As far as foreign language films go, I prefer them dubbed as opposed to the subtitles. Which, from what I understand, puts me in the minority, as most fans seem to find the fake voices "distracting". You know what's REALLY distracting? Having to watch a movie in a language you don't understand while reading the English script. If you think that makes me lazy, then shove it up your ass. I do like a few subtitled flicks, Jean Rollin is great. But for the most part, I try to avoid movies which force me to apply such constant undivided attention. But that's just me.
However, there are some foreign language films that are dubbed pretty badly, and very well might have been better off presented in their original form. I can't really think of any off the top of my head, but since we're on the subject, I'd like to talk about a movie called Zombie '90. I'm not sure if this was ever supposed to be a part of the Zombi series of the 70's and 80's that eventually became the Zombie series. I assumed that it was up until I actually saw it. But there's no way this could have ever been a part of anything besides Andreas Schnaas' insane filmography.
Andreas Schnaas is a German micro-budget gore filmmaker, and is mostly known for the shot-on-video abomination, Violent Shit. Pretty abysmal stuff, all around, and beneath pretty much any of the similar stuff that was coming out at the time. But you can't really complain too much about a movie which features graphic genitalia mutilation. A quality that would be comtinued in his next film. Besides that, Zombie '90 also has about the same bottom on the barrel quality. Fake looking blood and gore, horrible dialogue, no story. But unlike the subtitled Violent Shit, Zombie '90 has the goddamndest dubbing in (home) movie history. These guys either don't care or someone just decided to turn this into some kind of Mystery Science Theater-type joke due to it being obvious that this fim being presented in a remotely serious manner would forever render it worthless. Zombie '90 is alot of things, but I assure you, worthless is not one of them.
Like I said. no story, here. Kind of a Return Of The Living Dead-ish vibe, with an all around quality three steps below that of Redneck Zombies. A plane, carrying a deadly chemical, crashes somewhere in German countryside, giving way to a zombie epidemic. Two doctors go on a zombie-killing spree, in an attempt to end this before it gets too out of hand. What follows is some of the worst gore effects in history. But a whole lot of it. That, bad dubbing, an appropriately bad score, and that'd be about it. But keep in mind. The dubbing IS the movie.Technically, Zombie '90 is the worst zombie movie I have yet to come across. And one of the all around worst movies in general. Bad enough to earn it a spot alongside the atrocities of Todd Sheets, while hilarious enough to earn it a spot alongside the Troll 2s and Blood Freaks of the world. I'm not 100% on what the original plan was, here, assuming there was ever any plan at all. Or how true this "joke dubbing" is to the original dialogue, is a mystery to me. But the route they took was of course the only way to go. Zombie '90 hasn't exactly earned itself legendary status, but as worthless as it may seem on the surface, it has alot of laughs to offer someone who might be into this type of thing. But keep in mind, I did say "might". 7/10
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