Cover Art

Credits

Director: Jean Rollin Starring: Marie-Georges Pascal, Brigitte Lahaie, Serge Marquand, Felix Marten, Patricia Cartier Country: France AKA: Les Raisins de la Mort, Pesticide, The Raisins Of Death

The story begins with two female friends, Elizabeth and Brigitte, travelling to a remote French village by train. The arrival of a man who seems to literally decompose in front of their eyes causes Elizabeth to panic and flee the enclosed space of her train compartment. She soon discovers the body of her friend, prompting her to flee the train and scramble her way through the desolate French countryside. But as she does so, in the vain attempt to reach her fiancé, she discovers that madness is gripping the otherwise peaceful villages. Residents are embarking on a psychopathic, murderous rampage, and all display signs of bodily decay. With the help of a young blind girl she discovers amongst the hills, Elizabeth runs from village to village, only to discover that the sickness is everywhere. Will she and her new companion end their lives at the hands of these 'zombies'? And will they ever discover the cause of this plague? Maybe it has something to do with a certain liquid that is unanimous with French culture.

What sets this film apart from other zombie movies, is the zombies themselves. They are not the mute, flesh munching beings of Romero's and Fulci's offerings. Rollin's zombies are real human beings who display real human emotions. Take for example one of the most powerful scenes in the movie - a young girl is beheaded by her father figure with an axe. Yet as he is doing so, he's crying and telling her he loves her. They feel remorse for their actions, but are driven by the madness inside of them to do so. Yes, they display the rotting appearance that we're used to, along with the slow walk with the arms outstretched pose, but couple this with the added human emotion and you get an immensely refreshing alternative to the zombie genre.

Thumbs up has to go to the cinematography as well. The beautiful countryside is shown in gorgeous panoramic shots, yet the villages themselves are quite claustrophobic in their appearance, giving the viewer a sense of the entrapment that the characters on screen are obviously experiencing. And of course, no Rollin film would be complete without some sexual imagery. Thankfully, in this film's case, this is kept to an absolute minimum. Rollin (and hard core porn) regular Brigitte Lahaie makes an appearance, as do her two very fine assets! But even then so, her nudity is used to express the storyline rather than add an extra something for the male viewers. And aside from Lahaie, the other actors do a fine job in their given roles.