Evil Town

1985
R
1h 22m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Young people passing through a small town discover that an insane doctor is conducting sinister experiments on the town's youths to combat the aging process.Young people passing through a small town discover that an insane doctor is conducting sinister experiments on the town's youths to combat the aging process.Young people passing through a small town discover that an insane doctor is conducting sinister experiments on the town's youths to combat the aging process.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

3.8/10

452

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Top cast26

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James Keach

Chris

Michele Marsh

Julie

Doria Cook-Nelson

Linda
(as Doria Cook)

Robert Walker Jr.

Mike
(as Robert Walker)

Dean Jagger

Dr. Schaeffer

Keith Hefner

Harry

Greg Finley

Wally

E.J. André

Earl
(as E.J. Andre)

Dabbs Greer

Mr. Phelps

Scott Hunter

Tony

Lynda Wiesmeier

Dianne
(as Lynda Weismeier)

Christie Mossman

Terrie
(as Christie Houser)

Noelle Harling

Karen

Paul McCauley

George

Jillian Kesner

Dorothy

Lurene Tuttle

Mrs. Phelps

Hope Summers

Mrs. Wylie
(as Hope Summer)

Regis Toomey

Doc. Hopper

Storyline

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Trivia
Shooting for this film started in Mendocino, California in late 1973 as "God Bless Grandma and Grandpa", under the direction of Curtis Hanson, who assumed the pseudonym "Edward Collins" and was, at one time, set to star Zalman King. Somewhere along the way, King dropped out and two additional directors, Larry Spiegel and Peter S. Traynor, stepped in. The film's title went from "God Bless Grandma and Grandpa" to "God Bless Dr. Shagetz", then "God Damn Dr. Shagetz", and finally just plain "Dr. Shagetz". It received a very limited theatrical release sometime in the late 1970s and then faded into complete obscurity until the mid-1980s (by which time some of its actors, such as Hope Summers, were already dead) when producer Mardi Rustam filmed new scenes for it, including some nude scenes with Lynda Wiesmeier, and it was re-titled "Evil Town" along with getting a 1985 copyright statement. By 1987, it had already found its way to home video.

Connections
Referenced in Rewind This! (2013)

User reviews10

Review

Featured review

4/10

Attack of the Geriatrics!

From what I understand this film was actually started in 1984 and completed in 1987. However, it used segments of other films which were produced earlier such as "God Bless Dr. Shagetz" and I suppose this is the reason "Evil Town" carries a production date of 1977. Regardless, this movie is essentially about a scientist named "Dr. Schaeffer" (Dean Jagger) who has invented a serum extracted from the pituitary gland which can extend a person's life. This is great news for the elderly residents of the small town who benefit from Dr. Schaeffer's research. Unfortunately, it is terrible news for any unlucky travelers who have the misfortune to stop there for gas as they are subsequently abducted and used as donors. This results in their becoming mindless creatures who are incapable of supporting themselves. That's not to say that they are necessarily "zombies" but rather poor souls who are reduced to a semi-vegetative state. As such, I don't consider this to be a "zombie movie" by any current standard. In any case, although the movie certainly had potential, there really wasn't any great horror or suspense which might have made this movie stand out and as a result I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.