Vengeance of the Zombies (1973) User Reviews (36)

Scary Spanish horror with sensationalistic images , Naif style and lots of blood and gore

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 8 February 2011]

A madman seeks vengeance by setting an army of walking corpses to stalk the cemetery , streets and houses of London and surrounding . Jacinto Molina or Paul Naschy who habitually sprouts hair and fangs , actually doesn't turn into Wolfman . The film mingles esoteric philosophy , voodoo, intrigue , satanism , gore and romantic elements . The picture deals about a guru named Krisna (Paul Naschy) who reunites a group of friends in his mansion. He has knowledge in secret Antillan voodoo and Indian magic . Krisna is helped by another Indian woman named Kala (Mirta Miller). There appears Elvire Irwing (Rommy), an aristocrat young who is impressed for the peculiar personality of the Faquir . Meantime at a cemetery of a little village a gravedigger (Fernando Sanchez Polack) and his wife carry out the exhumation the tomb of Gloria Irwing , but them she is brought to life by means of voodoo and subsequently kills the couple . After that , an Inspector (Antonio Pica) from New Scotland Yard is investigating the grisly murders assisted by a psychiatry professor (Vic Winner) expert on voodoo , occultism and black magic . Later on , it happens amazing murders in the Kadoga,'s Cold Meat Industry and the Morgue. While at a countryside mansion Elvire falls in love with Krisna and she learns a curse that happened in 1947 during India Independence in which a young girl was raped and the subsequent revenge carried out against the rapist .

This is a Spanish Horror though partially filmed in England. It contains suspense , necromancy , witchery , tension , beheading and lots of blood and guts with abundant sensationalistic scenes and a Naif style. The movie has a bit of ridiculous gore with loads of blood similar to tomato . B-entertainment with a fairly suspenseful and horrifying story in which a killer and walking Zombies undergo a criminal spree by means of slitting , decapitation and other brutal executions . This is the third time that appears Zombies in Spanish cinema, exception to Amando De Ossorio's Templar living dead and ¨Horror rises from the tomb¨ .Surrealist images when Rommy dreams about a diabolic possession with characters painted in purple and a horned Naschy as devil . There appears Aurora Del Alba from ¨The Mark of Wolfman¨ as Zombie in slow-moving . As usual , Paul Naschy explains his knowledges with cheap erudition , as the voodoo and Zombie origin result to be the Antillas ; a magician called Minister by means of some malicious spirits prepares a Black Mass and appears a kind of devil named Baron Samedi , then the wizard dropping blood on a wax-toy and sacrificing a hen , the sorcerer helped by a medium turns into immortal slitting a woman and drinking his blood .

The late Naschy was a good professional , writing, filmmaking and acting about hundred titles , mainly in terror genre. ¨ Vengeance of Zombies¨ is written by Molina along with 21 screenplays as ¨A dragonfly for each corpse¨ , ¨Mark of Wolfman¨, ¨Night of Walpurgis¨, ¨Fury of Wolfman¨ ,¨Vengeance of the mummy¨, ¨Licantropo¨, among others . He directed 13 films as ¨The Cantabros¨, ¨Return of Wolfman¨, ¨The Beast and the magic sword¨ and many others. Filmed in London and at Ballesteros Studios and the mansion of the Naschy's parents . Packs an anti-climatic and unappropriated musical score by Juan Carlos Calderon . This is a production realized by Profilmes - the Spanish Hammer- whose chairmen , Ricardo Muñoz , Modesto Perez Redondo and Jose Antonio Perez Giner assigned to Jacinto Molina the writing a rapid screenplay . This strange motion picture is middlingly directed by Leon Klimovsky and plenty of flaws and gaps . Klimovsky was a slick craftsman who directed all kind of genres, as Terror for Paul Naschy (Marshall of hell,Rebellion of dead one,Orgy of vampires, Werewolf shadow,Dr Jekill vs. the werewolf), Warlike(June 44 attack force Normandy, A bullet for Rommel, Bridge over Elba) and Western (Badland drifter,Some dollars for Django,Death knows no time, Two thousand dollars for Coyote) . Rating : 4,5 , mediocre. The picture will appeal to Paul Naschy fans ; a must for Jacinto Molina/bad film buffs .

