The Grapes of Death
Director: Jean Rollin
Year 1978
The Grapes of Death is a
surreal and dreamy zombie film that infuses into its core, an off kilter
atmosphere that works perfectly alongside the movies unusual portrayal of a
world fallen to a zombie apocalypse. Directed by French cult director Jean
Rollin, the film has an airy quality to it that mixes nightmarish visions with
tranquil country landscapes, in order to make a horror story that truly feels
original and disturbing. With a keen use of locations, a handful of gore-tastic
moments, and a sympathetic lead character, The Grapes of Death is an unusual
zombie gem that hypnotizes its audience with its violence, death, and above
all, its potent atmosphere that’s simply to die for.
The film follows a young
woman named Elisabeth, as she travels by train to meet up with her fiancé at
his vineyard in the country. Unfortunately for her, the pesticide that her
boyfriend is using at the vineyard is having some dire effects on the local
population, changing them into wild and savage zombie-like creatures which are
prone to violence after being exposed to the toxins. In a desperate attempt to
stay alive, Elisabeth travels from one infected town to the next, frantically
trying to make it to her love, which ironically is the center of this mass
hysteria. Lost in a landscape that seems plucked from a nightmare and
surrounded by an endless number of infected, can Elisabeth make it to safety or
is she destined to meet a grisly end? Either way it should be a horrifically
fun time, but I recommend not eating the grapes. They will be your DEATH!
Marie-Georges Pascal takes
on the role of Elisabeth, the scared-shitless young woman who suddenly finds
herself attacked from every angle by psychotic lunatics. She does a tremendous
job considering all of the strange and unusual elements of the production, and
her performance actually blends in nicely with the surreal nature of the film.
The most interesting thing about the way that Elisabeth is depicted, both by
Pascal and from the direction of Jean Rollin, is that she is portrayed as if
lost in a dream. The bizarre and unusual reactions and interactions that she
shares with the people of this cinema world are odd to say the least, and in
this weird state of consciousness, the characters take the backburner to the
overall aura of the film. For example, the character of Elisabeth, though front
and center, works as more of a transitional element for the movie. As we follow
her journey and witness the crazy inhabitants, both infected and normal, that
she interacts with, we forget about who she really is and just get absorbed
into the lunatic-like quality of this dream world that Rollin has crafted.
As the film progresses along
we are given some outstandingly unusual performances by a cast of dedicated
actors that are willing to really push the anti in order to fulfill Rollin’s
sick and twisted visions. From an innocent and ghost-like blind girl named
Lucie, played by Mirella Rancelot, to a creepy psychotic man with a pitch-fork,
played by Serge Marquand, to Paul Bisciglia’s twisted performance as a lovelorn
madman who carries his girlfriend’s head around as a trophy, this film is jam
packed with unforgettable crazies that really add to the flavor of this movie.
Fan favorite and frequent Jean Rollin collaborator, Brigitte Lahaie, even takes
a stab at one of the most memorable roles of the flick. She plays a damaged and
demented beautiful young woman who, in some kind of sick twisted game, lures
people into town only to hand them over to the zombie hordes still residing
there. Her role in the movie is without a doubt the highlight of the film and
her alluring features and madcap performance makes for a creepy combination
that just nails the mindset of this demented production.
In the visual department,
this film is a stunner. This should come to no surprise to those that have
viewed some of Jean Rollin’s other fantastically provocative features. The man
has a wonderful eye for surreal imagery, and in The Grapes of Death, he
transposes this artistic vision onto the zombie genre with spectacular results.
In true Rollin fashion we are gifted with hauntingly picturesque shots filled
with fog shrouded landscapes, harsh foreboding lighting, and enough erotic and
visceral flair to shake a stick at. Abundant in hazy wonder, Rollin proves that
he is the master of setting up dream-like sequences and in this particular
entry he’s added an extra dose of violence and debauchery that ooze gore and
bedlam with unabashed pride.
As to be expected in a film
that depicts the world going mad with blood lust, Rollin pulls no punches in
delivery the gory goods. In the span of the film, we are presented with a
series of marvelous practical effects that feature a grotesque decapitation, a
pitchfork piercing, a throat slashing, and the general mayhem that occurs when
unloading a rifle into a walking mound of dying and infected flesh. The
practical effects, though obviously low budget, look absolutely great and the
slow progression of the infected as they turn into crazed and oozing killers,
is dramatically accomplished and exceptionally realized. With a shoestring
budget and a handful of willing participants, Jean Rollin was able to make a
visually striking feature that straddled the gap between gore and art film,
without relying to heavily on either side to carry it along. That’s quite an
accomplishment in my book and one that begs multiple viewings, just for the
ambience alone.
The Grapes of Death is a
magnificently haunting horror entry that features an abundance of class, even
when it is knee deep in some of the most offensive and grotesque of set pieces.
Directed by the master of erotic horror Jean Rollin, the film has a tendency to
get lost in its ambient atmosphere, which in all intensive purposes is never a
bad thing. Its potent visual charm is a thing of beauty, and the outstanding
way in which Rollin perceives this mad world is a breath of fresh air in both
its ingenuity and harshness.
Though
these zombies are more infected than anything else, Rollin still manages to
replicate that same morbid sensation of witnessing a walking corpse as it
slowly closes in on its living prey. Undead or not, the film’s antagonists are
anything but passive as they grab any and all weapons in their vicinity in
order to deal death out in the most brutal of ways. Blood is spilt and flesh is
torn, all through the use of some rather creative practical effects which
climax during the film’s outstandingly gory decapitation scene. All in all, The
Grapes of Death is a zombie feature that really must be seen if you’re a fan of
the genre. It’s a little tepid in its pacing, but once you allow yourself to
slip into its dream-like stasis, you’ll come to appreciate this little known
gem for what it is and that’s a well crafted zombie film. The Grapes of Death
is an outstanding…..
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| Traveling by train is pure HELL! |
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| What a spooky day for a walk. |
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| Pull my infected finger. |
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| Don't do it Abe! |
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| Thanks for the ride lady. |
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| Don't point that thing at me you weirdo! |
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| Well there's a lively bunch. |
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| Run you blind ginger-headed freak! |
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| That's one way to get to the head of the class. |
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| Hi.... I'm not crazy or anything. |
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| We don't need no water let the motherfucker burn! |
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| You may be hot, but there's something fishy about you. |
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| I salute you infected zombie army. |
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| Look! It's Mrs. Two Face. |
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| Pull my uninfected finger. |
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| You know you've been working out too hard when you start sweating gravy. |
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| This is my BOOMSTICK! |
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| You've got something on your face. |
