GARDEN OF THE DEAD 1972

Death Was The Only Living Thing.....

....and best of all it's Filmed in Dead Color 

     Gaggles of formaldehyde resurrected zombie convicts shamble about a poverty stricken prison in this 1972 ultra low budget quickie. Director John Hayes cranked this out in a matter of days around Topanga Canyon outside Los Angeles for a reported budget of about $10,000 to serve as a second feature to his weird & darkly compelling GRAVE OF THE VAMPIRE. Hayes had one of the more interesting careers in low budget film making directing the off beat oddity DREAM NO EVIL (1970) along with MAMA'S DIRTY GIRLS (1974) and JAILBAIT BABYSITTER (1977). As with here he usually teamed with writer/producer Daniel Cady (who wrote/produced 1977's Willard homage KISS OF THE TARANTULA) and here they combine to create something that while shoddily produced and with inept acting, is still a curious & bizarre viewing experience for 70's horror fans (and at only 58 min GARDEN OF THE DEAD really can't drag too much - although it does try). In spite of its budget and technical shortcomings, there's something oddly compelling about this and going in with the expected allusions it works in its own weird way.

     Totally free of blood (although the one sheet with its shambling line of zombies reminiscent of EC artist Graham Ingles is one of the more striking of the time period), it was one of the earlier offsprings of George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD from 1968 and features zombies that are based upon chemical revival which looks ahead a bit to films such as Jorge Grau's BREAKFAST AT THE MANCHESTER MORGUE and its one of the first instances of "fast moving" zombies. Trotted out for years afterwards on the bottom of double & triple features, it even showed up on an early Siskel and Ebert episode as a (to be expected) "dog of the week".

     At a ramshackle prison (named Camp Hoover..?) which consists of wooden posts and barb wire the main job of a motley group prisoners is the manufacture of formaldehyde (?!) which the evil warden sells on the side for a few extra bucks. With the oblivious guards looking on the inmates gather about inhaling the fumes through a hose for a cheap high while a the same time work on a tunnel as the means to an escape. One of the prisoners Paul Johnson (played by Marland Proctor from CHROME AND HOT LEATHER), who's the "nice guy prisoner" is allowed visits by his waitress wife Carol (Susan Charney - in what seems to be her only acting role). They neck right outside the prison fence while the other prisoners stand around ogling her.
     Attempting a breakout one night the prisoners are quickly hunted down and shot and their bodies quickly buried in the prison graveyard, while the prisoners who didn't attempt to escape are chained together and forced to watch the burial. Almost immediately the dead prisoners arise from their graves and begin attacking and killing everyone in sight, while not looking for flesh to feed upon the zombies rampage around armed with various garden implements in a quest to find more formaldehyde to snort (although they do seemed to be attracted to Carol).

     No brain shots or fire are required here as the zombies can be handily dispatched with rifle shots to the body and by shining lights on them - which causes them to bubble & regurgitate white foam. The shoestring budget blue faced & moldy green  zombie make-up by Joe Blasco (who worked on ILSA SHE WOLF OF THE SS and David Cronenberg's RABID & SHIVERS) works well enough, although its obvious only a few of the zombies have full face make-up with the remainder regulated to a black smear under the eyes. In spite of the poverty stricken production level (the prisoners #'s are drawn on their shirts with a magic marker) the film manages some atmospheric sequences with the zombies suddenly darting (they do move quickly here) out of the darkness and mist in some highly effective long shots and later as they silently stare in at Carol as shes trapped in a motor home.
    The convict zombies also can speak and are able to use tools as weapons as the climax finds the survivors holed up in the prison office with Carol being put outside as "zombie bait" to lure the undead into rifle range. Lurking about in the cast are several familiar faces including Duncan McLeod from BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and Eric Stern  from THE LOVE BUTCHER. Also hanging around is exploitation guru Lee Frost (director of THE THING WITH TWO HEADS, LOVE CAMP 7 & THE BLACK GESTAPO) along with his frequent collaborator Phil Hoover. Available on a double feature DVD (sourced from what is most likely the last surviving 35mm print) from Retromedia in a 16:9 transfer that has a nice grindhouse look to it (sometimes I feel like its more fun to watch these movies with emulsion scratches & dirt) where its paired with the  wacky & bat-shit crazy SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED. Good Stuff !!