For those hording toilet paper

I once again had my annual summer watch of Shock Waves (1977) with the kids. It was the third year watching it with them, but their distracting bickering and horseplay (just being kids) disappointed me. Previous years they seemed totally into it. Just the same the sunlight gleaming off the water would seem (well it does) alluring if death wasn't a present force that will envelope charter boat vacationers on the wrong island. Watching it on a Monday evening after work didn't quite feel like the right time. I've watched it in the wee hours around three in the morning and late afternoon Saturdays as the hot sun is setting, with both seemingly fitting. Next year I'll need to do that if able to.

There was a post on the Shock Waves IMDb movie message board where I think I describe my reasons for why others are totally bewitched by the film, compelled to watch it all the time:

I think it's a mix of things: the hopelessness, degraded resort, creepy zombies, the silence when the zombies seize upon them, the look of the film due to the stock used in the camera, the island setting, the presence of icons in such unique if limited parts, the eerie sunlight as it hits the water, the way the zombies emerge from all over, the bone chilling score, and the inability for the characters to save themselves through fault of their own. The 70s was ripe with these kinds of cult gems.