Les Raisins de la mort (1978)

Director:

Jean Rollin

Writers:

Jean-Pierre Bouyxou (story)
Christian Meunier (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 July 1978 (France)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

When the wine flows, the terror begins ...

Plot:

A young woman discovers that the pesticide being sprayed on vineyards is turning people into killer zombies. |

Plot Keywords:

Pesticide | Crucifixion | Pitchfork | Sadism | Chemical

Cast

Marie-Georges Pascal	...	Élisabeth (as Marie George Pascal)
Félix Marten	...	Paul (as Felix Marten)
Serge Marquand	...	Lucien
Mirella Rancelot
Patrice Valota
Patricia Cartier
Michel Herval
Brigitte Lahaie		(as Brigitte Lahaye)
Paul Bisciglia
Olivier Rollin
Françoise Pascal
Evelyne Thomas
Jean-Pierre Bouyxou
Jean Rollin

Also Known As:

Pesticide (France) (alternative title)
The Grapes of Death (International: English title)
The Raisins of Death (International: English title)
Foltermühle der gefangenen Frauen (West Germany) [de]
Pestizide - Grapes of Death (Germany) (DVD box title) [de]
Pestizide - Stadt der Zombies (Germany) (video box title) [de]
Zombis - Geschändete Frauen (West Germany) (video box title) [de]

Runtime:

Germany:85 min | USA:90 min (uncut version)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:16 (2009) (DVD) | West Germany:(Banned) | West Germany:18 (nf) (cut version) | France:-16 | UK:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Company:

Films A.B.C.

Trivia:

Writer Jean-Pierre Bouyxou appears also in the film as the one-eyed living dead.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During the long zoom in the scene where Élisabeth meets the blind girl at the deserted valley, a man can be seen walking in the distance.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Das geheime Kino (2007)

Definitely Rollin's best, but not necessarily that good.

This film is watchable, but it is hit-and-miss in several respects. The atmosphere and story are not too bad, and the gore is a bit amateurish but plentiful. My major objection to the film is the poor editing. If you are ever asked about the importance of editing and continuity to the watchability of a film, just point to this film as an example of how NOT to do it. Due to the poor editing and lack of continuity, people "jump" all over the screen and sets, showing up in one place after starting in another. One of the actresses literally walks around a corner of a building and changes clothes completely at the same time. (No, I don't believe that this was intentional.) A couple huge dogs just show up at one point (which also makes no sense), wounds change locations, and some events were obviously intended to precede other events that now appear earlier in the film.

Don't get me wrong, this film is worth your time if you're a fan, but it is definitely not a slick, finished product.