Twenty years after then end of the Second World War an American soldier returns to the Philippines to visit a friend. Uncomfortable with the fact that he survived while 37 friends suffocated in a fortified bunker because he couldn't get help, he returns to Corregidor to try to put the ghosts to rest. Eerie ghost story more akin to an extended Twilight Zone or similar horror anthology series. Helped enormously by location shooting that puts you into the ruins of fortress and the surrounding village this is a film of slowly building tension.This is a horror movie that doesn't look or behave like any normal horror film, which probably explains why its not better known. More short story than full movie (it could probably be improved if it lost about 15 minutes and was trimmed to an hour) it none the less keeps you engrossed and watching from start to finish. Its a small gem that's worth searching out (though make it a double feature night)
5 Reviews
Very Effective Military Horror Hybrid
Steve_Nyland13 January 2010
Don't let the low budget and no-name production throw you. This is a very effective and downright grim little thriller mixing military themes with horror elements -- always one of my favorite combos. Just the sheer horror of war itself is guaranteed to conjure up some things that go bump in the night, my favorites being the British DEATHWATCH from 2002, Michael Mann's THE KEEP (1987) and of course George A. Romero's overlooked THE CRAZIES (1973). It's a potent combo when done right, I'm surprised we don't see more of it.
What DEATHWATCH did turning the trenches of the Western Front into a sprawling haunted death house this one does using the actual former US military bases on Corregidor (I believe part is shot inside Battery Geary itself -- search the name on Wiki sometime) to tell the story of an emotionally scarred veteran who returns to his old garrison's post twenty five years later, after having fled under the stress of combat fatigue as a young soldier. Just seeing the remnants of the old military base is impressively eerie. The director chose his locations marvelously, the whole film is seeped with ill-ease and old rumors or echoes of men in their death throes as they were battered into oblivion.
Or, trapped below to languish & die in claustrophobic darkness. The film uses light as a motif and the darkness of the surrounding ruins is oppressive; You can imagine even the hardiest of men loosing their nerve and fleeing in terror. Our returning veteran finds that the depths of the vaulted keep is not quite as uninhabited as the local Fillipino army officer tour guide may insist. He even links up with a charming, innocent young local hottie who comes along on his voyage, and she's a good screamer. Though ultimately he meets his fate by himself, yet not quite alone. It is a very effective little psychological ghost story that just happens to utilize a setting with a rich history of horror all of its own.
The print I saw was courtesy of Something Weird Video on a VHS, apparently the film was made for television as there were spots for commercial breaks worked into the film's editing. And as a mid 60s television production you can nix anything like graphic violence or sexuality, here's a movie that works without it, with the whole production definitely having a Rod Serling-esquire feel to it. The B&W picture actually added a depth of creepiness to the proceedings though the transfer itself was made from a poor quality 16mm print. The film deserves better treatment.
But I felt enriched for having seen it in whatever form (and good luck finding a copy). Here's a great example of how tight writing combined with a keen sense for location work can result in a gripping little movie for almost no budget at all that can actually result in a well-earned nightmare or two.
7/10
What DEATHWATCH did turning the trenches of the Western Front into a sprawling haunted death house this one does using the actual former US military bases on Corregidor (I believe part is shot inside Battery Geary itself -- search the name on Wiki sometime) to tell the story of an emotionally scarred veteran who returns to his old garrison's post twenty five years later, after having fled under the stress of combat fatigue as a young soldier. Just seeing the remnants of the old military base is impressively eerie. The director chose his locations marvelously, the whole film is seeped with ill-ease and old rumors or echoes of men in their death throes as they were battered into oblivion.
Or, trapped below to languish & die in claustrophobic darkness. The film uses light as a motif and the darkness of the surrounding ruins is oppressive; You can imagine even the hardiest of men loosing their nerve and fleeing in terror. Our returning veteran finds that the depths of the vaulted keep is not quite as uninhabited as the local Fillipino army officer tour guide may insist. He even links up with a charming, innocent young local hottie who comes along on his voyage, and she's a good screamer. Though ultimately he meets his fate by himself, yet not quite alone. It is a very effective little psychological ghost story that just happens to utilize a setting with a rich history of horror all of its own.
