L'abîme des morts vivants (1981)

Country of Origin: France
Year of Production: 1981
Running Times: 82m 32s
Length:
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: colour
Ratio:
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Directed by: A.M. Frank (real name: Jesus Franco)

CREW

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Eurocine presents
Production Manager: Daniel Lesoeur

SCRIPT
Screenplay: A.L. Mariaux

DIRECTION
Assistant Director: Daniel Jouanisson

PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography: Max Monteillet

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Chief Editor: Claude Gros

MUSIC
Music: Daniel White

SOUND
Sound: Claude Panier

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Richard Green

OTHER CREW
Continuity: Ilona Kunesova
Production Secretary: Sylvie Perrot

CAST

Manuel Gélin (Robert Blabert)
France Jordan (real name: France Lomay) (Erika)

with
Jeff Montgomery
Myriam Landson (Kurt's wife)
Eric Saint-Just (real name: Eric Viellard) (Ronald)
Caroline Audret (Sylvie)

and co-starring
Henry Lambert (real name: Henri Lambert) (Kurt)

PLOT SUMMARY

A group of teenagers travel to a remote North African oasis in search of the World War II German gold buried there. But when they arrive they are attacked by the undead corpses of the German soldiers.

CAPSULE REVIEW

Quite the worst thing you'll ever see. Even by Franco's low standards, this is appalling rubbish with not a single redeeming quality. Not even bad enough to be entertaining.

AVAILABILITY

France
Video Distributor: Les Productions du Tigre

Netherlands
Video Distributor: Sunrise

Spain
Video Distributor: Video Fan; Divisa

USA
Video Distributors: Wizard; Filmline; Transworld
DVD Distributor: Image (ID9107BIDVD)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Canada
Rating: 13+ (Quebec); banned (Ontario)

TIMELINE

2001
March
27: USA - DVD release

POSTER TAGS

The ultimate confrontation with the flesh-eating living dead!

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Abgrund der Lebenden Toten, Der - German title
Abime des morts-vivants, L' - French title
Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies - US video title
Desierto de los zombies, El - Spanish title
Grave of the Living Dead
Oase der Zombies - German DVD title
Oasis of the Living Dead, The - US title
Oasis of the Zombies - UK/US title
Tésor des morts vivants, Le - French title
Treasure of the Living Dead, The

LINKS

ALTERNATIVE LANGUAGE VERSION
Tumba de los muertos vivientes, La (1983) - note: this is a Spanish language version made at the same time but with a different cast.

INCLUDES FOOTAGE FROM
Giardini dei diavolo, I (1971)

SEE ALSO
Shock Waves (1977)
Lac des morts vivants, Le (1980)

REFERENCES

PERIODICALS

Fangoria no.204 (July 2001) p.61 (USA)
DVD review

Spaghetti Cinema no.14 (August 1986) pp.12-13 (USA)
review

Unifrance Film Bulletin 1982 (France)
review

BOOKS

Creature Features Strikes Again p.283
credits, short review

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.14
credits, short review

Obsession - The Films of Jesus Franco p.147
credits, synopsis, review

Video Watchdog Book p.96
note

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

deserts, gold, military, nazis, oases, teenagers, zombies

Last Updated: 15 October, 2009