Bloodstorm

DVD

Certificate 15

Extras: 5 short featurettes.

"We're all going to die, aren't we?"

The Nazi zombie movie genre has had a bit of a resurrection recently with such titles as Dead Snow and Outpost leading the way. This title from The Asylum starts off in the B-movie mode we've come to expect from the studio (which is not a criticism), then someone gets their face ripped off and my attention was pricked.

Deep in Antarctica a group of scientific researchers are abducted by a platoon of storm troopers. Led by Dr Josef Mengele, this bloodthirsty troupe has lain in wait in a secret base underneath the icy wastes since the fall of Nazi Germany. Led by Adrian Reistad (Jake Busey), the survivors have to find any means of escape from the hell that faces them. Trapped by a colony of Nazi survivors, whose bodies are a horrifying patchwork of decaying and regenerated flesh. Meanwhile Dr Mengele, who has continued his horrific human experimentation, is masterminding an invasion of Earth from the frozen depths. Can the scientists make it to the surface in time and stop his evil plans of creating an all-powerful Fourth Reich?

Also know under the far better title of Nazis At The Centre Of The Earth, this is an original and less than serious addition to the Nazi Zombie genre that is only let down by some dodgy backdrops and flat CGI. Leaving this behind it's an enjoyable slice of blood-splattered fun. It does have some rather sinister moments that make for uncomfortable viewing such as the subject of human experimentation, discussions on race etc but director Joseph J. Lawrence doesn't dwell on these scenes for too long. For most of the time this is a bit of a romp with plenty of pseudo-science and goose-stepping, gasmask wearing baddies to keep you entertained.

Busey is in his element here as Reistad and Christopher Karl Johnson revels in the role of the evil leader Mengele. The idea of Nazis surviving by replacing their worn out skin and body parts is a good one and is mixed with some nice plot twists and some gory set-pieces. This is not for the squeamish but is at times so outrageous in its premise that the more dramatic moments seem at odds with the rest of it.

All-in-all a fine Saturday night in with a beer kind of a movie that doesn't outstay its welcome and does exactly what it says on the tin.

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