The Daily Dig: The Curse of the Screaming Dead (1982)

Apparently, the only thing Zombies covet more than brains is books, and you’d be better off reading one than watching this plodding film.

A group of friends go hunting near a Confederate burial ground whose occupants come back to life when the hunters steal something from one of the graves. Let’s dig into 1982’s THE CURSE OF THE SCREAMING DEAD (aka CURSE OF THE CANNIBAL CONFEDERATES), directed by Tony Malanowski!

As I See It

Opening the Blu-ray release with a “friendly warning” for violence was a good way to get me hyped. Don’t threaten a spooky kid with a good time! The real warning should have been that the film is borderline unwatchable, in my opinion.

The cast are not actors and really weren’t trying to be. They deliver their lines more dryly than a middle school performance of “Bye Bye Birdie”. I’m sure they were trying their best, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch.

Malanowski apparently was obsessed with the Civil War because, besides making two films about Confederate zombies, he also made an educational series on the war.

The zombies in this film have a sixties-era look, like Night of the Living Dead with less effort. They’re mostly painted, with a few wearing distorted masks.

This film also exists in the same universe as NOTLD, whether that means it’s a movie in their universe or it was a real-life event is not clear, but the characters are aware that to kill a zombie, you aim for the head. That’s something that was originally established by Romero.

One of the craziest additions to the zombie lore is that they explode when you kill them. They use superimposed firework mortar blasts, played in reverse, which is… a choice, for sure. That, along with some truly laughable sound design, especially when the cop is getting bear-hugged by a zombie, are just absurd elements to this Troma-distributed snoozer.

I can’t even believe I’m giving it a half star, but they earned that from the zombie dinner scene alone.

Famous Faces

Malanowski reused some actors from Night of Horror. Other than that, I don’t think anyone will pop up in your catalog.

Of Gratuitous Nature

There is nothing here that will catch the ire of the internet. I don’t think so, at least. There is nothing controversial about the soldiers, except for their origin and the flags they were buried with. All it takes is for one character to state “it’s getting hot” for all the women to take their tops off, but it doesn’t go any further than them in their bras.

Heartthrob

That gore scene is something else. I didn’t time it, but it’s minutes of the zombie soldiers feasting on the entrails of the hunters as they moan in an overtly sexual manner. The Foley artist gets to shine here with the squishy heart and intestine sounds as the macabre mercenaries munch on their innards.

Ripe for a Remake

Being a remake itself should disqualify the notion of a remake, but tell me you wouldn’t want to see a modern horror where a bunch of sport hunters ironically meet their doom at the hands of long-dead ancestors?

Spawns

No progeny to report, mercifully.

Where to Watch

Vinegar Syndrome released a Blu-ray with a new, 2K scan. Included in that set is Malanowski’s first attempt at a confederate zombie flick, Night of Horror. There is a very healthy amount of extras, which I would guess are more entertaining than the actual film. You can watch the film under its alternate title, Curse of the Cannibal Confederates, free on Tubi, or find several copies of the film on YouTube.