From naked female vampires to naked female zombies...
07/19/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Yet another well-done, beautiful-looking Jean Rollin film. Some workers storing chemical waste in a crypt decide to moonlight as grave-robbers and open a coffin containing an astonishingly well-preserved young woman. But oops, there's this earthquake, y'see, and chemicals spill and o' course this brings the girl back to life and she starts killing (sharp fingernails!). Then she wanders off to a large chateau, of which her undead brain contains vague memories. There she meets her best friend, who's so glad to see her back among the living (sort of) that she decides to help her get the blood she craves by luring in victims. This leads to some pretty heavy gore - more graphic than what you usually see from Rollin - and o' course there's plenty of nudity, all of it beautifully, poetically filmed. Pretty extreme in all counts, and has that dreamlike suspension-of-logic that'll make you not worry about details (like why didn't the girl decay at all? and is there anything worse than the accordian-rock of The Fireflies?). Another good 'un from Rollin."
Great French Gore Romp
frankenberry | Los Angeles, CA USA | 07/16/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"THE LIVING DEAD GIRL is easily my favorite of the 7 Jean Rollin DVD's released thus far by IMAGE on DVD and it's the only one in my permanent collection. If you like your euro-horror a little sexier, a lot GORIER, and even quite humorous, you cannot go wrong here. From the opening scene with the graverobbers being disfigured by toxic vapors (hilariously fake) to later ultra-gory scenes as our tragic zombie-female-vamp dispatches one victim after another with her long sharp fingernails or devours their necks in extra-long munching scenes, this one DELIVERS the goods! It has a very euro-horror feel to it and is not as esoteric and heady as some of the other Rollin films. Although french, it easily would appeal to fans of italian horror as well...so if you're not a big Rollin fan, you may want to give this one a chance anyway. The DVD looks great and includes a trailer with ALL the highlights of the film in it (so watch the movie first). Check it out!"
Gory but Goody!
frankenberry | 03/07/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I can honestly say that this is one of the most... er... unusual films I have ever seen! When a chemical spill inadvertently resurrects a young woman who died two years before, she does not appear to be very happy to have been brought back as a "living dead girl". I suppose this would account for her disturbingly anti-social behavior (i.e. gouging out people's eyes, eating people, drinking their blood, et cetera)....P>This is a thoroughly enjoyable film, although I would strongly advise watching it on either an empty stomach or a full stomach. Unless you own stock in a barf bag company, I really do not think that you would enjoy washing down your Coke and Pizza with images of blood and guts emanating from your television screen.Anyway, this is an A +++++ film! Enjoy, everybody!"
Erotic horror, Viva la France!
C. Christopher Blackshere | I am the devil's reject | 04/02/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Director Jean Rollins is one crafty dude. He delivered the first notable French vampire movie(The Rape of the Vampire, '68) as well as the first French gore flick(The Grapes of Death, '78). Plus he was one of the country's early pioneers of X-rated cinema. His 1982 Living Dead Girl combines elements from all of those fantastic genres, and it has developed a bit of a cult following over the years.
Quick synopsis--earthquake, chemical spill, and a hot zombie chick is now craving Ben & Jerry's Chunky Munkey ice cream. Just kidding, she's thirsty for blood of the human variety. Let the sucking commence!
This story has some graphic nudity to accompany the ultra-bloody kills. It doesn't spend too much time fumbling around with irrelevant stuff like plot, dialogue, or character development. It's a bit gothic, pretty erotic, and somewhat artistic. But really it concentrates on the bloody visuals. The effects are maybe just a tad unrealistic looking but the insane amount of the red stuff makes it lots of fun for you gorehounds.
"I emptied these bodies of blood so that it may flow in mine. To turn me into a living dead girl.""