Zombie Attack (1990)

Zombie Attack (1990) - Germany

Directed by: André Götz

ABOUT THE FILM:

The early 1990s was a special time for amateur horror in Germany. Around that time, there were countless titles that were popping out of the bowels of the underground splatter scene. But one that never stood out in the crowd was filmmaker André Götz's Zombie Attack.

This is as typical as a zombie film can get. A hitchhiker unknowingly hitches a ride with a violent maniac who tortures him and leaves him for dead in the woods, where he soon turns into a zombie after someone pours beer over the burial spot. Over the course of the movie it's discovered that the dead are being brought back to life through contact with alcohol, and then things go awry as they always do in these types of movies.

REVIEW:

Out of all the films I will ever review in this blog, this one is by far the most rare and hidden title I have managed to find. It goes without saying there's a plethora of other titles out there that have yet to even be discovered, but Zombie Attack is a very obscure film that, similar to Attack of the Christian Zombies, is shrouded in mystery. The key difference is at least the maker of Christian Zombies went on to make new works, whereas it doesn't appear as though Mr. Götz ever worked in film again. As far as I know, only 3 other people have or had copies of this one. The director can not be gotten a hold of online, there is no cover available, the VHS is impossible to find, and even bootleg DVDs are hard to come by.

Is the hunt worth it? Well...

Whereas the plot is kinda silly, it is clear that a lot of heart went into making this film. The actors, while unconvincing, are at least earnest and are clearly having fun making the movie. Despite the horrendous picture quality, with the image consistently rolling up the screen and dropping out, the camera work is acceptable. Most shots are stationary and focus well on the carnage. The special effects are mostly very cheap, but inventive. Aside from the zombie make-up (caked-on powder?), there was clearly some heart in the effects. The blood sprays in a consistently over-the-top manner, and some of the effects are done well, with the most notable effect being a character getting their arm sawed off. They proceed to stumble around and we actually get to see the arm still moving and twitching as it lays on the table. The best moment in the movie has to be when a character kills a zombie with a Walkman radio, by hastily shoving the headset onto the zombie's ears and playing the worst possible song. 

The biggest downside is how rare the film is. Because of its rarity, we are currently stuck with this crappy, damaged and worn-out VHS rip of the movie, and it seems as though this is the best we will ever get. Frankly, when faced with something this obscure, one would understandably doubt a good copy would even exist. The only way I can recommend this is if you are an enthusiast in rare cinema or are a die-hard fan of amateur horror like me. In that case, the hunt might be worth it.

RELEASES:

-It is unknown if this film was ever released properly, as there is neither any information about a release or even an image of the video box cover. Personally, I'm assuming that whatever copies were ever made were copies of copies of the master tape. And like I said, even bootleg DVDs are difficult to get.

Hopefully one day, if he's still alive, André Götz can re-release this film.

UPDATE (9-16-2020):

I found and bought a bootleg DVD of the movie released by a German label called Rare Cinema that someone in Sweden was selling. It's possible that this version of the movie is in color and might be of (even slightly) better quality.

UPDATE (12-29-2020):

The DVD from Sweden came in and it was certainly in color! Now, the quality still sucks, but I managed to get a few screenshots: