Let's be realistic.

Admirable film.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Truly, laughably, staggeringly awful. This is not only the worst zombie film ever made, it may very well be the worst film ever made, period. Robot Holocaust, R.O.T.O.R. and even Troll 2 have nothing on this travesty.Fortunately, it is so bad that it is hilarious. Trust me, it is hilarious.Horrific editing, lighting, acting, direction, cinematography, screen writing, makeup, casting, and everything else aside, the fact that it features a zombie who not only shows emotion for his kid, but actually gives her a necklace, walks hand-in-hand with her and (seriously) fights off other zombies in order to protect her(!) is, well......stupefying. A sentimental zombie, folks, and one who bestows gifts and heaps love upon his long lost daughter. I'm not kidding, it's in there.Yes, there are boatloads of silly and gratuitous nudity, all of which is poorly lighted and has no business in this movie other than to lure the desperate into the theater (assuming this ever graced the reels of a theater in France). Its inclusion and execution is so misplaced and laughably exploitative that it is completely devoid of the erotic effect that was no doubt originally intended.And then there are the bird noises. Scene after scene is dominated by loud, screeching bird noises. I do not know why. Perhaps the French countryside was simply overrun by bird noises the day this film was shot or perhaps the director felt the need to mask the sound of rusted, whirring cameras with a sound which would remind the confused viewers that the scene they were watching was, in fact, an exterior. The one good thing I'll say about the incessant bird noises is that they represent, at the very least, a reprieve from the God-awful soundtrack.There is so much else to say about this movie, but I will leave it to you to find the many "treasures" as the film painfully and slowly unfolds.Throw a "bad film" party and save this one for the finale when everyone is suitably tanked and ready for the worst of the worst. Your friends will be talking about it - and you - for years.

In World War II, in a small village in France vanquished by the German army, a local woman has a love affair with one soldier and they have a daughter, Helena. One day, the German soldiers are ambushed and killed by the French Resistance and their bodies are thrown into a lake.Ten years later, the soldiers become an army of undead attacking the locals. The Mayor, who was part of the resistance, organizes a posse with a flamethrower, to destroy the living dead, and uses the girl Helena to help them."Le Lac des Morts Vivants" is another hilarious low-budget horror-trash by Eurocine from the 70's and 80's recently released in Brazil on DVD with attractive cover. Everything is absurd in this film, from the story and screenplay to the direction, acting, make-up and cinematography (the exception are the underwater scenes); but controversially I have enjoyed and had lots of fun watching this trash. Although not responsible for the direction, the touch of Jesus Franco is visible. My vote is four.Title (Brazil): "O Lago dos Zumbis" ("The Zombie's Lake")

Needless to say, "Zombie Lake" is no masterpiece of filmmaking. It is, however, one hilariously bad Nazi-zombie flick with a few good points.1. Decent atmosphere throughout; the French countryside makes a FINE place for a pond of undead National Socialists, don't you think? 2.Nice little romantic side-story, with the Nazi-dad and his little girl.3. Plenty of athletically-built, scantily-clad chicks who seem to have little regard for decency as they regularly disrobe to take a dip in the pond.Obviously you are not going to get the next "Dawn of the Dead" here, but "Zombie Lake" is plenty entertaining to sit around and swig a couple beers, relax and have a laugh at.High points for me are the swimming pool ladders visible in some of the underwater scenes and the green makeup that even comes off onto one of the victims arms in a killing scene. The only thing that really drags this movie down is a lack of gore. The zombie killings look more like vampires biting their victims...maybe they were supposed to be vamps? Lost in translation perhaps. (After all, the literal translation of the title is "Lake of the Dead." Maybe they were in fact vampires.)At any rate, if they had thrown some of that good ole raw meat and a little gut-munching, "Zombie Lake" would have scored higher for sure.6 out of 10, kids.

Zombie Lake (1980) ** (out of 4) Jean Rollin/Eurocine naxiploitation/zombie hybrid about a lake full of dead Nazis who rise to attack beautiful naked women who dare go swimming there. This is one of the most legendary Euro flicks of its era due in large part to how bad it is. However, as bad as this sucker is, for some reason it has me going back for repeat viewings. The quality is a huge step down for director Rollin but there are plenty of naked bodies to look at. This film has the same mood, feel and pace of Oasis of the Zombies, which was released a few years later and credited to Jess Franco. For the life of me I feel these two films were directed by the same person and for a time Franco was rumored to have directed both and then it was rumored Rollin had directed both. The highlight of the film is when seven sexy females decide to go skinny dipping in the lake. Howard Vernon stars.