Customer Reviews

Supernaturals,the [VHS]

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When a group of young soldiers are on manoeuvres in the sullen backwoods of America, they are confronted with the horrors that took place during the bloody Civil War. Stranded and unable to make radio contact, they are forced to set-up camp. As darkness descends upon them, an eerie mist forks its way across the forest floor. But this is no ordinary mist. It is the work of the Confederate un-dead, hideous apparitions on a quest for revenge against the offspring of the murderous 44th Union Division.

Starring Maxwell Caulfield (The Boys Next Door, Gettysburg, Empire Records, The Real Blonde), 'The Supernaturals' is one of the better 'zombie' movies produced during the nineteen eighties. Although not as accomplished, both in plot and direction, as George A. Romero's 'Day of the Dead' trilogy, it has nevertheless earned cult status amongst horror fans. The film is let down only by its injudicious use of cliched dialogue and the occasional shoddy special effect. But isn't that one of the main ingredients of the B-Picture? 'The Supernaturals' enjoyed considerable success after its release on VHS in 1986 and, along with movies like 'The Stuff' and 'Silver Bullet', it deserves a place in the B-Movie horror hall of fame.

And the winner is...

I've got a great idea. Let's take a period piece/Civil War drama, and try and make it also be a zombie B-movie. Sounds like a masterpiece, right?

"The Supernaturals" is incomprehensibly bad, failing on every conceivable level. I'm not against B-grade zombie movies, but this one has much higher ambitions; it wants to also be a war drama. I don't think that these two genres can possibly fit together in the same movie, but maybe I'm wrong. If you ever want to try to do the same thing, "The Supernaturals" is a perfect example of how NOT to do it.

Okay, so you have a squadron of generic (and uninteresting) soldiers going into the deep woods to...train or camp out, I guess; I'm not real sure about that. And then the Confederate zombies (!) start killing them off for whatever reason. They don't eat their flesh as most zombies do--they seem to be killing them because they mistakingly think they're the Union soldiers who killed them. Are zombies so discriminating? And do they feel revenge--I thought zombies had no feelings? But whatever.

Therefollowing, you have an insane subplot about a 200-year old boy with magical powers and his ghostly mother. Not to mention something about how one of the soldiers is mistaken for the father. Never mind, who's really interested in any of this stuff?

The acting is terrible, the characters and plots are ludicrous and standard, and the action and violence is ridiculous. Zombies are easy to kill: just wack 'em with a bat or shoot them, and there you go. Are we supposed to believe that an Army unit with high-powered machine guns loses a battle with zombies using...MUSKET RIFLES (which probably wouldn't work anymore anyway)!!!???? Not only that, but that they can't evil kill a single one?

All this would be forgivable, if the movie wanted to have fun with the idea. Alas, "The Supernaturals" takes itself seriously and is gloomy, depressing, and most of all, unpleasant. I can't think of a film I've had less fun watching.

Of all the movies I've ever seen in my life, none can top "The Supernaturals." It is, hands down, the worst movie I've ever seen, and that is no small achievement.