Shock Waves

"The Deep End of Horror!"

1977 1h 25m EN

💀

4.8

SKIP

★4.8TMDB · 141

HorrorScience FictionWar

Synopsis

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Visitors to a remote island discover that a reclusive Nazi commandant has been breeding a group of zombie soldiers.

“The Deep End of Horror!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Peter Cushing
SS Commander
John Carradine
Captain
Brooke Adams
Rose
Fred Buch
Chuck
Jack Davidson
Norman
Luke Halpin
Keith
D.J. Sidney
Beverly
Don Stott
Dobbs

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ken Wiederhorn
Writers: Ken Wiederhorn, Ken Pare, John Kent Harrison
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ken Wiederhorn, shot by Reuben Trane. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Einhorn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Norman Gay shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Cushing and John Carradine and Brooke Adams carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Deep End of Horror!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ken Wiederhorn directs. Reuben Trane behind the camera. Richard Einhorn scores. Norman Gay cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
349 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Ken Wiederhorn, shot by Reuben Trane. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Richard Einhorn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Norman Gay shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Peter Cushing and John Carradine and Brooke Adams carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The Deep End of Horror!".
9IMDB entry: tt0076704 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Reuben Trane
Original score: Richard Einhorn
Editing: Norman Gay
Production design: Jessica Sack
Costume design: Jacqueline SaintAnne
Makeup / hair: Alan Ormsby
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $200,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Shock Waves (1977)

Also by

Ken Wiederhorn

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2022-12-09
★ 6/10
Island of the Nazi Monsters A group of tourists in the Miami area tour the sea in a rundown cruiser with an uncertain destination. They end-up on a strange island with a dilapidated resort-facility and a recluse German (Peter Cushing). Horror ensues. “Shock Waves” (1977) takes the basic plot & tone of “The Lost Continent” (1968) and combines it with the creative ‘Death Corps’ element. There are also bits from “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death” (1971), “Haunts of the Very Rich” (1972) and “Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things” (1972), not to mention similarities to the contemporaneous “Empire of the Ants.” There's a good eerie air that morphs into ghastly reality. The 70's atmosphere and cast are highlights, as is the spooky electronic score. Brooke Adams as Rose has an exquisitely sculptured face, but is otherwise fairly un-curvy. Redhead D. J. Sidney is also on hand as an older woman, maybe 12 years older than Rose. The skeletal Cushing in his post-Hammer years is a professional and performs well. It takes years of training and practice to be able to play such a character with the corresponding ominous lines without giggling. The set-up is entertaining enough, but the second half unfortunately devolves into redundant scenes on the island (zombies rising from the water and people fleeing in the woods or bog). While there are minor shock waves at the beginning, it’s a misnomer. So, while “Shock Waves” is worth checking out, I’ll take “The Lost Continent” and “Humongous” (1982) over it. They’re both all-around more entertaining for this type of fare. The movie runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot mostly in Florida as follows: Biscayne Bay for the beach scenes, Coral Gables for the abandoned hotel; and Palm Beach. The wreck of the ship was shot at Bimini Islands, Bahamas, which is about 60 miles due east of Miami. GRADE: B-/C+

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