Notoriously Naschy

[Leroy Gomm · 4/10 · 14 May 2007]

Vengeance of the Zombies is a head on collision of seven different horror genres. A hodge podge of gore, nudity, black gloved killers, voodoo, Satanism, surrealism , and unintentional camp. Naschy plays a dual role as the good Indian Guru Krishna,and his evil twisted and deformed voodoo doll making, Satan worshiping , masked killer of a brother. Obviously the plot is muddled. It reminds me of the old poverty row horror films but filtered through the distorted mind of Jess Franco. The most Franco like aspect of the film however is the jazzy score, which remarkably made the film a lot more tolerable for me. Naschy tosses in a few homages here, he's doing Blood and Black Lace in one scene, Curse of the Crimson Altar in another, things that are fun to spot. If you are in search for a good "bad" horror film with everything but the kitchen sink tossed in then you won't do much better than this.

Nothing special...

[markovd111 · 5/10 · 28 December 2022]

Uninteresting and unattractive main character, in fact, lack of any interesting characters and uninteresting plot and murders of random people for which you don't care, "La rebelión de las muertas" has a very hard time to make you care for what is happening during it's runtime. Bizarre plot talking about Indian using voodoo also doesn't help. All in all, "La rebelión de las muertas" will only interest you if you are hardcore horror movie fan who is in it for morbid curiosity or for the gore. While the movie resembles a movie, there is no tension, no scares, no really good nudity and nothing interesting to speak of. It's just your usual under average movie. 5/10!

Vengeance of the Zombies

[Michael_Elliott · 29 February 2008]

Vengeance of the Zombies (1973)

** (out of 4)

Bizarre but mildly entertaining Spanish horror film has Paul Naschy playing a mystic who uses his powers to have women return from the dead and kill his enemies for him.

Sometimes a second viewing can make you see a film in a completely different light. The first time I watched Leon Klimovsky's VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES it was from a public domain disc and the colors were drained. I gave the film a BOMB rating because I just found the entire thing to be deadly dull, poorly made and at times laughable. What changed on this second viewing? Well, being able to see a fully restored print certainly helped but I also managed to enjoy the film a lot more because I knew what I was getting into.

If you're expecting George A. Romero type of zombies then you're getting into the wrong movie. The zombies here basically just have some face paint on them but I found them to be mildly effective and especially with the light blue tint and how well it looked on the restored print. Another plus were the slow-motion scenes of the zombies approaching their victims. I usually can't stand when slow-motion is used but here it's actually quite effective. The gore isn't all that high but there are a couple gory scenes including a bizarre one where a can is used as a murder weapon!

Fans of Naschy will be happy to see him playing three different roles here. The scene with him wearing horns as a Satanic leader is certainly an eye-opener and for the most part he's good. The supporting women are all beautiful as you'd expect in a Naschy film. There are certainly some flaws here including the pacing of the picture as well as the rather bizarre soundtrack. I'm not sure if this soundtrack was used to make the film appear hip but it's quite distracting to say the least.

One good gore scene, but little else

[bensonmum2 · 2/10 · 20 March 2006]

What a mess! Vengeance of the Zombies tries too hard to be everything. The film doesn't devote near enough time to any one element of the plot. Vengeance of the Zombies is all over the place. It's one part Satanism, one part Eastern mysticism, one part Caribbean voodoo, and one part revenge. Throw in some bad acting, a lack of logic, and a twist out of left field and you've got a recipe for disaster. I'm trying real hard to enjoy these Paul Naschy films, but thus far I'm not impressed.

My rating would be lower if it weren't for some special effects that work quite nicely. There's one decapitation scene in particular that far exceeds the quality of anything else in Vengeance of the Zombies.

Somewhere, Jess Franco is smiling....

[lemon_magic · 3/10 · 19 August 2007]

Shades of Jess Franco...this one has all the marks of a classic Franco hack-a-thon, and comes out of Spain. As with almost everything Franco did, this director obviously had the knowhow to create a decent film, but he couldn't be bothered to go back and polish all the rough parts. And the movie seems to be nothing but "rough parts" all the way through. The result is like watching the "rushes" for a talented neighbor's home movies for a script he hacked out in a day, if your neighbor had a photogenic wife (like "Rommy") and a 35mm camera.

The plot is completely lurid, which actually part of the movie's charm. It starts out with a masked guy (very "Phantom Of the Opera") reviving dead women as zombies to do his bidding, which mostly involved strangling people who obligingly just stand there and let them get on with it. (I have to admit that the make up on the zombies is pretty effective and one of the real reasons to watch the movie.) At least that's the opening scene. And before you know it, the plot has become a freeway pileup of Indian mysticism, serial murder, topless women, stylized slow motion assaults, zombies (of course), Satanism, ritual sacrifices, hallucinatory nightmares...have I left anything out? Oh yeah, all done to a swinging heavy jazz soundtrack that starts a new theme every two or three minutes, stops in the middle of a musical phrases whenever a scene ends, and in general seems to have nothing to do with the action on the screen.

