Universal did a great job of remastering this movie for the blu ray universal release. And it deserves a viewing, even if it is a little light on the indelible memories that invite repeat viewing over the years.
The theme of this movie is a love triangle motivating a professor (George Zucco) to poison gas his medical student (David Bruce) in order to replace him in his beautiful fiancees (Evelyn Ankers) heart. Alas, the fiancee has fallen out of love with the student and is now in love with the pianist who accompanies her singing.
Of course the zombie state requires frequent heart transplants to remain human and the unwitting Bruce must have his heart replaced at regular intervals.
Zucco is really intense as the villain here and really portrays a dualism of both good and evil that is really good acting imho. The other characterizations are a lot lighter but David Bruce really brings his own haunted pathos to this movie similar to what Lon Chaney Jr brought to the invisible man. Evelyn Ankers is lovely and sweet and its easy to see why all these men fell for her.
There is a fair amount of atmosphere here but it never gels the way Dracula, Frankenstein or even the Invisible man do to draw the viewer into the story. And that's the weakness of this film, all the ingredients are here, but they just are a little less than the sum of the parts.
Still, a fun romp of a rainy saturday. And even a lesser effort at Universal in the "Horror" cannon is still a good one. Enjoy!
The theme of this movie is a love triangle motivating a professor (George Zucco) to poison gas his medical student (David Bruce) in order to replace him in his beautiful fiancees (Evelyn Ankers) heart. Alas, the fiancee has fallen out of love with the student and is now in love with the pianist who accompanies her singing.
Of course the zombie state requires frequent heart transplants to remain human and the unwitting Bruce must have his heart replaced at regular intervals.
Zucco is really intense as the villain here and really portrays a dualism of both good and evil that is really good acting imho. The other characterizations are a lot lighter but David Bruce really brings his own haunted pathos to this movie similar to what Lon Chaney Jr brought to the invisible man. Evelyn Ankers is lovely and sweet and its easy to see why all these men fell for her.
There is a fair amount of atmosphere here but it never gels the way Dracula, Frankenstein or even the Invisible man do to draw the viewer into the story. And that's the weakness of this film, all the ingredients are here, but they just are a little less than the sum of the parts.
Still, a fun romp of a rainy saturday. And even a lesser effort at Universal in the "Horror" cannon is still a good one. Enjoy!