Okay, sure, that opening scene on the train, (with the death of her companion, the attack on her, and her desperate escape,) all sound suspiciously similar to ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ from only a decade earlier, and true, it more than likely was looking to coat-tail on the now-growing zombie movie popularity, but these zombies are quite different.
The 'ghouls' from The Grapes of Death are, (according to writer/direct Jean Rollin,) between life and death. They can show some signs of awareness, speech, tool use, deception. And they even sometimes show remorse at their actions.
Also, they don’t consume flesh, they don’t spread zombism through bites, and one need not destroy the brain to kill them. Plus, once dead, they stay dead.
So, not zombies, 'infected.' Oh, definitely infected. In fact, as the opening credits ran, we are treated to a group of workers spraying down the grapevines with a pesticide. The grapevines that produce the wine that all of the locals drink. Ah, NOW the name makes sense.
This ‘Better than Average’ rating equates to an enjoyable watch. But, I’d recommend The Grapes of Death with the following caveats: 1) It is NOT your average zombie/infected film, 2) it is a bit dated, (1978,) and 3) it is in French. If you’re okay with those conditions, this may be a nice, gory, little, late-night treat.
YouTube has a nice, long trailer, here: THE GRAPES OF DEATH
No comments:
Post a Comment