Shock Waves
Shipwrecked tourists confront an eerie undead Nazi force on a deserted island in a campy, atmospheric 1970s horror oddity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- campy
- atmospheric
- cult horror night
- late night genre viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly view the film as a quirky and visually distinctive low-budget horror experiment whose atmosphere and inventive zombie imagery outweigh its repetition and limited shocks.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The shipwrecked party wanders through a deserted island environment while the film emphasizes mood and suspense over repeated jump scares.
The central threat is a crew of zombie soldiers commanded by an aging SS officer, drawing directly on occultism in Nazism.
The undead emerge from the sea with scarred faces and dark glasses, while the film deliberately avoids the expected zombie gorefest.
The modest budget, sparse island locations, and repetitive stalking sequences mark it as a 1970s exploitation production.
Films like Shock Waves, and why
The Lost Continent
low-budget atmospheric horror, isolated setting, and unconventional supernatural menace
The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue
1970s zombie horror with occult Nazi imagery and exploitation-film sensibility
Let's Scare Jessica to Death
island isolation, eerie atmosphere, and slow-building supernatural dread
Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things
campy low-budget undead horror centered more on atmosphere than gore
Movie Details
- Director
- Ken Wiederhorn
- Release Date
- 1977-07-15
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 4.8 / 10 (140)
Cast
- Peter Cushing
- John Carradine
- Brooke Adams
- Fred Buch
- Jack Davidson
- Luke Halpin
- D.J. Sidney
- Don Stott
- Clarence Thomas
- Talmadge Scott
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Night Flight Plus, Eternal Family, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Shock Waves about?
- Shipwrecked tourists confront an eerie undead Nazi force on a deserted island in a campy, atmospheric 1970s horror oddity.
- What is Shock Waves like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shock Waves as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Shock Waves violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Shock Waves as mild.
- What did critics think of Shock Waves?
- Critics broadly view the film as a quirky and visually distinctive low-budget horror experiment whose atmosphere and inventive zombie imagery outweigh its repetition and limited shocks.
- Which films are like Shock Waves?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lost Continent, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, Let's Scare Jessica to Death, and Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things.
- How long is Shock Waves?
- Shock Waves runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch Shock Waves?
- In United States, Shock Waves streams on Amazon Prime Video, Night Flight Plus, Eternal Family, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Artiflix.
