentioned above, it still has a fairly consistent organic appearance. Lastly, there are no serious encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, even though in an ideal word this low-budget film can look better, the current technical presentation is good enough to easily recommend the Blu-ray release to its fans. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Shock Waves Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). For the record, Blue Underground have provided optional yellow English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature.

The film is complimented by an incredibly atmospheric and unusually stylish soundtrack courtesy of Richard Einhorn which the lossless track handles really well. Obviously, dynamic intensity is quite limited, but when the synthesizer solos come up the sound is very clean and wonderfully rounded. (See the underwater footage in the very beginning of the film). There are some audio effects that enhance the odd atmosphere quite well. The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow. Finally, there is no distracting background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

Shock Waves Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Shock Waves. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• TV Spot - original TV spot for Shock Waves. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Radio Spot #1 - original Radio Spot for Shock Waves. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Radio Spot #2 - original Radio Spot for Shock Waves. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Poster & Still Gallery - an excellent collection of original posters from around the world, advertising materials (including some very interesting paper clippings), lobby cards, original stills, behind-the-scenes photos (including personal notes and foreign income receipts), original concept art by Alan Ormsby, and vintage VHS/DVD covers from around the world. The gallery was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Nazi Zombies On A Budget - in this video interview, producer/cinematographer Reuben Trane recalls how Shock Waves came to exist and explains how and where the film was shot. Mr. Trane also explains how much the film's stars were paid at the time and how long it took to shoot the key sequences there were part of. In English, not subtitled (22 min).

• Notes for the Undead - in this excellent video interview, composer Richard Einhorn discusses the scoring of Shock Waves and reveals some of the composers whose work influenced him during the years (Ennio Morricone). In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Sole Survivor - in this video interview, actress Brooke Adams (Rose) recalls her initial encounter with director Ken Wiederhorn and how he convinced her to wear bikini in front of his camera, and discusses the shooting of different sequences in Florida, her interactions with the rest of the cast, and her career. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• From Flipper To Shock Waves - in this archival video interview, actor Luke Halpin (Keith) discusses his initial impressions of the script for Shock Waves, his work with Peter Cushing and Brooke Adams during the shooting of the film, the footage that was shot with the wrecked ship, the look of the zombies, etc. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Commentary - a very informative and very honest audio commentary with co-writer/director Ken Wiederhorn, make-up designer Alan Ormsby, and filmmaker Fred Olen Ray. The bulk of the information is about the different obstacles that had to be overcome during the shooting of the film, the different types of improvisations that were done because of the limited budget, the unique atmosphere and the important role of the primary locations, the film's key strengths and weaknesses (excellent and very honest comments from Ken Wiederhorn), and the film's ambient soundtrack. In English, not subtitled.

Shock Waves Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ken Wiederhorn's low-budget directorial debut, Shock Waves, has to be seen in the early morning hours in order to be fully appreciated. Contrary to what even its creator claims in the audio commentary included on this release, the film works quite well as long as one approaches it with the right mindset. It has a fantastic, hugely atmospheric score as well, which benefits greatly from the inclusion of the excellent lossless track. Blue Underground's new Blu-ray release of Shock Waves uses a new high-definition transfer which was struck from the only known surviving elements. The American distributors have also produced exclusive new supplemental features for this release. Buy with confidence, folks. This is a very, very fine Blu-ray release of Shock Waves which will likely remain the film's definitive release on the home video market. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.