Revisiting the comfort of '70s Euro horror, I've chosen to talk a little bit about Jean Rollin's The Grapes of Death/Les Raisins de la Mort.

Starring: Marie-Georges Pascal, Félix Marten, Serge Marquand, Mirella Rancelot and Brigitte Lahaie.

The Grapes of Death sits somewhere in-between Romero's contagion-fuelled-maniacs in The Crazies (1973) and the moody atmosphere of Jorge Grau's Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974). As such, it might be improper to refer to the infected in Rollin's picture as zombies, as I don't believe they're ALL dead, a lot appear to just be regular folk afflicted by contaminated wine from an experimental pesticide.

One of the cool things about Grapes is the eco angle, similar to Grau's Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, in as much that an experimental pesticide is the direct cause for rather adverse health effects on the local populace, living or dead in the case of the latter. There's also a social commentary that's delivered in the final moments, clarifying the lack of response from any authorities.

The dreary winter landscape is also a standout creative choice, whether intention or not, similarly to the autumnal hellscape found in Dawn of the Dead (1978) or Fulci's The House by the Cemetery (1981). A harsh, dying, or dead countryside is a powerful visual, further conveying a greater sense of loss while acting as a cold reminder that death is ever-present for the remaining protagonists.

The story is centred around Elisabeth (Pascal), a young lady traveling by train to see her fiancé. During the journey, her friend is murdered by a madman, who's face is covered with pus-spewing abscesses. In a blind panic, Elisabeth flees the train for the countryside, and attempts to find her way to her boyfriend. Unfortunately for her, she quickly discovers that the countryside has become overrun with people baring facial sores and ruthless homicidal tendencies.

Grapes' possesses Rollin's trademark dreamlike quality, events unfold in a nightmarish fashion with each successive scene becoming more desperate and confusing. From the first moment when Elisabeth is attacked on the train and escapes into the sprawling French countryside, the events that follow are unravelled in such a fashion that it borders on sheer insanity.



Rollin effectively creates an intense and oppressive atmosphere throughout The Grapes of Death, as Elisabeth and her 2 male cohorts are relentlessly and mercilessly pursued by hordes of the infected and to be honest, there is a lot to love about this film. What it lacks in the dialogue department is vastly made up in the visuals, it is a beautifully shot film that is home to many memorable and fiendishly twisted scenes. Including the cruel fate of poor blind Lucie (Rancelot) at the hands of her once loving carer.

In my opinion this is what Euro-horror is all about.