The Astro-Zombies

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The Astro-Zombies
The-astro-zombies-movie-poster-md.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ted V. Mikels
Screenplay by
Produced byTed V. Mikels
Starring
CinematographyRobert Maxwell
Edited byArt Names
Music byNico Karaski
Production
companies
  • Ram Ltd.
  • Ted V. Mikels Film Productions
Release date
  • May 19, 1968 (1968-05-19)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$37,000
Box office$3 million+

The Astro-Zombies is a 1968 American science fiction horror film written, directed and produced by Ted V. Mikels, and starring John Carradine, Wendell Corey, and Tura Satana. [1]

Contents

Plot

Having been fired by the space agency, a disgruntled scientist creates superhuman monsters from the body parts of murder victims. The creatures eventually escape and go on a killing spree, attracting the attention of both an international spy ring and the CIA.

Cast

Production

Mikels said he started writing it when he made his first film, Strike Me Deadly . [2]

Produced by Ram Ltd. and Ted V. Mikels Film Production, The Astro-Zombies was filmed on a low budget of $37,000, with $3,000 of the budget used to pay Carradine. [1] [3] The film would be Mikels' last collaboration with Wayne M. Rogers (of later M*A*S*H fame), who also co-wrote and co-produced the film. [1] [4] [5] Scenes were shot at the residence of Peter Falk, a friend of Rogers that was to be featured in a cameo that Mikels cut because of being "too funny". [6]

Mikels remembers it as "a very easy shoot. I shot half of it myself because I only had money for a crew for two weeks, so I spent two weeks shooting all the stuff around town, all the chases and all that". [2]

The score was written by Nico Karaski, cinematography was handled by Robert Maxwell and editing by Art Names. [1]

Release and reception

The Astro-Zombies was released in May 1968, at a runtime of 94 minutes. [1]

Variety wrote: "There's almost nothing good to say for this horror scifier ... The scifi aspects don't enthrall and the thrill aspects don't shock". [7] Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film the lowest possible rating of "Bomb", calling it "yet another nominee for worst picture of all time". [8] On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar called the film "wretched", criticizing the film's messy plot and "talky/dull" scenes. [9] TV Guide called the film "one of the all-time worst sci-fi pictures". [10]

In a retrospective review, David Cornelius of eFilmCritic.com gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, calling it the worst film ever made, and criticized the film's acting, its "painful-to-the-eyes production values", and the film's absence of reason. [11]

Sequels

Nearly 40 years after the film's release, Mikels would direct three low-budget sequels starting with 2004's Mark of the Astro-Zombies, 2010's Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned, and 2012's Astro-Zombies M4: Invaders from Cyberspace. Tura Satana would return for the second and third films prior to her death in 2011.

Influence

American horror punk band the Misfits recorded a song titled "Astro Zombies", released on their 1982 album Walk Among Us . The lyrics, by frontman Glenn Danzig, were written from the perspective of mad scientist Dr. DeMarco. [12] The film was spoofed in 2016 by comedians Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy for Rifftrax. [13]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Astro-Zombies". American Film Institute . Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Ashmun, Dale (2000). "Ted V Mikels". Psychotronic Video. No. 32. p.  42.
  3. ↑ Christopher Wayne Curry (2007). Film Alchemy: The Independent Cinema of Ted V. Mikels. McFarland. p. 448. ISBN   978-1-4766-0301-8.
  4. ↑ June Pulliam; Anthony J. Fonseca (2014). Encyclopedia of the Zombie: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth. ABC-CLIO. p. 10. ISBN   978-1-4408-0389-5.
  5. ↑ Welch D. Everman (1993). Cult Horror Films: From Attack of the 50 Foot Woman to Zombies of Mora Tau. Carol Publishing Group. p. 19. ISBN   978-0-8065-1425-3.
  6. ↑ https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/return-of-the-grindhouse/
  7. ↑ "The Astro-Zombies". Variety : 6. May 7, 1969.
  8. ↑ Leonard Maltin (2013). Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Group US. p. 66. ISBN   978-1-101-60955-2.
  9. ↑ Sindelar, Dave (July 3, 2018). "The Astro-Zombies (1968)". Fantastic Movie Musings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Astro-Zombies – Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  11. ↑ Cornelius, David. "Movie Review – Astro-Zombies – eFilmCritic". eFilmCritic.com. David Cornelius. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Dire Mag". ww1.dirgemag.com. Retrieved January 8, 2024.[ dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Astro-Zombies". October 11, 2016.
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