Horrors of War (film)
An indie Nazi zombie film with ambitious scope.
Horrors of War is an independent film in the Nazi zombie and Grindhouse traditions, directed by Peter John Ross from a screenplay by Philip R Garrett. Ross explained the choice of zombies by saying the filmmakers wanted them to be "uber-soldiers for the Nazis" who are faster and less affected by bullets than ordinary troops.
The plot centers on American soldiers tasked with stopping Nazi scientists from developing a super serum that would turn victims into an unstoppable fighting force.
The cast includes Jon Osbeck as Lieutenant John Schmidt, Joe Lorenzo as Captain Joe Russo, Daniel Alan Kiely as Sergeant Stephen Gary, C. Alec Rossel as Captain Mitchell, David Carroll as Dr. Heinrich Schaltur, Chip Kocel as Corporal Simpson, Kim Carey as Colonel Parks, Sean Velie as Sergeant 'Dimm' Dennison, Jason Morris as Private Underwood, Louie Cowan as Sergeant Armstrong, Milan A. Cargould as Corporal Rueber, Brandy Seymour as Yvette, and Megan Pillar as Claire.
Reception was mixed. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 9% rating. Cinema Crazed criticized the acting but praised its "focus on characterization and engrossing scenarios," calling it "an entertaining and interesting horror hybrid for the whole family!" Scott Weinberg of FEARnet described it as "An admirable little indie that earns points for keeping a poker-straight face throughout all the craziness." Bryan Senn noted that the premise of combining horror and war genres had promise but "turned out to be a cinematic bridge too far, as its ambition far outstrips its abilities." Massawyrm of Ain't It Cool News said the film is "woefully out of its depth, a film so ambitious, so determined, and yet so big that its low budget simply cannot support it."
- Director
- Peter John Ross
- Writer
- Philip R Garrett
- Genre
- Nazi Zombie film, Grindhouse
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating
- 9%
- Notable Cast
- Jon Osbeck, Joe Lorenzo, Daniel Alan Kiely
Lore & Background
Horrors of War was directed by Peter John Ross from a script by Philip R Garrett. On the choice to incorporate zombies, Ross stated 'we wanted them to be uber-soldiers for the Nazis and wanted them to be faster and just not be affected by bullets as much as regular soldiers.' The film's plot involves American soldiers on a mission to prevent Nazi scientists from creating a super serum that would transform victims into an unstoppable fighting force. The cast includes Jon Osbeck as Lieutenant John Schmidt, Joe Lorenzo as Captain Joe Russo, and Daniel Alan Kiely as Sergeant Stephen Gary, among others.
Reader's Guide
Horrors of War is notable as an independently produced entry in the Nazi zombie subgenre, drawing from the Grindhouse aesthetic. Its reception was mixed: Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 9% rating. Cinema Crazed criticized the acting while praising the 'focus on characterization and engrossing scenarios' which created 'an entertaining and interesting horror hybrid for the whole family!' Scott Weinberg of FEARnet called it 'An admirable little indie that earns points for keeping a poker-straight face throughout all the craziness.' Bryan Senn noted that the premise had promise but 'turned out to be a cinematic bridge too far, as its ambition far outstrips its abilities.' Massawyrm of Ain't It Cool News stated they weren't quite sure what to make of it and that 'Horrors of War is a film that is woefully out of its depth, a film so ambitious, so determined, and yet so big that its low budget simply cannot support it.' The film's legacy lies in its attempt to blend war and horror genres on a limited budget.
Did You Know?
- Horrors of War is an independently produced Nazi Zombie film derived from the Grindhouse genre.
- Director Peter John Ross stated the zombies were designed to be 'uber-soldiers' that are faster and less affected by bullets.
- Rotten Tomatoes gives Horrors of War a rating of 9%.
- Cinema Crazed praised the film's 'focus on characterization and engrossing scenarios,' calling it 'an entertaining and interesting horror hybrid.'
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