The Grapes of Death begins with a young woman boarding a train, on her way to the french countryside to visit her boyfriend. As she gets closer to the vineyard where he works, she discovers that pesticides that have been sprayed on the vineyards have turned people into grotesque, violent zombies. Jean Rollin's Grapes of Death doesn't waste any time throwing the viewer into this horrific situation where everyone in a small rural town has become thes zombie type creatures. Rollin doesnt give the viewer much from the beginning of this film, and I really loved how early on the viewer is in the same place as our heroine --confused and freaked out about the madness which is happening around them. This unsettling mood really continues throughout the entire film, in that we don't really know the cause of the zombification until near the end of the movie. Rollin sure knows how to create an atmosphere, from his moody lighting, subtle camera movements and abudance of closeups, even using the beautiful, yet barren french countryside as an important atmospheric set piece. The Grapes of Death is a violent film and while the make-up can be a little cheesy I still found it to be pretty damn disgusting across the board, with Rollin's use of green and brown colors for bodily fluids being a highlight of the grotesque qualities. Its a slow paced flick and I did think the film dragged a bit towards the end but I really enjoyed the touch of intimacy which Rollin uses to center this story. 8.5/10
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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