I Was a Teenage Zombie
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| I Was a Teenage Zombie | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Elias Michalakis |
| Produced by | Richard Hirsh John Elias Michalakis |
| Written by | James Aviles Martin George Seminara |
| Starring | Michael Rubin Steve McCoy George Seminara Robert C. Sabin Peter Bush Allen Lewis Rickman Kevin Nagle Cassie Madden |
| Music by | Jonathan Roberts Craig Seeman |
| Cinematography | Peter Lewnes |
| Editing by | John Elias Michalakis |
| Distributed by | Horizon Films Charter Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | July, 1987 |
| Running time | 90 mins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
I Was a Teenage Zombie is a 1987 film with a cult following that has the tagline "A Killer Party You Won't Forget".
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Four High-Schoolers (led by the leather-jacketed "Bird") accidentally kill a drug pusher and dump his body in toxic waters. When the pusher returns as a zombie, and knocks off our heroes one by one, their only recourse is to dump the body of one of their recently dead, and have him return as a "good" zombie to face off with the bad one. The Producer's hook for the film was to feature music by groups the likes of The Fleshtones and Los Lobos, and The Violent Femmes. The Film has a very low budget and unknown actors however it has attracted a cult following. The film begins like a 80's comedy with teens looking to score some marijuana but turns into comedy/horror genre when a drug dealer is pushed into the river and becomes a zombie. The gore effects are cheap and the plot is not heavy, however the campiness of the film is greatly appreciated among fans.
[edit] Film Facts
The film's title track was recorded by the American band The Fleshtones, and the subsequent video was given rotation on MTV. Other bands and artists appearing on the film's soundtrack include: The Del Fuegos, The dB's, Dream Syndicate, the Violent Femmes, The Waitresses, The Smithereens, Los Lobos, Alex Chilton and the Ben Vaughn Group.
The original soundtrack record can be purchased online from various stores including Ebay.
The film was shot on location in and around New York City especially Brooklyn. Some of the scenes near the beginning of the film were shot in Flatbrush College in Brooklyn.
The film has been known to been shown on the Independent Film Channel in the United States.
The director of the film John Elias Michalakis had previously worked with Troma studios as a sound operator on the 1985 film The Toxic Avenger.
[edit] The Cast And Crews Current Work
Both Kevin Nagle (The Bird) and Allen Lewis Rickman (Lieberman) have worked as actors on Law And Order Special Victims Unit. Kevin Nagle played the character of Joey Bosco, and Allen Lewis Rickman played a hotel manager.
George Seminara (who played Gordy in I Was A Teenage Zombie) has had other work in the film industry. George had a brief acting role in the 2006 film Beer League. Mr. Seminara has also been involved in the production and filming of various punk documentaries including the Ramones End Of The Century.
Theo Polites, who played the character of Moon the drug dealer, died of cancer in 2005.
The film is currently out of print on DVD, however used copies of the original DVD and VHS are available for purchase online and in older video stores.