The DVD print I saw (part of a "Drive In Movie Classics 50 pack) was awful; it was a full screen "pan and scan", but managed to consistently leave out one or all of the actors in a given shot, instead giving us revealing shots of the middle of the set.And mixing for the sound was apparently done in the bottom of a steel barrel. The overall sound managed to be muddy but was nevertheless so shrill and tinny that I was afraid it might make the neighborhood dogs start to howl. This was a shame because the dubbing for the dialog actual was one of the better efforts I've heard from this era - the dialog is still stilted and clumsy, but it seemed as if the ESL voice actors might have been allowed to actually rehearse a little before they had to jump into the studio. And again, the jazz music was mostly very sprightly and vivid - sort of the stuff you'd hear in a TV commercial for the new model Lamborghini or something; it would have been nice to hear it the way it was performed. My guess is that someone in production intentionally mixed things to sound best coming out of the speakers at a drive-in movie. Either that, or they hated us and wanted us to bleed from the ears and die in torment.

So yes, it's a mess. But somehow, it's an enjoyable mess, if only for the ambition of the lead actor, who casts himself in three different parts and the director, who tries to mix three or four different horror genres in one screenplay, and some hard working supporting actors who try their best to give the proceedings some dignity.

Do NOT pay money to see this, unless it's part of a collection. If you pay more than $5 to own a DVD of this movie by itself, you will probably be looking around for a throat to slit when it is over.

Incredibly stupid but fun exploitation junk food

[lovecraft231 · 7/10 · 25 September 2012]

And the winner for best "Death by small can" scene in a horror movie goes to "Vengeance of the Zombies." Not that there was a whole lot of competition outside of "Undead."

Anyways, there have been many a times in which horror movies seem to forgo anything resembling logic in their quest to scare or entertain. Sometimes this works (The films of Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci for example), sometimes it doesn't (the films of Dante Tomaselli), and then there are goes films that aren't good and make little sense, but you find yourself enjoying them anyway. Leon Klimovsky achieved this in 1973 with the Paul Naschy vehicle "Vengeance of the Zombies."

Indian Mystic Krisna (Naschy) has things going his way. He's pretty popular, the ladies love him (Yep, this is a Paul Naschy film alright!) and nothing bad seems to be happening. That is, until his girlfriend Elvire (Romy) starts having nightmares involving Satanic rites (with Naschy playing Satan), a masked killer being on the loose, and a group of vengeful female zombies roaming around. Oh, and Krisna's deformed brother (Naschy again.)

There are numerous flaws to be found here (plot holes, a completely inappropriate lounge score, mediocre direction and acting), but "Vengeance of the Zombies" manages to be pretty fun for what it is: dumb exploitation made for undemanding viewers. In a way, the ultimately silly nature of the whole thing works more than it doesn't. There's just something nice about a movie that has such a "let's put on a show" attitude, and the added nudity and gore (including a nifty decapitation) adds to the experience.

Another reason the thing works better than it should is because it basically throws in everything but the kitchen sink to entertain viewers. Satanic rituals? Check. Sexploitation? Check. Voodoo spells? Check. Zombies? Check. Black gloved killer? You get the point. It's like watching a smörgåsbord/greatest hits collection of Euro exploitation from the period, and it's hard not to smile at most of it. Plus, how many times to you see someone get killed with a small can in horror movies?

"Vengeance of the Zombies" is anything but a good movie, and more serious minded genre aficionados will probably cringe through most of it. Those who love dumb exploitation and "so-bad-it's-good" movies will be more forgiving, and probably enjoy the stupid enterprise on display.

VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES (Leon Klimovsky, 1973) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 5 October 2008]

This is the tenth film featuring Spanish horror star Paul Naschy that I’ve watched; though best-known for his series of “Waldemar Daninsky” werewolf movies, he made all kinds of genre efforts – even scripting many of them himself under real name Jacinto Molina.

Given the film’s title, this one obviously highlights the living dead – but, thankfully, it doesn’t follow the then-prevalent flesh-eating pattern cemented by George A. Romero; the plot, in fact, is pretty complex and also involves transcendental, voodoo and occult rituals as well as a masked assassin! Naschy, by the way, plays three roles here (though one of them, a horned demon, is only featured in a sequence depicting the heroine’s nightmare) – another finds the star at his most Brando-like (albeit inspired by the Method actor’s variable stint in the psychedelic star-studded concoction CANDY [1968]!) as a mystic and the last is the latter's evil brother, the disfigured man behind the mask who masterminded the titular plot.

