The Living Dead Girl

Even The Living Dead Girl (1982), probably the closest the director ever came to making a genre film (along with his zombie tale The Grapes of Death) defies any real categorization. There’s gore, but few scares as our undead heroine, Catherine, is brought back to life by some toxic waste dumping grave robbers. Compelled to kill, she meanders through her after-life with little purpose until her childhood friend pledges assistance – which includes securing some very unwilling victims.

The flashes of violence likely put this at the top of the list for certain Rollin fans. But they exist in a separate world from our lead character, who commits most of her horrendous acts with no emotion or scathing self-hatred. Some English language scenes and a larger than usual budget hint that this was Rollin’s one last shot for genre success. But that’s like hiring a plumber to fix your car; they’re both experts, but in two separate professions.