Going to the movies in the early 1980’s was completely different experience than you get now. There were still drive-in theaters and small movie theaters that would show low budget and second-run films. There were lots of these films out making the rounds to these theaters. For me and my college friends, this created a great opportunity to see lots of bad films. I have talked about the Bad Cinema Club in a previous post. One of our group noticed that a small theater in a town very close to our school was regularly running double features of the types of films that we sought out. We would become regulars at this theater on their mid-week bargain night.
One of the more memorable nights included Hollywood Meatcleaver Massacre and Kung Fu Zombie. Hollywood Meatcleaver Massacre is a typical early 1980’s slasher film with nothing that memorable. If you think that Kung Fu Zombie sounds like a bizarre mashup between horror and martial arts, you are exactly right. It works more as a horror film but is guaranteed to disappoint fans of either genre. Not enough Kung Fu to satisfy anyone seeking out a martial arts film and the zombies were just goofy. Raising out of graves and spinning. Goofy hopping. It’s the type of movie that was fun while we watched it but didn’t have any memorable moments. The idea of the movie was more fun that the actual film. It was cool to be able to tell people we had seen this film but that was about it.
Kung Fu Zombie became one of those legendary movies from my past. With the advent of home video, it became one of those movies that I sought out but was impossible to find. I searched movie catalogs and list in search of it but you would think it didn’t even exist. I finally ran across a copy at a Suncoast Movie store when those things were still around. Today it is much easier to find information about it and even find copies. If you are interested in seeing this gem, let me know and we will arrange a viewing.