The gory bits include a harmless old man getting a hatchet implanted in his face, a woman being memorably beheaded, a morgue attendant hilariously killed by having a soda can(!) viciously pressed against his neck, while the impalement of a pair of oblivious lovers clearly rips off Mario Bava’s far superior A BAY OF BLOOD (1971). As for the zombies, their attacks are rendered a bit more effective than would have otherwise been the case by the use of slow-motion. Typically, the lounge score (curiously highlighted by some otherworldly chanting!) is notable, as are the Swinging London settings; incidentally, the hero is a Spanish actor appearing under the name of Vic Winner – similarly, his character is hilariously named Laurence Redgrave, while that of the Scotland Yard Inspector is Hawkins who has an assistant that goes by the name of Basehart! Naschy...er...Molina presumably intended these as a tribute to their Hollywood namesakes, but they came off as unintentionally amusing instead (as is the film's very opening scene in which a couple who are hard up for cash decide to have a go at grave-robbing, to their eternal chagrin!).

The film has been released on DVD by BCI Eclipse but, since I can’t say that I’ve been all that impressed by the star’s outings so far, I don’t own any of them in this format: in fact, VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES itself came via a full-frame English-dubbed edition sourced from a damaged VHS and accompanied by forced Finnish subtitles!

Quite a Bit of Fun

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 20 June 2017]

An Indian mystic (Paul Naschy) uses magical chants to raise women from the dead, then sends them out to perform revenge killings for him.

As with many (most?) of Naschy's films, he wrote his own script. In other reviews, you might see people complain about the mix of voodoo and Hindu mysticism, which are two very different, unrelated things. And while that may be a fair critique, it distracts from a bigger point: it does not matter, so long as the movie is enjoyable. (When Naschy mixed his werewolf with Elizabeth Bathory, was there outrage that Bathory -- historically -- never met a werewolf?)

But Naschy himself was aware that the blend -- and its finished product -- were strange and unconventional. He later wrote, "I must have been under the effects of hashish or, like Bram Stoker, I had one hell of a nightmare." The true origin of the tale is up to viewers to decide. And directing is Naschy's long-time collaborator, Leon Klimovsky, who had recently directed Nashy in "Werewolf Shadow" (1970).

The film, as far horror goes, is quite good with its shady characters, dark plots and plenty of blood. The makeup is excellent, both on the zombie women but even more so on Naschy's satyr character. The makeup effects person, Miguel Sese, should be better known; he was thrice nominated for a Goya and won with "Juana la Loca" (2001), but does not seem to have gained much traction outside of Spain.

One of the strange things about Euro-horror films is the path they take on the festival circuit and beyond. The cuts, the multiple name changes. In America, one of the men responsible for bringing the film to theaters was John J. Burzichelli, the son of a New Jersey politician and a politician in his own right. Who knew the world of Democratic politics overlapped with screening sleazy Spanish films?

Now (2017) Scream Factory brings us the film on Blu-ray, looking and sounding better than ever. We also have the option to watch it with clothed sequences or not. Unfortunately, this is one of the two films in the Paul Naschy set not to have an audio commentary, but the movie really does speak for itself and should be enjoyed no less just because we cannot hear scholars ramble over the top of it.

Even Ed Wood can do better.

[AS-69 · 1/10 · 3 August 2001]

This movie is so cheaply and badly made that "Plan 9 from outer space" looks like a big budget production in comparison. This, however, would still be excusable.

The worst thing about the movie is that it features the on stage slaughtering of a real chicken.

What a waste of live for such a crap!

Has to be avoided at all cost!

This terrible movie has it all!!

[emilyclia · 8/10 · 4 September 2006]

Grave Robbers! Black Masses! Indian Guru! Masked Murderer! Voodoo Doll! Ritual Sacrifice! Evil Twin! Chicken Decapitation! Gleeful Undead! & a horned Satan who drinks blood from a golden chalice!!! All to a 1972 lounge soundtrack!

