Zombie Island Massacre (1984)

User Rating:

2.5/10   

Director:

John N. Carter

Writers:

David Broadnax (story)
Logan O'Neill (screenplay)

Release Date:

November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

HAVE A FUN-FILLED VACATION! Toe-Tapping Machete Head Dances! Glamourous Zombie-Style Cosmetic Surgery! Fabulous Air-Conditioned Tiger Pits!

Plot:

Americans on vacation in the Caribbean take a tour of a nearby island at night and watch a local voodoo ritual. Soon after, they find themselves stranded on the island and under attack by unseen foes. One by one they meet violent ends.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Voodoo | Breasts | Blood | Zombie

Cast

David Broadnax	...	Paul
Rita Jenrette	...	Sandy
Tom Cantrell	...	Steve
Diane Clayre Holub	...	Connie
George Peters	...	Whitney
Ian McMillan	...	Joe
Dennis Stephenson	...	Tour Guide
Debbie Ewing	...	Helen
Kristina Marie Wetzel	...	Barbie
Harriet Rawlings	...	Ethel
Christopher Ferris	...	Matt
Ralph Monaco	...	Jerry
Deborah Jason	...	Donna
Tom Fitzsimmons	...	Ed
Bruce Sterman	...	Hogan

Runtime:

95 min | Canada:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater: (1994-01-22)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Di Reggae Picnic

Horny Island Massacre!

The word "zombie" was added to the title to titillate--as was the presence of Rita Jenrette--as nymphet whose 15 minutes of fame came when talked publicly about her and her congressman husband's supposed tryst on the steps of the Capitol building. Normally, the adventures of a horny lady such as Jenrette would have quickly fizzled in the public's mind had she not subsequently posed for Playboy and starred in this cheap exploitation picture.

Those looking for zombies will no doubt be disappointed, though if you are looking for horny tourists who take off their clothes with little provocation (especially Ms. Jenrette) you will no doubt be satisfied. Heck, the film should have been more appropriately titled "Horny Island Massacre" as indeed there is lots of gratuitous killing and there's something about that tropical air that turns people into horn-dogs! Of course, given the title, the fact it was made by Troma Films AND the sleazy advertising campaign that accompanied the movie's debut, none of this should come as much of a surprise. It's NOT to be mistaken for Shakespeare and you can hardly expect more than you get.

The film has no stars (other than perhaps Jenrette--the Paris Hilton of her day) and has a rather low budget. The writing is pretty dim and there are only a few surprises along the way. One of the particularly silly bits is when the remaining five people wander into a mansion at night. It's totally dark outside, yet one of them almost instantly finds a small handgun hidden in the bushes!! He couldn't have found it faster if he'd had a map! There are also some really dumb people who act almost like they WANT to be killed they behaved so stupidly! I also loved the way Jenrette emoted when her movie husband was killed--it was so embarrassingly bad it gave me a chuckle.

Overall, the film is worth seeing only for the first two minutes, as you get to see an awful lot of the lovely Mrs. Jenrette--an AWFUL lot! After that, it's all down hill! A film worth watching only for bad film fan and the curious who want to catch a glimpse of Jenrette naked. All others beware!