Jean Rollin
Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil (3 November 193815 December 2010) was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his work in the fantastique genre.
Jean Rollin
In 1980, Rollin directed the Spanish zombie horror feature, "Le lac des morts vivants" (commonly known as "Zombie Lake") under the pseudonym J.A. Lazer. Jésus Franco was intended to direct the film, and with an unfortunate turn of events he became unavailable. At this point, Rollin was planning to take a vacation, and on the morning he was expecting to leave, he received a phone call from the production company Eurociné asking if he would be interested directing the horror film which was due to start filming the next morning, as Franco could not be located. Rollin agreed, and arrived on set the following morning. The company could not attach Rollin's name to the project due to issues with the contact, as a Spanish name had to be credited for the film and J.A. Lazer was chosen. "Le lac des morts vivants" was released in 1981 and Rollin admitted that he never really cared for the film. It contains most of the elements which one would expect from a Franco film, and includes Franco's frequent collaborators such as actors Howard Vernon, Nadine Pascal, Antonio Mayans and Alain Petit, and composer Daniel White. Photography for the film was courtesey of Max Monteillet, who Rollin would later work with in several projects. Rollin himself made a cameo appearance in the film.