This movie is totally, awesomely hilarious! The makeup is pretty OK (except that Satan stole the lead's eyebrows!) and the costumes and even effects are unexpectedly good, but the soundtrack is mostly pretty inappropriate (my favourite example of this is when the music is all relaxed jazz while one guy gets an axe to the face). The film quality is pretty much what you expect: mediocre to bad. I won't bother to summarize the plot because, unlike many of the bad seventies movies I've been watching lately - and this is surely their queen - the plot is unusually clear (apart from the role of the bus driver. What the hell was that guy up to, and how did he know anything about the secret voodoo plot anyway?? ...I also suspect that the guru Krishna must have some kind of hypnotic gaze, as the only explanation why the lead would fall into bed with him; I'm afraid the lure of the exotic is entirely mitigated by the pudginess and boot polish). But it has some fabulous scenes, my favourite by far being the initial Satan dream sequence. It has a meat factory scene and while I'm sure PETA and the SPCA would have some severe reprimands for the producers about the whole chicken sacrifice deal, you've gotta admire their chutzpah in being that 'authentic' (although obviously anyone who is sensitive to these things at all will hate it... however I doubt you will be watching something called "Revenge of the Zombies" if you are that sensitive!).

I love that the 'good guys' have a portrait of the queen on the wall to prove their britishness! - their accents are totally not enough convince alone!

Favourite Quote: "You will be food for our Lord, Satan! He is waiting, waiting!!!"

This movie is clearly terrible, but I completely loved it. It is total schlock but I found the way it keeps changing its focus and bringing in new themes engaging rather than confusing or stilted. You should definitely NOT watch this if you don't 'get' old, bad horrors, or if you are not prepared to see a chicken getting its head cut off (it's actually not that bad - no closeups or violent blood spray, the cutthroat scene is more gory), but otherwise it is really surprisingly enjoyable to watch, especially with a few drinks and low expectations. Come on, you know how bad it's gonna be as soon as you see the blood-dripping title! Get ready to mock and be shocked.

Far from prime Naschy, but entertaining just the same.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 11 October 2018]

Spanish horror legend Paul Naschy wrote this minor zombie film, and stars in it, in no less than three roles: the Hindi mystic Krisna, the scar-faced antagonist, and Satan himself. It takes place in London, where Krisna offers comfort to a distraught young woman named Elvire (Romy), who's suffered the loss of a family member. More people are due to die thanks to the machinations of the power-mad villain, who indulges in elaborate voodoo rituals.

Naschy certainly did better than this during the 1970s (for example, this viewer holds "Horror Rises from the Tomb" and "Inquisition" in higher regard), yet "Vengeance of the Zombies" IS a fun flick. It's far more cheesy than scary, with an unfortunate lack of true atmosphere, a comparatively lightweight plot, and a music score that just doesn't work most of the time. It's much too jaunty and jazzy to fit this material.

Euro-horror aficionados will still enjoy the sex & violent quotient, and the cast is enjoyable. Romy is a rather stiff but not entirely unsympathetic lead, Victor Barrera is okay as her good friend, Mirta Miller and Maria Kosty are devilish fun, Luis Ciges is a hoot as a character named "MacMurdo", and Antonio Pica has a solid presence as a Scotland Yard superintendent named Hawkins. Naschy, of course, is great value as always: likeable as Krisna, nasty as the villain, and a typically grandiose Satan. The ladies playing the zombies do appear to be having a good time; they don't stalk around looking for human flesh to munch on, basically just doing our villains' bidding.

Overall, a diverting but largely forgettable feature.

Seven out of 10.

Euro-cult? Euro-trash!

[lastliberal · 4/10 · 28 September 2007]

I know one reviewer of this film that had the audacity to compare director León Klimovsky to Tarantino. Give me a break. The film jumped all over the place and switched scenes with no apparent rhyme or reason. One minute you see a love scene begin and a second later someone is running their bicycle into a car.

This mash-up of Hindu mysticism, voodoo and zombies never had any coherent plot.

It did have great zombie makeup. They looked dead!

It also had Mirta Miller. A voluptuous veteran of countless Euro-horror films, she again appeared scantily clad with her breasts heaving as she fell into the clutches of the zombies for their ritual.

Forget the cut DVD releases!

[sleazeman2001 · 26 December 2008]

The Best print of this film is the video release from Long Gone All Seasons Entertainment which clocks in around 90 minutes, making it the longest version available w/ fantastic print quality. Check ebay, you might find one, although, now that EVERYONE know's this is the version to have, plan on paying the price. But, again, well worth it!Seems that there are so many DVD companies jumping on the band wagon and releasing horrible TV prints or cut prints of older films. Do you homework people before you spend your hard earned money of junk.P/s, All Season Entertainment released a number of rare films on VHS (video) in large cardcoard boxes which collectors pay good money for so refine your searches in google search or ebay search and I'm sure you will come up with something.

