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The Astro-Zombies

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"Astro Zombies" redirects here. For the song by the Misfits, see Walk Among Us.

The Astro-Zombies
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTed V. Mikels
Screenplay by
Produced byTed V. Mikels
Starring
CinematographyRobert Maxwell
Edited byArt Names
Music byNico Karaski
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
Box office$3 million

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]

Plot

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Having been fired by the space agency, a disgruntled scientist creates superhuman monsters from the body parts of 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

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Production

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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 and reception

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

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 1 out of 5 stars, calling it the worst film ever made, and criticized the film's acting, its "painful-to-the-eyes production values", and the film's absence of reason.[10]

Sequels

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Nearly 40 years after the film's release, Mikels would direct three low-budget sequels starting with 2004's Mark of the Astro-Zombies, 2010's Astro-Zombies M3: Cloned, and 2012's Astro-Zombies M4: Invaders from Cyberspace. Tura Satana would return for the second and third films but not the fourth.

Influence

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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] The film was spoofed in 2016 by comedians Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy for Rifftrax.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "The Astro-Zombies". American Film Institute. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Ashmun, Dale (2000). "Ted V Mikels". Psychotronic Video. No. 32. p. 42.
  3. ^ Christopher Wayne Curry (2007). Film Alchemy: The Independent Cinema of Ted V. Mikels. McFarland. p. 448. ISBN 978-1-4766-0301-8.
  4. ^ June Pulliam; Anthony J. Fonseca (2014). Encyclopedia of the Zombie: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth: The Walking Dead in Popular Culture and Myth. ABC-CLIO. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4408-0389-5.
  5. ^ Welch D. Everman (1993). Cult Horror Films: From Attack of the 50 Foot Woman to Zombies of Mora Tau. Carol Publishing Group. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-8065-1425-3.
  6. ^ "The Astro-Zombies". Variety: 6. May 7, 1969.
  7. ^ Leonard Maltin (2013). Leonard Maltin's 2014 Movie Guide. Penguin Group US. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-101-60955-2.
  8. ^ Sindelar, Dave (July 3, 2018). "The Astro-Zombies (1968)". Fantastic Movie Musings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  9. ^ "The Astro-Zombies – Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  10. ^ Cornelius, David. "Movie Review – Astro-Zombies – eFilmCritic". eFilmCritic.com. David Cornelius. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  11. ^ "Dire Mag". ww1.dirgemag.com. Retrieved January 8, 2024. [dead link‍]
  12. ^ "Astro-Zombies". October 11, 2016.
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