White Zombie (1932)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Victor Halperin

Writers:

Garnett Weston (dialogue)
Garnett Weston (story)

Release Date:

4 August 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Romance

Tagline:

The Dead Walk Among Us!

Plot:

A young man turns to a witch doctor to lure the woman he loves away from her fiance, but instead turns her into a zombie slave.

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Wedding | Plantation | Potion | Zombie Slave

Cast

Bela Lugosi	...	'Murder' Legendre
Madge Bellamy	...	Madeleine Short Parker
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Dr. Bruner (missionary)
Robert Frazer	...	Charles Beaumont
John Harron	...	Neil Parker
Brandon Hurst	...	Silver (the butler)
George Burr Macannan	...	Von Gelder (a zombie) (as George Burr MacAnnan)
Frederick Peters	...	Chauvin (a zombie)
Annette Stone	...	Maid
John Printz	...	Ledot (the witch doctor zombie)
Dan Crimmins	...	Pierre (witch doctor)
Claude Morgan	...	Zombie
John Fergusson	...	Zombie
Velma Gresham	...	Maid
Hans Joby	...	Chauvin (a zombie) (as John S. Peters)

Runtime:

69 min | USA:67 min (Roan restoration) | Canada:85 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Australia:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1991) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

RKO-Pathé Studios - 9336 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Edward Halperin Productions

Trivia:

This film was shot in only eleven days.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Madeline sees Legendre's face in her wine, she begins to set the glass down with both hands, mostly using her left. In the next shot, her right hand holds the cup and her left is on the table. Also, the position of her head changes between shots, from looking slightly up to looking directly ahead.

Quotes:

Dr. Bruner: Before we get through with this thing we may uncover sins that even the devil would be ashamed of.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lugosi: The Forgotten King (1985) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Liebestraum

Better than you would expect it to be.....

....not exactly a lost masterpiece, but more than worthy of viewing.

I agree w/ some of the others here--it's basically a silent movie w/ added dialogue here and there-check out the wild over-acting on the part of the Zombies(lurch around w/ bug eyes etc), Bela(just a bit) and the two lead guys the lover and the obsessive. They're basically '20's actors held over from what I saw, overly mannered etc.

I enjoyed the china doll look of the blonde, thought that the wipes/dissolves/matte shots were innovative for 1932, and agree that the tone is indeed quite effective and eerie. All those shots of the hillside graveyard w/ the zombies lurching along its top are nicely done.

What was w/ having just the one black actor and then a couple more in blackface? I don't get it. It's not like you can't tell....

Bela is fine here--a few too many 2" closeups but not a bad performance, as always he can project the evil as few ever could. I liked the zombies-as-mill-workers part, that certainly stands out.

Overall, if you are a Bela fan or like '30's horror flix, do check it out. It's slowish and dated as hell, but you won't be let down if you keep it's era/genre in mind as you watch.

*** outta ****