Who does the voodoo

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 6 June 2020]

The make up effects are not as bad as I thought they may have been. Paul Naschy made a name for himself. He may be especially remembered for the Werewolf movies he did, but he could do other stuff too. Quite a lot of stuff considering he plays three different characters here.

Having said that, this was low budget back then, imagine what that means for today standards. So dial them back a bit and try to enjoy this for what it is. If you are into horror and schlock that is. Otherwise you'll b wasting your time and be quite annoyed.

Vengeance of the Zombies review

[JoeytheBrit · 3/10 · 21 April 2020]

A masked killer uses voodoo to bring his female victims back to life so that they can carry out more murders. A trashy Eurohorror with an intrusive and inappropriate music score and swarthy Spaniards pretending to be London coppers. Total crap apart from a half-decent nightmare scene. Judging by the fixed grins they wear, the female zombies seem to be happy in their work. So that's good...

A Product of Its Time

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 30 December 2012]

Although definitely a bit dated this film overall isn't a bad entry into the zombie genre. Focusing on voodoo, this movie is about a man who is obsessed with vengeance on certain families who have made him pay for wrongs committed by him earlier. So he turns to voodoo and exacts his revenge by killing certain members of these families and recreating them as zombies. Admittedly, the plot is somewhat slow to develop and the acting is barely adequate. Additionally, the fight sequences are laughable and the makeup and filming technique are clearly a product of its time (late-60's and early-70's) when it comes to this particular style of horror. But I have always enjoyed horror movies from this era and this is no exception. Likewise, the addition of some sexy ladies like Carmen Romero ("Elvire Irving") and Mirta Miller ("Kala") certainly didn't hurt this picture in any way. Now, that is not to say that everyone who enjoys zombie movies will like this film. Again, sometimes it helps to have been alive during this period in order to appreciate movies of this era. That said, this is a decent films for those who can make allowances for its obvious flaws and short-comings.

You betrayed voodoo!

[JohnSeal · 7/10 · 29 May 2010]

How could Vengeance of the Zombies have such a low score on IMDb? It has everything you could want from a Spanish horror film: Paul Naschy in a turban, Paul Naschy with an oatmeal complexion, slinky blue-faced female zombies, lots and lots of terrific early '70s London location footage, groovy music, a chicken getting its head cut off, Pierre Basari magically transforming a scythe into a pitchfork, a woman wearing a paper bag decorated with a red construction paper beard, and so much more. None of it makes a lick of sense and it doesn't really support the case for Leon Klimovsky's induction into the Horror Hall of Fame, but it's tremendous fun.

Three times the Naschy, but not three times the fun.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 4 October 2020]

Stealing from the dead... that's bad ju-ju! Sure enough, a pair of tomb-robbers are soon pushing up daisies themselves, killed by the reanimated corpse they were pinching stuff from. Raised from the dead via voodoo, female zombies are being used by a masked maniac intent on retribution and immortality. Can he be stopped before he completes his diabolical mission?

Spanish horror star Paul Naschy smears some coffee on his face (or perhaps he just has a good tan) to play the part of an Indian guru named Krisna. Naschy also takes on two other roles in this cheesy piece of Euro-schlock: the devil (in a brief dream sequence), and Krisna's disfigured older brother Kantaka, who is seeking revenge on those responsible for his hideous countenance.

Directed by León Klimovsky, who also helmed Naschy's The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman and Dr. Jekyll vs. The Werewolf, this is quite the mash-up, the muddled script by its star featuring Eastern mysticism, voodoo rituals, and a giallo-style masked killer, with nudity and gore, all accompanied by a totally inappropriate jazzy soundtrack. It sounds like there's something for everyone, but the film suffers from a plodding pace and a lack of focus that makes it hard to give a damn. By the end of the film, I didn't have a scooby what was going on (who was that woman who kills Kantaka? I must have nodded off somewhere).

The action supposedly takes place in England, although the sound of chirping crickets at night suggest that it was actually filmed somewhere a little warmer, like Spain perhaps (the countryside certainly looks more Mediterranean than anywhere in the UK). A security guard also carries a gun - not in good old blighty - and the locomotive that pulls into the fictional village of Llangwell doesn't look like any British train I've ever seen (not that I'm a 'spotter'). I'm not looking for absolute factual accuracy in my Euro-trash, but a little effort could have been made.

On a more positive note, the women are attractive, and there's a smattering of gore: a man gets an axe in the face, there's a juicy close-up of a stabbing, and we get a surprisingly impressive decapitation (the severed head tilting over to reveal the spurting neck wound!).

