MAXIMUM CARNAGE!!! Maximum Carnage goin' on in The BLOOD WATERS OF DOCTOR Z a.k.a ZAAT! Actually that is not true , I'm lying on that one. It would be even better if BLOOD WATERS OF DOCTOR Z was a gore fest but it's not and that's okay , even though there is some bloodletting in the picture.
My first encounter with this movie is when it aired on TCM underground a year or so back. It came on around 1:30 AM so I taped it because I could not stay up to watch the whole thing and I was pretty intrigued because I had never heard of ZAAT so it was this completely new undiscovered grade - B cult film about a monster and that was right up my alley! I really dig flicks in the mold of CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON. OCTA MAN , HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP , RANA: The Legend Of Shadow Lake and on that night ZAAT. It's your basic monster movie ; a mad scientist turns himself into a aquatic beast to conquer not just the world but the whole flippin' universe! The monster design is bad but so cool in it's terribleness , the actors are bad which is good , and it was filmed in the early 70's and has this weird dreamy quality to it and it has moments where we see the creature walking around either in silence or with echoey voiceover that adds to the quirkiness. It's a bit hypnotizing and that is part of the reason I have seen the MST3K version a few times since I no longer have a vcr to watch my dub of it. It's a movie I like to have on in the background for it's ambient feel.
Which brings me to the MST3K ultrastrike riff mongering of this movie! I was beside my self with fanboy joy when I found this! I all ready liked the movie but discovering their version changed the movie , it reinvigorated it and tripled it's cool factor! Mike and the bots make alot of fun of BLOOD WATERS OF DOCTOR Z; maybe not as rapid fire as they do other movies but maybe they too were lulled into the films lucid dream state but they come up with alot of good ribs on the monster suite and the scientist before he turns into a catfish monster and the skits they do in between commercial breaks are classic! This is another one on my top 10 list of favorite MST3K episodes and they have this one on a dvd with THE CRAWLING EYE , THE BEATNIKS , and THE FINAL SACRIFICE. My pick would be this , IT LIVES BY NIGHT , TRACK OF THE MOON BEAST , and THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN!
Unbelievably there is a blu-ray/dvd combo of ZAAT! Loaded with xtras: Original movie postcard art , original 35 mil trailer , tv spots , out takes , photo gallery , spanish subs , and commentary. I wish all these old forgotten beat up cinema gems got this level of treatment for their dvd and if anyone wanted to get me ZAAT for christmas or my birthday I would not be against that! Viewing ZAAT recently it has made me want to re - visit my collection of old man in a rubber suit movies which is a good thing. Now , he's down , .....doppleganger finish him! Arty
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