Oasis of the Zombies (originally called L'Abîme des Morts-Vivants / The Abyss of the Living Dead) is a 1982 film directed by Jesús Franco for French producer Marius Lesoeur.
Oasis of the Zombies | |
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French theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jesús Franco (as A.M. Frank) |
Produced by | Marius Lesoeur (uncredited) |
Written by | Jesús Franco |
Starring |
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Music by | Daniel White |
Cinematography | Max Monteillet |
Edited by | Claude Gros |
Production company | Eurociné |
Release date |
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Running time | 82 minutes |
Country | France |
Language | French Spanish English |
Screenplay
The plot involves treasure hunters who track down a lost fortune in Nazi gold in the desert, only to discover that the treasure is still guarded by the Afrika Korps soldiers transporting it, who have become zombies.
- Manuel Gélin as Robert Blabert
- France Lomay as Erika
- Jeff Montgomery as Ben
- Eric Saint-Just as Ronald
- Caroline Audret as Sylvie
- Henri Lambert as Colonel Kurt Meitzell (in the French-language version)
- Myriam Landson as Kurt's Wife (in the French-language version)
- Eduardo Fajardo as Colonel Kurt Meitzell (in the Spanish-language version)
- Lina Romay as Kurt's Wife (in the Spanish-language version)
- Antonio Mayans as Sheik Mohamed Al-Kafir
- Javier Maiza as Captain Blabert
- Albino Graziani as Prof. Deniken
- Jesús Franco as Zombie
The film has also been released over the years as Bloodsucking Nazi Zombies, El desierto de los zombies, The Grave of the Living Dead, and The Treasure of the Living Dead.
Franco filmed a "Spanish version" simultaneously with the French version (under the title La Tumba de los Muertos Vivientes).
Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, academic Peter Dendle stated the film has had a negative reception, but it "presents a simple, unhurried, and unpretending appreciation of zombies and their habitat, a fresh and provocative desert landscape." Ian Jane of DVD Talk rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "It's terrible, but somehow trance inducing in its own bizarre way." Gordon Sullivan of DVD Verdict wrote, "It's really a mess of tepid Eurosleaze masquerading as a zombie flick, and it doesn't even do that well."