3.5/10, rounded up to 4 for IMDb.

Goodness Gracious, Paul!

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 14 January 2018]

I believe that Paul Naschy horror films are generally good because Paul himself was a big fan of horror. Plus, it helps that he scripted a lot of his own films, so what you usually get is the old classic monster movies updated to the seventies with added gore and nudity, and very little waffle. Or, you could say he takes the Hammer template and dispenses with the boring bits. One of those two.

I guess in a normal world the fact that Paul blacks up for this film would be offensive, but if it was a genuine Indian person playing the role, it would be Paul Naschy! It's still much less offensive that Peter Sellers doing it, as Paul isn't sending up the Indian race at all, but merely making some sort of statement about how white folks will follow anyone claiming to be a guru, even if they also are possibly Voodoo zombie masters at the same time. Now that I've written that he's possibly playing an Indian Voodoo Guru, I think there might not be any social commentary there at all. I'm getting dizzy thinking about it.

Anyway, one particular possible follower for Paul's Krishna character is Elvira, who is looking for some spiritual guidance. Her pal Yorgen (I can't remember his name) is very sceptical about it all, even following a demonstration when Krishna's assistant (who is jealous of Elvira) starts stabbing Krishna in the back without subsequence. At the same time, someone in London is draining blood from men, killing women, and bringing them back to life as zombies. When someone in a mask breaks into Elvira's house and kills her father and cousin, she runs off to the countryside to live with Krishna, which might not be the best idea. Who else is wearing that mask and a cloak with a build like that - Sandy Toksvig?

This is all heading in the direction you'd expect but then Paul does throw in a couple of curveballs that take things off in different directions. What I really could have done without is the blatant beheading of a chicken for voodoo purposes. Not cool, Paul, not cool. This also happened in Boris Karloff film The Snake People, which has a similar voodoo plot. However, the Satan nightmare sequence was great! As were the Hi-de-hi 'you have been watching' style end credits, so we'll call it a draw.

No point in telling anyone if this is good or bad. If you're going to watch a Paul Naschy film, you'll know what to expect anyway. Please note that the zombies here are pasty-faced women wearing black robes, and not rotting corpses.

Vengeance of the Zombies

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 27 October 2009]

Deranged voodoo zombie film with a serial killer on the loose in London, stabbing bourgeoisie types, performing rituals using a wax effigy, pouring blood over it, setting it on fire, causing those dead to become unwitting undead slaves. Those attacked knew each other, their relationship dating back to an infamous incident in India, and the one mutilating them dresses like Jack the Ripper, wearing strange Halloween masks, carrying a medical bag containing his materials used for resurrecting those he kills. The film also follows red-head Elvire(Romy), who is infatuated with a charismatic Hindu spiritualist, Krisna(Paul Naschy), soon joining him at his retreat in a notorious castle in a village called Llangwell, the estate known for housing a group of Satanists who communed there. Kala(Mirta Miller), maid Elsie(María Kosty)and a local train depot guard all attempt to ward Elvire away from the castle, with no such luck because she's head-over-heels for Krisna. Soon the psycho shows up in Llangwell, and his identity is closely associated with Krisna. Meanwhile, Elvire's London friend, Lawrence(Víctor Alcázar), a journalist and occult scholar is called in by Scotland Yard regarding his expertise in voodoo among other strange rituals, their hoping he can be of assistance in catching the fiend.

Delirious script penned by Paul Naschy and directed by he long-time collaborator León Klimovsky, this film is certain to please gorehounds and it's evident of the influence in regards to Hammer studios for it features bright, textured film blood and plenty of sharp metallic objects penetrating flesh, including one memorable scene where a head nearly comes off, hanging barely as the crimson bubbles forth. Regarding the use of voodoo, you can tell Naschy did some homework and his script heavily elaborates in details the methods involved in utilizing such powers to harm. When the zombie girls attack, Klimovsky's camera shoots them in slow motion, with them often approaching screen. There was a direct emphasis on trying to spook us with these zombies, but the make-up rarely works and may instead cause unintentional laughter.

The zombie girls, slaves ordered around by Kantaka, the evil twin brother of Krisna, are more akin to the ghouls you see in Carnival of Souls, except their heavy discolored make-up doesn't quite work(..the key to the success of Carnival of Souls is that the ghouls, under heavy make-up, is shot in glorious B&W photography). Kantaka(..and his underling, Ti Zachary, portrayed by a creepy looking Pierre Besari)was badly burned in a fire purposely set, which ties into the main story as to why the voodoo is being used on certain selected victims, and Naschy's make-up provides him with a hideous pasty face(..reminiscent of an Italian zombie in an 80's Fulci flick).

