The Astro-Zombies

The Astro-Zombies is a 1968 American science fiction horror film written, directed and produced by Ted V. Mikels and starring John Carradine, Wendell Corey, and Tura Satana.[1]

The Astro-Zombies
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTed V. Mikels
Produced byTed V. Mikels
Screenplay by
Starring
Music byNico Karaski
CinematographyRobert Maxwell
Edited byArt Names
Production
companies
  • Ram Ltd.
  • Ted V. Mikels Film Productions
Release date
  • May 1968 (1968-05)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$37,000

Plot

The plot follows a disgruntled scientist who, having been fired by the space agency, decides to create superhuman monsters from the body parts of innocent murder victims. The creatures eventually escape and go on a killing spree, attracting the attention of both an international spy ring and the CIA.

Cast

Production

Mikels said he started writing it when he made his first film, Strike Me Deadly. [2]

Produced by Ram Ltd. and Ted V. Mikels Film Production, The Astro-Zombies was filmed on a low budget of $37,000, with $3,000 of the budget used to pay Carradine.[1][3] The film would be Mikels' last collaboration with Wayne M. Rogers (of later M*A*S*H fame), who also co-wrote and co-produced the film.[1][4][5]

Mikels remembers it as "a very easy shoot. I shot half of it myself because I only had money for a crew for two weeks, so I spent two weeks shooting all the stuff around town, all the chases and all that."[2]

The score was written by Nico Karaski, cinematography was handled by Robert Maxwell and editing by Art Names.[1]

Release

The Astro-Zombies was released in May 1968, at a runtime of 94 minutes.[1]

Reception

Variety wrote, "There's almost nothing good to say for this horror scifier ... The scifi aspects don't enthrall and the thrill aspects don't shock".[6] Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film the lowest possible rating of "Bomb", calling it "yet another nominee for worst picture of all time".[7] On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar called the film "wretched", criticizing the film's messy plot and "talky/dull" scenes.[8] TV Guide called the film "one of the all-time worst sci-fi pictures".[9]

In a retrospective review, David Cornelius of eFilmCritic.com gave the film an extremely negative 1 of 5 stars, calling it the worst film ever made, and criticised the film's acting, its "painful-to-the-eyes production values", and the film's absence of reason.[10]

Influence

American horror punk band the Misfits recorded a song titled "Astro Zombies", released on their 1982 album Walk Among Us. The lyrics, by frontman Glenn Danzig, were written from the perspective of mad scientist Dr. DeMarco.[11]

References
  1. "The Astro-Zombies". American Film Institute. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  2. Ashmun, Dale (2000). "Ted V Mikels". Psychotronic Video. No. 32. p. 42.
  3. Christopher Wayne Curry (24 October 2007). Film Alchemy: The Independent Cinema of Ted V. Mikels. McFarland. pp. 448–. ISBN 978-1-4766-0301-8.
  4. June Pulliam; Anthony J. Fonseca (19 June 2014). Encyclopedia of the Zombie: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth. ABC-CLIO. pp. 10–. ISBN 978-1-4408-0389-5.
  5. Welch D. Everman (January 1993). Cult Horror Films: From Attack of the 50 Foot Woman to Zombies of Mora Tau. Carol Publishing Group. pp. 19–. ISBN 978-0-8065-1425-3.
  6. "The Astro-Zombies". Variety: 6. May 7, 1969.
  7. Leonard Maltin (3 September 2013). Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Group US. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-101-60955-2.
  8. Sindelar, Dave. "The Astro-Zombies (1968)". Fantastic Movie Musings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  9. "The Astro-Zombies - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  10. Cornelius, David. "Movie Review - Astro-Zombies - eFilmCritic". eFilmCritic.com. David Cornelius. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  11. http://www.dirgemag.com/danzigs-double-feature-movies-misfits/
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