The new book The Gore Compendium is “a personal selection of gore, splatter and zombie-madness” movie reviews limited to 666 hand-numbered copies. I snagged copy #44, from which I’ll share their review of Flesh Freaks:
[...] Conall Pendergast – a young Canadian filmmaker – didn’t had the budget, nor a decent cast, but he did had the guts to create an ambitious movie that stands out of the zero-budget fright flicks. The story is entertaining, the acting is quite good [...] and sure, some of the fx work while others look pretty crappy, but at least this guy dared to work with full sized props instead of using grey-painted folks as cheap looking zombies. [...] The movie was shot on digital video in Canada and some parts at Central America where he filmed some wild animals to use as footage in true Mattei style. Now give this guy a budget, some good equipment, a decent cast, and let him do this one again! [sic]
Thanks, Z & M. The Gore Compendium is a great little read but unfortunately it’s currently available only in Europe. For more info check out the website and the myspace page.
Filed under: Flesh Freaks, Miscellany, Movies | Tags: cartoon, japan, poster, zombie
This is from a Japanese horror review website where the writer appears to draw illustrations for every movie he reviews. Here for comparison are his hilarious and detailed pictures for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Evil Dead, and Canadian cheapie Enter Zombie King.
I have no idea what any of the text means, but I imagine it’s mocking jokes of some kind. I think the illustration of the zombie on the lower right is actually a little better looking than the zombie in the film.
But my favourite bit is that flying eyeball up at the top next to the zombie who looks like a witchy version of Oscar the Grouch.
Filed under: Flesh Freaks, Miscellany, Movies | Tags: evolution king, japan, sequel, zombie of the dead
I’ve previously reported that my teenage horror* (puddle o’)pus Flesh Freaks was released in Japan under the title Zombie of the Dead with this completely inaccurate DVD cover (The image is totally unrelated to the film and makes it looks as though it has much, much higher production values than it actually does – Like I could have afforded a burning car! Or an oil drum!):
When a friend of mine living in Japan offered to try to hunt down an actual copy, it prompted a bit of research on my part to find out the DVD releasing company. Though I was unsuccessful, I found to my complete and utter amazement that there is actually a Zombie of the Dead 2!
Is this just an unrelated no-budget US zombie movie misleadingly re-packaged to look like a sequel? A sequel to Flesh Freaks, of all movies?!
I could find very little information on it; Amazon.co.jp has this way-cool cover but that’s about it. Here’s a (poorly web-translated) review from an Amazon Japan reviewer: “Compared to the previous work, no money annual film academy students were the first to create the agenda and work something.” Though that hardly clears things up, I assume the “previous work” is Flesh Freaks.
I think Zombie of the Dead 2 is actually Japanese and, judging from the cover, it looks like it takes place in a hospital. Then again, if the picture’s as accurate as the one for Flesh Freaks then the actual movie might just as easily take place in ancient China or on the Moon.
But wait, there’s more! Zombie of the Dead 2 must have been such a massive international hit that they actually brought out Zombie of the Dead 3! Honestly. This is not a joke. Here it is on some Russian DVD site. And again on the Zombie Movie Database (which oddly lists ZotD 3, but not 2). See! That proves it really exists and I’m not just making it up.
Here, courtesy Sazuma.com, is a summary of Zombie of the Dead III: Evolution King:
Takushi’s parents committed suicide when their experimental medicine was proved to be a failure. He has inherited their ob/gyn clinic, but the business is very bad. His wife gave up on him and left. Now he lives with his daughter Ruriko. One day, Takushi’s younger brother Ren and his assistant Narumi come to him. They want to conduct an experiment of ‘Evolution’, a medicine their father developped. Despite Takushi’s opposition, they conduct the experiment on Yuakri, Takushi’s mistress. Meanwhile, Narumi is up to her own agenda. It leads them to the battle between humans and zombies…
. . . So to no one’s surprise the movie has nothing whatsoever to do with Zombie of the Dead 1 (Flesh Freaks), and may or may not be related to Zombie of the Dead 2.
Now perhaps my friend will be able to locate a box set . . .
* In this case, both involving and made by teenagers
From Uncut #12, 2002:
“[...] One of those low-budget cheapies that seem to be so popular in the States and the kind of title that you may just pass over no matter how grisly the sleeve is. However, FLESH FREAKS is not an average clinker and is an entertaining exercise in well-executed splatter! For blood-hounds we have skull impalements, scalpel slashings, ripped out organs, scissor stabbings, crowbars, machetes, eyes pushed out, etc., a hefty mix I’m sure you will agree. The zombies themselves are a mixture of makeup and rather cool puppetry which is quite effectively blended but a little too hidden for my eyes by overly dark videography. However, there is a cracking shot zombies staggering down a corridor that is very reminiscent of Fulci’s THE BEYOND and gives new meaning to the term “lights out”! I was also impressed by the closing shots of parasites bursting from zombiefied heads which was very atmospheric. Conall Pendergast not only directs but is also credited as the writer, editor, co-spfx artist and co-producer – a definite talent to watch as they say.”
- Paul J. Brown
From Micro-Film #5, Summer 2002:
“Flesh Freaks, a no-budget Canadian zombie romp, manages to twist genre expectations while ladling on the requisite blood-soaked body count. [...] While this basic concept has been done before, notably in Fred Dekker’s retro shocker NIGHT OF THE CREEPS (1986), talented director Conall Pendergast and his pals provide their take with just enough zip to make for some refreshing, old-school schlock. Clever use of existing locations, including actual footage from Belize, gives the film a bit more scope than most shot-on-video outings. Moreover, the ever-moving camerawork by G. Gillard Golen, combined with an editing scheme heavy on dramatic digital zoombs and Steve Kado’s creepy, minimalist score, add immensely to the film’s sense of dread. Minor faults do become apparent, such as inconsistent acting and stilted dialogue, while an abundance of travelogue scenery conveniently pads the running ime. As for the freaks themselves … well, realism apparently didn’t figure into the make-up design by Pendergast and Alex Perkins! I’m guessing, however, that the inspiration for their crumbly zombies comes not from the watershed effects of DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979), but the comically stylized pull-over masks used in Mexican monster potboilers like THE BRAINIAC (1961), briefly glimpsed here in a theater scene. They’re still fun creations, to be sure, and so is FLESH FREAKS, an amusing exercise in gusto and grue. Not to Mr. Kado – love the groovy theme music!”
- Jason Pankoke, Micro-Film #5 Summer 2002
From Rue Morgue #23, Sep/Oct 2001:
“That The Blair Witch Project would be the springboard to hundreds of imitations was unavoidable, but this film goes one step further, incorporating actual documentary footage of an archaeological dig into the plot! And it works! [...] Flesh Freaks is surprisingly well-made for what is obviously an extremely low-budget amateur production. The story is solid and relatively original, apocalyptic in nature but not reaching beyond the $1 budget. The gore is gooey and copious, highlighting a satisfying amount of zombie action and the makeup recalls the paper mache zombies of Andrea Bianchi’s gutmunch classic Burial Ground (Le notte del terrore). Of note is that these particualr zombies do not feed on human flesh, sharing a kinship to the radioactive zombies of Lenzi’s oatmeal-faced City of the Walking Dead. These two zombie classics bear mentioning because they have been an obvious influence on this movie.
Due to Canada’s restrictive gun control laws, there are no handguns in the movie’ instead of head shots, zombies are dispatched by having broom handles, crow bars and other sundry items rammed through their skulls. The most striking aspect of Flesh Freaks is the considered cinematography; director Pendergast utilizes a wide palette of digital video FX and uses deft lighting and camera tricks to help advance the story and augment some of the amateur makeup. Most importantly, the image quality is consistent throughout. Overall, an impressive little film that defies its miniscule budget. Also worth of mention is the lurid video cover art, a disgusting collage of withered and rotted zombie heads!”
- The Gore-Met, Rue Morgue #23, Sep/Oct 2001