Seeing Naschy dressed in Indian attire(tunic and head scarf), takes some getting use to, but at least he tries something new, in a change-of-pace role. The filmmakers go to great lengths to put as much of London in the film as possible, footage probably shot illegally. Not sure why it's titled so since there's no vengeance of the zombies, they are tools for another's revenge. A nice try, but ultimately unsatisfying voodoo chiller.

A deliciously cheesy hoot

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 30 May 2007]

This seriously screwy jaw-dropper might very well be the single most sublimely schlocky Spanish horror film Paul Naschy ever both wrote and starred in. Naschy is hilariously miscast as Krishna, a charismatic Indian guru mystic who's a real hit with the swinging 70's London, England jet set. The lovely Elivira Irving (ravishing redhead Romy) decides to stay at Krishna's swanky abode. She runs afoul of Krishna's hideously disfigured evil brother Kantaka (Naschy again) and his demonic cult of deadly, yet sexy female zombies. Director Leon Klimovsky strikes out something sidesplitting with the poky pace, meandering narrative, and strange use of stylized slow motion. However, some tasty gratuitous nudity, a little graphic gore, an overall infectiously trippy hallucinogenic vibe, and hot babes aplenty (Mirta Miller is especially gorgeous as Krishna's loyal servant girl Kala) compensate for these flaws. Moreover, Naschy in a third role as none other than El Diablo (Paul sports these absolutely ridiculous horns!), zombie women who have obvious tacky pasty greasepaint make-up smeared on their faces, and the totally inappropriate, yet undeniably awesome groovy free-form avant-garde fusion jazz prog-rock score add immensely to the ample unintentional amusement. A gloriously gaga riot.

Strange mixture of zombie movie & giallo

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 4 February 2016]

This Naschy offering, in which the Spanish force of nature played three characters, is an odd spectacle. Anyone heading in for the z-word will probably be disappointed. Rather than the staggering, brain-devouring undead we all know and love (and will soon be quite sick of, I'd wager), the "zombies" in this film exist as puppets for an evil occultist. You can probably guess who plays him, and who also plays the devil in a later scene.

The surprising choice of Naschy's was also to play an Indian mystic named Krishna. This is surprising not just to see the role of an Indian played by the Spanish Naschy, but also because the character itself is an odd fit for the movie. The origin of zombies is explored in the Voodoo religion that birthed them (and of course, dolls are harmed in the making of this movie), but why the Indian character, and reference to the Thuggee cult? Naschy was known to often mix genre staples, eg. werewolves against vampires, but I'm not sure what he was going for in invoking that particular barbarity.

The film is, overall, more a giallo than a typical zombie flick, with a masked man dressed in black sneaking around killing to a psychedelic soundtrack. The garish colours and bold compositions of giallo are here, too. I say check it out... but don't expect Night of the Living Dead.

Old School Zombies

[Theo Robertson · 4/10 · 2 July 2013]

I thought just for a change I'd watch a Paul Naschy film where he doesn't spout fangs prosthetic hair and tear throats out . Also I needed a much needed reminder of what zombies were like back in the day . Nowadays post 28 DAYS LATER is someone who ha been infected by a virus with an incubation period of seconds that causes the character to lose all self awareness and have one overriding instinct to kill or infect the uninfected

To be fair to VENGEANCE OF THE ZOMBIES it does follow the folklore of myth where a zombie is literally a reanimated corpse who is controlled by a shaman , it's churlish to complain that they're too slow moving to be much of a threat and to give the film some credit the make up of the undead is effectively understated . Likewise the plot isn't too predictable . After all if Nsschy is playing an Indian guru then you instantly expect him to be the villain and ... well yes and no without giving too much away . He does give a good performance as Krishna and I take it that it's not Nschy's own voice being used in the dubbing but the calm and lack of inflexion does seem suited to the character

What let's the film down is the intrusive and totally inappropriate score . The establishing shot of London ( Incidentally the same establishing shot was inserted in to THE WEREWOLF AND THE YETI ) contains a soundtrack best described as a sort of hybrid dirge between psychadelia and a big band sound . I know it's supposed to give a feel of swinging London and sounds more someone hanging from a piano wire noose . Every time there's a supposedly scary scene totally inappropriate music blasts out robbing any scene of potential atmosphere which does defeat the purpose of the exercise . As it stands it's a fair horror film with old style zombies but could have been much better