The print I saw was courtesy of Something Weird Video on a VHS, apparently the film was made for television as there were spots for commercial breaks worked into the film's editing. And as a mid 60s television production you can nix anything like graphic violence or sexuality, here's a movie that works without it, with the whole production definitely having a Rod Serling-esquire feel to it. The B&W picture actually added a depth of creepiness to the proceedings though the transfer itself was made from a poor quality 16mm print. The film deserves better treatment.
But I felt enriched for having seen it in whatever form (and good luck finding a copy). Here's a great example of how tight writing combined with a keen sense for location work can result in a gripping little movie for almost no budget at all that can actually result in a well-earned nightmare or two.
7/10
I liked the movie.
finnegan195923 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
An interesting movie about a WW II vet who survived Corregidor and suffers PTSD because of it. Thirty seven of his fellow soldiers died there. He blames himself.
Twenty years after the war he revisits Corregidor at the urging of a friend to try and overcome the nightmares he's been suffering from and the nightmare his life has become ever since.
At first it seems as if his friend's suggestion may be helping him. Later, he's not so sure.
This movie is a bit like an extended Twilight Zone episode and is similar to later TV shows and movies of the seventies that have a psychological twist.
None of the actors were known to me but they did a good enough job.
Twenty years after the war he revisits Corregidor at the urging of a friend to try and overcome the nightmares he's been suffering from and the nightmare his life has become ever since.
At first it seems as if his friend's suggestion may be helping him. Later, he's not so sure.
This movie is a bit like an extended Twilight Zone episode and is similar to later TV shows and movies of the seventies that have a psychological twist.
None of the actors were known to me but they did a good enough job.
Tedious bloodcurdler which could have been eerie and genuinely scary. Sadly it fudges its opportunities rather badly.
barnabyrudge4 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this film at a film festival, where the programme notes enthusiastically declared it "a gem" and urged patrons at the events to "try to make the time to see it". I was quite excited about giving it a look; these obscurities which are considered long-lost gems usually have a certain appeal. Sadly, in reality the film did not live up to the rather glowing appraisal given in the programme. It could have been a good little chiller had the handling been better, but unfortunately it is nowhere near as effective, eerie or entertaining as it had the potential to be. "A gem" it ain't!
American Frank (John Hackett) returns to the Phillipines 20 years after being involved in combat action at Corregidor. He is greeted by his old friend Joe (Conrad Parham) who urges him to stay permanently, although Frank seems reluctant to agree to the suggestion. In fact, it isn't long before Frank starts behaving quite irrationally, experiencing pangs of chronic panic and traumatic memories. Joe knows that Frank was involved in something pretty unpleasant during the Battle Of Corregidor near the end of WWII, and urges him to return to the scene to beat his demons. Frank heads over to the island, now overgrown with jungle scrub and dotted with eerie ruins of long-abandoned army barracks. We learn that Frank was a member of a 38-man unit which was hit by intense shelling during the fighting. 37 of the company were trapped underground when their building collapsed upon them; Frank was the only one to avoid being entombed. Knowing he should have gone to get help for his trapped comrades, he instead panicked and refused to go out into the open in search of assistance. By the time reinforcements arrived, the 37 buried men had suffocated to death and Frank was the sole survivor of the incident. Whilst returning to the scene of the disaster, Frank becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea that somehow he cheated fate all those years ago, that his true destiny was either to save his friends or to die alongside them. Sensing that their ghosts still prowl the ruined compound in search of some kind of closure, he decides he must find a way to put right his wrong or die trying.
The setting of the story – a ruined military compound with jungle encroaching on all sides, overgrown parade grounds, smashed and windowless buildings, echoing deserted corridors – is actually very good. It lends the film a tangible atmosphere of gloom and eeriness. Plus the plot itself, exploring how one man carries 20 years of guilt and despair around with him in the wake of a fatal mistake, has plenty of potential. Unfortunately, the film makes nothing of its opportunities. As Frank wanders around the dark corridors of the abandoned fortress, chasing ghostly footsteps and the unseen spirits of his long-dead comrades, there are many moments where a 'jump' cut should have been used: the sudden appearance of a ghostly face, a spectral hand on the shoulder, a fleeting phantom materialising from the shadows, anything really which would have set one's nerves a-jitter. But almost every opportunity to give the audience a good, old-fashioned shock comes to naught. The whole film meanders along tediously, failing time and again to deliver the goods despite solid build-up work. I loathe remakes on the whole, but if ever a film needed remaking it's this one – there are sufficient good ideas here to warrant a new and improved version of the same tale. The handling lets things down badly; Fortress Of The Dead could have been a good movie, but the fact is that it falls frustratingly short.
