Shivers - Sexy zombies

Okay, there are no zombies in this film.  My review’s title is a little misleading.  But it’s not far away from a ‘zombie movie.’ A suburban tower block gets infected by parasitic organisms who turn their hosts into rampant sex-obsessed zombies.  Only they’re not zombies, just don’t let them catch you or you’ll become like them.  So, in that way, it does conform to the ‘zombie principal.’

So, what’s it like?  It’s certainly regarded as a ‘classic.’ And I can see why.  It was pretty shocking (for its time).  However, times have changed and there’s probably more ‘shocking’ images in a Miley Cyrus pop video.  But, if you don’t judge it by today’s standards, you’ll see why it’s become a cult classic over the years.

The action... well, it’s not so hot.  The women are only there for eye candy and do little more than scream helplessly or get mercilessly victimised.  By today’s standards this film would not win any awards for a positive portrayal of women.  The men are all pretty weird-looking.  Apart from the hero, who is weird-looking in a ‘seventies attractive’ kind of way only.  The special effects aren’t that special and the blood is that bright red colour that only seemed to exist in the seventies.

However, these ‘flaws’ can be pretty much overlooked if you’re in the mood for something that wasn’t made now and was a product of its time, rather than judging it by today’s standards.

It’s different.  Even with its zombie-like connotations it’s still more of a different beast than most of today’s horror offerings.  If you’re okay with ‘period’ horror (yes, I know it’s only a few decades ago, but horror seems to have come a long way since then – and not always in ‘the right’ direction) and can put up with the ‘odd squad’ and their bad haircuts, give it a go before it gets remade with beautiful people and CGI special effects.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that