In this terrific little moment from Ted V. Mikels’ classic everythingsploitation movie Astro Zombies, we get so much annum 1968 greatness that it’s hard to encompass it all. A mad scientist has created a remote-controlled, solar-powered “astro zombie” in strange and boring detail (yes, there is a five-minute scene of unscrewing the cover on a metal box), and a Mexican mobster (the luscious lady in this clip) wants to know more. She smokes languidly while listening to the professor extol his creature’s virtues on a reel-to-reel. Then we randomly cut to a scene where we meet the astro zombie. And there is violence! Stabbing! Mexican-wrestler-looking dude! What the hell! Where am I!
One of the true masters of the psychedelic scifi horror nudie genre, director Mikels is also brilliant at maintaining B-movie pacing. For long, 10-minute stretches, nothing will happen. There’s no soundtrack, minimal dialog, and misplaced realism in terms of how long it ACTUALLY takes to set up your mad scientist lab to reanimate a dead guy and give him ultra-whatever. Then, suddenly: Stabbing! Screaming! Dismemberment! Lacy bras! John Carradine! Cannibalism! Angry cats! Really, it’s true. It’s all or nothing in this flick. Once you’ve enjoyed Astro Zombies, I highly recommend you also try another Mikels classic: The Corpse Grinders. Best name ever.
