The Supernaturals
The Supernaturals
R | 09 May 1986 (USA)
The Supernaturals Trailers

Nichelle Nichols is an army sergeant who leads her platoon into the woods of the deep south on a training exercise. Unfortunately, it is the site where a bunch of yankee soldiers murdered a town of confederates. The corpses of the dead soldiers rise up to wreak revenge.

Reviews
Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant
Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Sam Panico Armand Mastroianni brought us the screen debut of Tom Hanks in He Knows You're Alone. Here, he combines a cast of people who will make you say, "Hey isn't that..." and puts them up against an army of undead Confederate soldiers.During the Civil War, a Confederate town is taken over and all of the soldiers are ordered to walk a minefield, including young Jeremy, who is forced to do so because he has on the uniform. Only he and his mother survive.Fast forward to 1986, where the Army's 44th division - the same one that screwed over the southern soldiers in the past - are conducting war games under the command of Sgt. Leona Hawkins (yes, that's Nichelle Nichols from Star Trek). There's also Pvt. Ellis (Maxwell Caulfield, Rex Manning himself from Empire Records), Pvt. Lejune (Talia Balsam, Crawlspace and the first wife of George Clooney, as well as the daughter of Psycho's Martin Balsam), Pvt. Osgood (Levar Burton, uniting the original and TNG Star Trek casts), Pvt. Cort (Bobby Di Cicco, The Philadelphia Experiment), Pvt. Mendez (Scott Jacoby from Bad Ronald) and Maurice Gibb in a cameo as a Union soldier (he also wrote a soundtrack that wasn't used).Of course, someone screws around in the woods and the undead rise to claim the living. Everything feels rather low rent, which is fine, because the actual zombies look rather good and the reveal of who is behind the actual return of the dead is rather interesting.This is way better than it should be and in the hands of a better director would have been pretty interesting. As it is, it'll definitely pass an afternoon.
insomniac_rod I didn't like this movie although the premise is really good. These post-war zombie movies are very popular and this one is very decent. If done correctly, this movie would have the status of a respectable zombie movie. The cinematography is really good and plays a key part in the most important scenes, for example, the ending.The f/x are really are cheesy but work for the movie's purpose. Still I can't recommend this movie for it's visuals... in fact, it's a boring movie with a lot of wasted potential.Watch it only if you get it for free. I catched it on late cable many years ago and I can't say that I regret about it, but I wouldn't watch it again!Try "Stryker's War" for a more entertaining movie in the likes of this one.
Woodyanders 1865: A sadistic Union army commander forces several Confederate soldiers to walk across a minefield, brutally slaughtering the whole luckless lot of 'em in the process. 1985: A small group of raw Army recruits go into the same backwoods territory where the massacre occurred for basic maneuvers. The motley assortment of scruffy grunts discover the hard way that the eerie land is crawling with vicious, inhospitable, creepily cadaverous skull-faced zombies who don't take kindly to any trespassers on their sacred terrain. The zoms are still alive because a little psychic boy who witnessed the massacre in 1865 refuses to let the poor buggers die. The kid's beautiful, still alive mother (the strikingly comely Margaret Shendal) falls for nice guy GI Ray (hunky Maxwell Caulfield of "Grease 2" and "The Boys Next Door" fame) while the other less lucky squad members get stiffed by the shambling undead Civil War ghouls.Although the seemingly can't miss premise -- a genuinely inspired fright film amalgam of "2000 Maniacs," "Southern Comfort" and "Night of the Living Dead" -- promises a good, spooky "high concept" horror movie outing, "The Supernaturals" alas qualifies as a humongous letdown due largely to a terribly dry and rudimentary execution. Director Armand Mastroianni, the same guy responsible for the awfully boring slasher turkey "He Knows You're Alone," crucially fails to build any necessary tension or momentum, thus allowing this dud to tediously slog towards a rather drawn-out, less-than-harrowing conclusion. Caulfield, Nichelle Nichols ("Star Trek" 's Lt. Uhura), Levar Burton, Bobby Di Cicco, Talia Balsam, and "Bad Ronald" 's Scott Jacoby all contribute excellent, creditable performances, but not even their considerable acting skills can inject any much-needed vitality into this lifeless, lethargic loser. The nifty, scarcely seen zombie make-up by Mark Shostrom, a typically nice, moody score by the great, grossly under-appreciated B-movie composer Robert O. ("Mansion of the Doomed," "Grizzly") Ragland, and Peter Collister's stately, proficient cinematography are all up to snuff, but sound technical credits can't compensate for this snoozer's unbearably dormant, extremely slow and soporific pacing, conspicuously meager two-cent production values, and a hopelessly muddled, confusing story that isn't unraveled in a clear, compelling manner. Co-written and co-produced by longtime hack horror filmmaker Joel Soisson, this stupendously lackluster Sandy Howard production proves to be as successful at evoking chills and involving the viewer as General Custer was at besting the Indians at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
mat_williams62 'The Supernaturals' is one of the most sinister horror films to come out of the 1980's. The location for this zombie flick is aptly used: somewhere in the 'sullen backwoods' of America. We are, at first, introduced to a regiment of Confederate soldiers who are forced, by the Union forces - the 44th - to walk across a section of woodland laced with mines. The entire regiment are blown to all four points of the compass, with the exception of Jeremy, a young boy dressed as a confederate. He, along with his mother, exhibits a seemingly unearthly power, which consequently saves his life. Fast-forward to the year 1985: a troup of U.S. soldiers - the 44th division - are on manouvers in the same backwoods. Little do they know what atrocities befell the original regiment of the 44th - until they unwittingly camp upon the same cursed ground. Radio contact fails, troops begin to disappear during their routine watch - all hell breaks loose, as the past catches up with the members of the 44th. The woods serve as an appropriate setting for this creepy horror movie, and there is - despite previous reviews - enough gore to keep the average horror fan entertained. However, what makes this film stand out from other zombie films, is the tight plot and the faultless directing. The use of the mist-shrouded woods, the 'seemingly' disused underground bunkers and the ancient stone cottage - now a haven for the long-dead - create an eerie atmosphere. The sharpened tree branches see members of the 44th staked - vampire fashion. Mawell Caulfield (Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; The Boys Next Door; Gettysburg: Waxwork 2: Lost in Time) shines, as ever, in this horror masterpiece!