by Jachelle Overstreet, Reporter

Nazis have long been one of Hollywood’s favorite movie villains. So what’s worse than a Nazi? How about a Nazi Zombie Robot? You might be asking yourself ‘Can it be done?‘ In fact, it can. Let’s check out Richard Raaphorst’s Frankenstein’s Army to find out how.

Arriving on Blu-ray and DVD on September 10, 2013, Frankenstein’s Army is the newest release from Dark Sky Films. This delightfully schlocky horror film is set in the final days of World War II. The story is presented as found-footage of a battalion of Russian soldiers who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. Their story is being told by a filmmaker brought along to make a propaganda film about the squadron’s exploits. After receiving a distress call from a group of soldiers, the group makes its way   to an eerily empty mining village. As the soldiers search the ruins, they are lured into the secret laboratory of the unhinged scientist, Viktor Frankenstein (Karel Roden – Hellboy). Using the journals of his grandfather, Frankenstein assembled an army of soldiers by stitching together men and machines into the affectionately dubbed “Zombots.” Terrified and cut off, the soldiers must try to escape at any cost, or face becoming one of Frankenstein’s creations themselves.

It seems the days of good old fashioned monster movies have fallen by the wayside in recent years with make-up and special effects often being replaced by CGI. Frankenstein’s Army may not have the strongest plot the horror genre has ever seen, but by God does it deliver those monsters with unabashed glee. The monsters and the special effects team that brought them to life are the true stars of this flick. They are the most brilliantly absurd monsters I’ve ever come across and they made me laugh out loud while still being sufficiently creeped out. I happily made up names for the monstrosities as I watched that included knife-hands, drill-mantis, propeller-face, and Scuba Steve. The latter being a massive creature with vicious knives for hands and an ancient scuba helmet in place of its head. I loved that guy. The only time I seriously questioned Frankenstein’s monsters was during a scene where we are shown the head of a young woman sewn onto a teddy bear and encased in glass for no apparent reason. That one went a little too absurd for me. But otherwise they were utterly fantastic.They were creepy and imaginative and scary and hilarious all at the same time.

The film had a few somewhat glaring issues, like the fact that all the characters were either Russian or German and they all seemed to speak perfect English. The shaky cam approach did present certain advantages when it came to letting the actors connect with the camera, but often gave us less than stellar views of the fantastic monsters. There is the fact that it was filmed in color, even though the video was supposed to have been filmed in 1945. A part of me thinks that it would have given the film an extra creep factor to see the zombots lumbering around in black and white.

The movie starts off completely normal, and slowly builds up to the absurd, which I think really works in this case. It gives viewers time to acclimate before being accosted by a monster with a giant propeller for its head. The shaky cam did become somewhat distracting at times, particularly during some of the more intense action scenes. The scenery, however, was spot on. The movie was filmed at abandoned World War II sites in Prague and the sites could not have been more perfectly chosen. Frankenstein’s lab was filmed in a closed down mine that was turned into a museum, and it is, pardon the pun, just what the doctor ordered. You can watch director Richard  Raaphorst literally hopping around in excitement while scouting locations in the behind the scenes featurette.

The “Making Of” featurette is the main attraction of the special features. A 31 minute long look behind the scenes of the film. It includes interviews with Rapphorst as he explains his vision and creative process while making the movie. As well as interviews with the actors, cinematographer, and the special effects team. Frankenstein’s Army is a creative and fun take on monster movies, and watching the featurette only added to my enjoyment of the film. Especially the up-close looks at the monsters and gory special effects that were lost in the film itself.

In addition to the featurette, the disc also includes five creature spots of the film’s more memorable monsters; the Burnt Match Man, Mosquito Man, Propellerhead, Teddy Bear Woman, and Razor Teeth.  It also includes the film’s trailer.

All in all, if you’re a fan of monster movies and get a kick out of schlock and excess gore, then you’re going to have a blast watching Frankenstein’s Army. It’s funny and creative and definitely worth seeing for Rapphorst’s crazy zombots. But if you’re looking for more plot and less intestines being ripped out, this might not be the film for you. You never know, though. One day when the Zombie-Robot apocalypse is upon us, this movie might just save your life.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Frankenstein’s Army 3 1/2 zombots out of 5.

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