Evil Town
Encyclopedia
Evil Town is a 1987
American
zombie horror film
directed by Edward Collins, Mardi Rustam
, Larry Spiegel, and Peter S. Traynor. Evil Town was the last film with the actor Dean Jagger.
film God Bless Doctor Shagetz. When the pieces of the various older films were patched together, there was inclusion of some new footage, including some with Jillian Kesner
and nude scenes with Playboy Playmate Lynda Wiesmeier
.
in 1985, two years before the release of Evil Town.
) campaign to achieve eternal youth, through synthesizing a drug derived from human pituitary fluid. In extracting the fluid, he creates mindless zombies from the donors. Because the local town residents are in on the plot, to achieve immortality, they help the scientist, by abducting visitors who come through town.
called it a "silly horror film" and noted that it was an assemblage of parts of earlier films, including an unfinished one from the 70s, and that it was "spiced up with some gratuitous nudity courtesy of former Playboy playmate Lynda Wiesmeier." While remarking that the editor's efforts to maintain continuity were comendable, he concluded that "the end result seems hardly worth the effort".
in November 1987.
1987 in film
-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
zombie horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Edward Collins, Mardi Rustam
Mardi Rustam
Mardi Rustam is a producer and director.He graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Business Administration. He also earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Arts Institute/Goodman Theatre of Chicago and a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema from USC.Rustam became the founder and...
, Larry Spiegel, and Peter S. Traynor. Evil Town was the last film with the actor Dean Jagger.
Production
The film went into production in 1984 and went through numerous re-writes and re-edits before release in 1987. It is made up of footage of several older films, with major footage coming from the unfinished Dean JaggerDean Jagger
Dean Jagger was an Academy Award winning American film actor.-Career:Born Ira Dean Jagger in Columbus Grove, Ohio, Jagger made his film debut in The Woman from Hell with Mary Astor...
film God Bless Doctor Shagetz. When the pieces of the various older films were patched together, there was inclusion of some new footage, including some with Jillian Kesner
Jillian Kesner-Graver
Jillian Kesner-Graver was an American actress and historian who worked with her late husband, Gary Graver, to preserve the work and legacy of director Orson Welles. She was best known as an actress for playing Fonzie's girlfriend, Lorraine, on Happy Days.-Early life:Kesner-Graver was born in...
and nude scenes with Playboy Playmate Lynda Wiesmeier
Lynda Wiesmeier
Lynda Ann Wiesmeier is an American and actress and model. Wiesmeier was selected as both cover model and Playmate of the Month for the July, 1982 issue of Playboy magazine, and her centerfold was photographed by Richard Fegley...
.
Pre spin-off
When beginning work Evil Town in 1984, director Mardi Rustam liked the story enough to make his own version which he released as Evils of the NightEvils of the Night
Evils of the Night is a 1985 low-budget science fiction/"porno horror" film starring Aldo Ray, Neville Brand, Tina Louise, John Carradine, and Julie Newmar.-Plot:...
in 1985, two years before the release of Evil Town.
Synopsis
The film depicts an evil scientist's (Dean JaggerDean Jagger
Dean Jagger was an Academy Award winning American film actor.-Career:Born Ira Dean Jagger in Columbus Grove, Ohio, Jagger made his film debut in The Woman from Hell with Mary Astor...
) campaign to achieve eternal youth, through synthesizing a drug derived from human pituitary fluid. In extracting the fluid, he creates mindless zombies from the donors. Because the local town residents are in on the plot, to achieve immortality, they help the scientist, by abducting visitors who come through town.
Cast
- James KeachJames KeachJames Keach is an American actor, producer, and director. He is the younger brother of actor Stacy Keach, Jr., and son of actor Stacy Keach, Sr.-Background:...
as Dr. Chris Fuller - Dean JaggerDean JaggerDean Jagger was an Academy Award winning American film actor.-Career:Born Ira Dean Jagger in Columbus Grove, Ohio, Jagger made his film debut in The Woman from Hell with Mary Astor...
as Dr. Schaeffer - Robert Walker Jr.Robert Walker Jr.Robert Hudson Walker, Jr. is an American actor.He was born in Queens, New York and is the elder son of actors Robert Walker and Jennifer Jones. A younger brother, Michael Walker, died in 2007 ....
as Mike - Doria Cook-Nelson as Linda
- Lynda WiesmeierLynda WiesmeierLynda Ann Wiesmeier is an American and actress and model. Wiesmeier was selected as both cover model and Playmate of the Month for the July, 1982 issue of Playboy magazine, and her centerfold was photographed by Richard Fegley...
as Dianne - Hope SummersHope SummersHope Summers was an American character actress known for her work on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD, portraying Clara Edwards.-Career:...
as Mrs. Wylie (archive footage) - Michele MarshMichele MarshMichele Marsh is a former New York Television anchorwoman from Connecticut.Michele started as a reporter/anchor at WABI-TV, Channel 5 in Bangor, Maine after graduating from Northwestern University. She reported in the field and anchored the 11 p.m. Monday-Friday newscasts, and the 6 p.m. Saturday...
as Julie - Christie Houser as (as Christie Hauser)
- Dabbs GreerDabbs GreerRobert William "Dabbs" Greer was an American actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for some fifty years. His distinctive, southern-accented voice fitted well in shows featuring rustic characters, such as westerns...
- Keith HefnerKeith Hefner (actor)Keith Hefner is an American songwriter, composer, actor, and younger brother of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. His nicknames include "Heath the Hearthrob" and "Kissin' Keith"....
- Scott Hunter
- Jillian KesnerJillian Kesner-GraverJillian Kesner-Graver was an American actress and historian who worked with her late husband, Gary Graver, to preserve the work and legacy of director Orson Welles. She was best known as an actress for playing Fonzie's girlfriend, Lorraine, on Happy Days.-Early life:Kesner-Graver was born in...
- Paul McCauley
- Regis ToomeyRegis ToomeyJohn Regis Toomey was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was one of four children of Francis X. and Mary Ellen Toomey and attended Peabody High School...
- Lurene TuttleLurene TuttleLurene Tuttle was a character actress, who made transitions from vaudeville to radio, to films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's most versatile actresses...
- Noelle Harling
- Greg Finley
Reception
Cavett Binion of All Movie GuideAll Movie Guide
Allrovi is a commercial database launched by the Rovi Corporation in 2011. It compiles information about music and movies from the former services Allmovie and Allmusic.-Content:...
called it a "silly horror film" and noted that it was an assemblage of parts of earlier films, including an unfinished one from the 70s, and that it was "spiced up with some gratuitous nudity courtesy of former Playboy playmate Lynda Wiesmeier." While remarking that the editor's efforts to maintain continuity were comendable, he concluded that "the end result seems hardly worth the effort".
Release
The film was scheduled for release on June 3, 1987, but due to the high level of anticipation for the movie, many theaters began showing it on the evening of June 2, 1987. It was released in USA on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in November 1987.