Oasis Of The Zombies

Oasis of the Zombies. Come on, who WOULDN’T want to watch a movie about Nazi undead? I can see why this isn’t exactly revered as a classic though. (By the way, this is also known as “The Treasure of the Living Dead.”)

A desert oasis is home to a squad of dead Nazi soldiers who prey upon anyone unfortunate enough to get within reach. With a rumor going around that they guard treasure, plenty of people risk getting within their reach. Most of the story revolves around a boy named Robert (who finds out about the treasure through his dead father’s diary – his father being the Commander that brought destruction upon the Nazis when they were alive) and his friends. The group of youngsters sets out to find their fortune in gold.

It’s as little story as possible to get to some zombie-chomping goodness. Get the group to the oasis, get the zombies after them. There’s more to it than that, of course, but nothing substantial. We do get to see the battle and fall of the living Nazis in all of its campily choreographed splendor as well as a follow up that gives the Commander and his family some mysterious backstory.

Honestly, there’s nothing good about the film. The story is weak. The characters have nothing to them. The only thing that distinguishes the Nazis as such is a swastika or two painted on their vehicles; otherwise they could be any group of random people with guns. The zombies themselves look neither like Germans nor soldiers. The effects are corny. The acting is laughable. Yet I stayed entertained throughout (if only mildly so).

One thing that's particularly bad is the reactions of the characters. Robert finds out his father is dead, learns for the first time who is mother is, meets his grandfather for the first time, and watches friends essentially being eaten alive by the living dead and never once shows any strong emotion.

The zombies look silly. Some of the more skeletal ones are obvious puppets, and while they are campy they are at least better looking than the more fleshy ones. The fleshy ones are humans in makeup that often looks like mud smeared on someone's face.

MORALITY:

There is one nude scene which is also sexual. There 3 other scenes (2 mildly sexual, one violent) but the video quality of the version I saw is so bad (more details in the buying guide) it acts as a sort of censor ultimately giving the suggestion of nudity without actually seeing much detail.

There is some violence and gore, including zombies biting people and pulling their guts out, though it all looks cheap and unconvincing.

The strong language is infrequent but is bad at times.

SPIRITUALITY:

Well, we're dealing with the undead, of course, so there is a supernatural element as far as it goes. Beyond that I guess we're just dealing with a shallow plot about people wanting to get rich quick.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The movie is so bad it's amusing. This is one of those that is best with a crowd who likes making fun of such movies. You need to be in the mood for some campy zombies, but if that's your thing go for it.

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