The Astro-Zombies
dir. Ted V. Mikels · 1968
Feature
Psychological Horror
Mood
Dark / Comedic
Look
grainy, low-budget visuals with a psychedelic flair
Structure
disjointed and episodic
Plot
For devilishly mad 'astro-scientist' Dr. DeMarco, a typical day involves run-ins with reanimated corpses, bloodthirsty solar-powered killer robot zombies, Chinese communist spies, and vicious Mexican secret agents. But when a bloody trail of young female murder victims leads an intrepid CIA agent to his door, things get really interesting.
Why watch
A CIA agent follows a trail of gruesome murders that leads him to the lair of the deranged Dr. DeMarco, who has been reanimating corpses and unleashing solar-powered zombies. Watching this film is like stepping into a fever dream where absurdity reigns and the boundaries of horror and comedy blur into a chaotic spectacle.
Cultural context
Cold War paranoiarise of countercultureexploitation cinema