Synopsis
< Legion of the Dead > by a German director Olaf Ittenbach comes across as a study on Robert Rodriguez's < From Dusk Till Dawn >. The two films are strikingly similar in that both are road movies that take place in closed-off spaces and time, and that both are about a bloody struggle against evil and the allies which turn into vampires. Two friends, William and Luke, are hitchhiking across the beautiful California desert, and are kidnapped by a notorious psycho named Mike. After narrowly escaping death in the hands of Mike who goes into a periodic fit, the two friends find sanctuary at a roadside restaurant. At the restaurant, William falls in love with Geena, an enchanting waitress, and Luke spins out of control hormonally, seeing strange images. As the night falls, the Legion of the Dead, led by a man referred to as devil's embodiment, suddenly attacks the restaurant and gives an ultimatum. The film < Legion of the Dead >, a third feature film by Olaf Ittenbach of < Burning Moon > (1992) and < Der gefallene Engel > (1997), is a story of two rash young men on the road, who kill people to form a Legion of the Dead, In their quest, the waitress Geena somehow become involved at the roadside restaurant. Although there are scenes tinged with occultism, such as a group that prowl the desert to destroy with deadly virus those cursed with immortality, < Legion of the Dead > is characteristically a movie that combines splatter, action, and comedy. To the audience's delight, there are regular doses of adolescent pranks, silly jokes, and gory mutilations throughout the film. (KIM Harry)