Teenage Zombies1959

Made with little effort and even less money, the '​5​0s​ cult classic TEENAGE ZOMBIES stands in mockery of every film production that never saw completion or release. Writer​/​director​/​producer Jerry Warren, who wrote the script in seven days and shot the film in five on what he claimed was "one-tenth of the lowest possible budget you could think of," admitted its existence had less to do with artistic inspiration than a vacuum at the bottom of a double bill with THE INCREDIBLE PETRIFIED WORLD. Its plot revolves around a group of teenaged friends who, while looking for a good spot to waterski, discover a secret island lorded over by the nefarious Dr. Myra (H.G. Wells allusion ​fully intentional)​ ​who is developing a chemical agent intended to turn everyone in the U​.​S​.​ into communist zombie drones. The agent, however, only turns some of the test subjects docile; others become violently psychotic while others, more curiously, turn into gorillas. Included in the cast is Warren's wife Brianne Murphy​ ​who​,​ in 1980​, ​would become the first female director of photography on a major studio film (FATSO​ for director Anne Bancroft​). Murphy and Warren divorced shortly after production wrapped on TEENAGE ZOMBIES. [Apologies for the poor source quality of this film. It is presented here in the best transfer currently available.] - Tom Fritsche