American Frank (John Hackett) returns to the Phillipines 20 years after being involved in combat action at Corregidor. He is greeted by his old friend Joe (Conrad Parham) who urges him to stay permanently, although Frank seems reluctant to agree to the suggestion. In fact, it isn't long before Frank starts behaving quite irrationally, experiencing pangs of chronic panic and traumatic memories. Joe knows that Frank was involved in something pretty unpleasant during the Battle Of Corregidor near the end of WWII, and urges him to return to the scene to beat his demons. Frank heads over to the island, now overgrown with jungle scrub and dotted with eerie ruins of long-abandoned army barracks. We learn that Frank was a member of a 38-man unit which was hit by intense shelling during the fighting. 37 of the company were trapped underground when their building collapsed upon them; Frank was the only one to avoid being entombed. Knowing he should have gone to get help for his trapped comrades, he instead panicked and refused to go out into the open in search of assistance. By the time reinforcements arrived, the 37 buried men had suffocated to death and Frank was the sole survivor of the incident. Whilst returning to the scene of the disaster, Frank becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea that somehow he cheated fate all those years ago, that his true destiny was either to save his friends or to die alongside them. Sensing that their ghosts still prowl the ruined compound in search of some kind of closure, he decides he must find a way to put right his wrong or die trying.
The setting of the story – a ruined military compound with jungle encroaching on all sides, overgrown parade grounds, smashed and windowless buildings, echoing deserted corridors – is actually very good. It lends the film a tangible atmosphere of gloom and eeriness. Plus the plot itself, exploring how one man carries 20 years of guilt and despair around with him in the wake of a fatal mistake, has plenty of potential. Unfortunately, the film makes nothing of its opportunities. As Frank wanders around the dark corridors of the abandoned fortress, chasing ghostly footsteps and the unseen spirits of his long-dead comrades, there are many moments where a 'jump' cut should have been used: the sudden appearance of a ghostly face, a spectral hand on the shoulder, a fleeting phantom materialising from the shadows, anything really which would have set one's nerves a-jitter. But almost every opportunity to give the audience a good, old-fashioned shock comes to naught. The whole film meanders along tediously, failing time and again to deliver the goods despite solid build-up work. I loathe remakes on the whole, but if ever a film needed remaking it's this one – there are sufficient good ideas here to warrant a new and improved version of the same tale. The handling lets things down badly; Fortress Of The Dead could have been a good movie, but the fact is that it falls frustratingly short.
Return Of Guilt-Ridden Survivor To Location Of His Imaginary Crime Powerfully Dramatized Through A Well-Crafted Script.
rsoonsa12 February 2007
This outstanding and psychologically perceptive drama, filmed in black and white with a tiny budget, is the initial directorial attempt by the work's writer/producer, Ferde Grofé, Jr., who ably adapts his screenplay into a stylized narrative having a pronounced bias toward mood development, its careful emphasis upon creation of detail providing a clear design with which a viewer may be engaged, while a great deal is properly left to one's imagination. Twenty years following the dying fall of the Manila Bay fortress of Corregidor to Japan in 1942, Frank (John Hackett) deplanes at Manila International Airport, in transit to revisit the heavily shell-scarred military site, met there by former Philippine jungle guerrilla and old friend from two decades prior, Joe (Conrad Parham), who transports the American Army veteran to what has evolved into an historic monument and popular tourist attraction, where he hopes to relive a combat incident from which he was the only immediate survivor, and a conscience-laden one, as he believes that he is responsible for the deaths of many comrades at the hands of Japanese artillery troops, because of his inadequate efforts to bring aid to those of his battalion trapped by an artillery shell caused cave-in within Corregidor's besieged Battery Wheeler. Accompanied by Joe and, to a lesser extent, by the officer-in-charge of the latter-day military reserve, Major Francisco (Eddie Infante), Frank is determined that he must confront the product of his obsession alone, and approaches a sealed door beyond which he is convinced are waiting shades of his former military mates as the film moves to an intense and suspenseful climax. The work is shot almost entirely upon Corregidor, and it is a shame that it is but seldom seen as it offers more than acceptable playing by a small but able cast, while top-notch direction, dialogue, camera-work and editing are all combined into a well-paced effort that will please most viewers.
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