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ZOMBIE LAKE Starring Howard Vernon and Pierre-Marie Escourrou
Between the most popular directors for the Eurociné company, Jesus Franco and Jean Rollin, numerous pseudonyms were used. Among those pseudonyms, A.M. Franck, J.P. Johnson and J.A. Lazer were the most popular. Films such as Oasis of the Zombies and Zombie Lake were the root of much debate and great mystery over the years as to who really directed these films. Zombie Lake, in particular, was very confusing to many people. The film had all of the characteristics of a Jesus Franco film, yet has been reported by many sources has being directed by Jean Rollin. Rollin himself actually appears in the film as a police detective for a brief segment, while many of the actors - most notably, Howard Vernon - were veterans of Franco's films. Who was the director of Zombie Lake? Some theories suggest that it was to be a Jesus Franco film, and he was replaced at the last minute by Rollin. In any case, Image Entertainment has released a stunning version of this film with some rare extras.
A small group of Nazi soldiers were killed in a small French village during battle at the hands of the locals. They are thrown into the lake to avoid problems with other Nazi units that may patrol the area. Ten years later, they return as flesh eating zombies. Local women who swim in the lake fall prey to the zombies. Even an all-female volleyball team is attacked by the zombies. After the townspeople decide to face their dirty secret, they decide to take matters into their own hands..... Zombie Lake is a film that is loaded with nudity, a trait of Jean Rollin films. The film has very little gore, contrary to what the video and DVD boxes would suggest. Some bright red blood and a bit of obvious stage makeup are as graphic as this film gets. However, its charm comes from the cardboard acting and campy dialogue.
Image Entertainment has presented Zombie Lake in anamorphic widescreen at 1.66:21. Despite a few stray marks and scratches, the film print is in excellent shape. The image is bright, sharp and colorful. It appears that another print was used for an insert shot, as the picture quality shifts from bright to fuzzy and murky for a few seconds. This practice is common amongst companies who remaster rare films in order to bring about a complete version of the film; Anchor Bay had utilized different elements for Silent Night, Deadly Night; RetroMedia used a decent print for Scalps and inserted shots/scenes from the Continental VHS release cut from that print; Media Blasters used video sources for gore shots and the prologue of Fulci/Mattei's Zombi 3. Although some fans of these films are dismayed by this practice, it seems to be the only way to see these films uncut and complete.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (dubbed) English language soundtrack is decent, given the original materials' condition. Clean and clear dialogue and audible music with little distortion can be the most a fan could wish for when it comes to a film as old and low-budget as Zombie Lake. The viewer also has the option to watch the film in its original French language dialogue with English subtitles. Extras on this disc include the International theatrical trailer (which bears no title or credits at all). The trailer basically condenses the film into a few minutes - and giving away the ending! Certain scenes from the film included in the trailer are without music, making the film appear even less interesting than it actually is (many people who have viewed this film have described it as a painful experience). The trailer is presented in anamorphic widescreen and is in the same shape as the master used for the film itself.
Alternate "clothed" sequences are also included on this disc. Some European directors from the same era decided to shoot both nude and clothed sequences in their films (notably Paul Morrissey, shooting an alternate shot that replaces the full-frontal view of Joe Dallessanro in Flesh for Frankenstein). It is an interesting extra to be included, especially considering the fact that many fans of this film do not even know such footage exists. A strange, alternate, English language title sequence is included as an extra; this is strange for many reasons. The film itself on the DVD appears to bear newly created video-generated titles and credits in the French language. In addition, the alternate credits appear against black with no music. The Wizard Video and EDDE Entertainment video releases for Zombie Lake have superimposed titles over the opening sequence. It is possible that the difference between this footage is accounted for because it may be the title cards themselves before the film lab added them to the answer print. Very interesting inclusion for people who are familiar with the English language version.
EuroHorror fans who have enjoyed Zombie Lake over the years will feel that Image's DVD is a genuine blessing. Interesting extras, a top-notch transfer, colorful case artwork (the same poster art used for Wizard Video's VHS release from the mid-80s) and liner notes chronicling the controversy as to who actually directed this film make this DVD well worth the low purchase price. |
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