I just listened to the commentary track by lead actress Françoise Blanchard (who has the most magical voice I've ever heard... shame she only speaks like 2 lines in the movie, but zombies be zombies). And she mentions the special effects were done by then-17-year-old kid Benoît Lestang. Lestang would later work on many films including the French classic City of Lost Children and become one of the leading sfx artists in Europe if not the world.

I'm not really into gore flicks, but there's something really fun about old school special effects. The creativity & innovation of special effects artists in the old days is really compelling. especially on a shoestring budget like here. In the commentary Françoise talks about the famous scene of her awakening & the ensuing bloodbath. The scene of the guy getting his face burned off by toxic waste was done with alka seltzer! Add water (fake blood) and watch it fizz.

I gotta say, it's pretty darn convincing. I think that particular shot holds up today even against digital wizardry.

The Living Dead Girl (1982) She Lives

Also props to Françoise herself, as she mentions that she doesn't blink once during the entire movie... and she's right!