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Revenge of the Zombies More at IMDbPro »
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| Index | 17 reviews in total |
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Revenge of the Zombies (1943) **, 18 August 2005
Author:
JoeKarlosi from U.S.A.
A pretty ordinary cheapie from Monogram Studios that begins with some
promising atmosphere and visual style, but ultimately deteriorates with
a lot of talk and some lame attempts at comic relief by black funny-man
Mantan Moreland, who's not so humorous this time around.
A very youthful John Carradine plays it surprisingly low-key as an
unconvincing Nazi scientist trying to create an army of non-scary
zombies to fight for the Germans. He even turns his own wife into one
of them, the fiend. These living dead sleepwalkers are more like what
you'd call the "marching dead" as they step about in silly and perfect
militaristic formation, like mindless robots. Those viewers unfamiliar
with "pre-Romero" zombie movies are bound to be left especially
stumped.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
"Take my zombie wife....please!", 27 April 2006
Author:
Nigel Edwards (zeppo-2) from United Kingdom
One of low budget horror schlockmeister actor, John Carradine's more
animated roles as a implied Nazi scientist, who is turning humans into
zombies to serve the Reich. Mindless scuffling brain dead, only able to
obey the most simple of orders....bit like staff in McDonalds.
Hitler isn't mentioned by name, since America wasn't at war at the time
they was filmed, but it's pretty obvious who the bad guys are working
for!
There seems to be two types of zombies in film, the traditional voodoo
type popular in the old black & white films of the 1930's and '40's.
Blank eyed and just following the commands of someone else as they
stumble along. And then there is the type we know from later films like
'The Night of the Living Dead' and 'The Evil Dead.' Still roaming about
but with only the intention to kill and eat the flesh and brains of
their victims. Both have their moments in various movies over the
years.
'Revenge' features the former zombie type, although, these are
particularly goofy looking and would look more at home in an old time
freak shows as geeks as they bite the heads off chickens. One black
zombie named Lazarus with his wild hair, looks like a young Don King.
As to the plot, the evil doctor decides to make his wife a zombie along
with the others and that's where he makes his mistake. Even though he
lets her keep her strappy heels as a nice womanly touch as he turns her
into one of the living dead, she's not happy about it.
It all goes horribly wrong and ends in tears, and the moral of the tale
must be, never, ever, turn your wife into a zombie, it's just asking
for trouble....
The film is interesting enough and it quickly rolls along to a finish,
but never rises above it's poverty row origins. Not a patch on any true
zombie classics but fun just the same.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
Goose Stepping into the Beyond, 26 September 2002
Author:
howdymax from Las Cruces, New Mexico
This movie is another example of the genius of Poverty Row studios, like
Monogram, Republic, Mascot, etc. Who can argue with the kind of comedic
mystery represented by Charlie Chan, The Purple Monster, The Tiger Woman,
Radio Ranch, Rocket Man, and zombie movies like this.
The plot has to do with a mad scientist who wants to create an army of
zombie Storm Troopers to help the Nazi's conquer America. (Be sure to
look
for an early scene where the zombies are assembled and goose step in
formation). I don't think we need to go any farther into the story. It is
only important to realize that this is Saturday Matinee entertainment in
it's purest form.
It is one of the only forums where one can see the sinister elegance of a
John Carradine, as well as the comic genius of a Mantan Moreland, all the
while enjoying a virtual parade of second string pre-prime, and post-prime
players. In this case we find Gale Storm (pre My Little Margie), and Bob
Steele (post cowboy). A mute Veda Ann Borg, as the zombie wife, reminds us
that her voice was as important as her acting. Speaking of Mantan
Moreland;
it is really too bad that PC guilt won't allow for the recognition he
deserves.
I urge anyone who is interested in a little Saturday entertainment to
catch
this little gem if you can. You won't be disappointed. If you like it,
and
I know you will, you might want to check out another called "The Whip
Hand".
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Not much, except for Mantan., 2 January 2002
Author:
jim riecken (youroldpaljim)
In this poverty row quickie, John Carradine plays an Axis scientist who is
trying to create a zombie army to defeat the Allies in WW2. However, he gets
more than he bargained for when he turns his own wife into a
zombie.
This Monogram comedy/horror quickie is pretty much zombified itself. Even
the big climax isn't much. One scene of Carradine in his lab has some visual
flair, but mostly this film is shot in medium. The film only comes to life
when Mantan Moreland gets to do his stuff. I'm aware that Mantan Moreland is
considered "politically incorrect" by most of today's self illuminated
cultural and intellectual elite, but Moreland always gave a professional
performance. His comic timing is perfect. Sybil Lewis is quite good as the
straight women for Mantan to play off.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
"Things walkin that ain't got no business walkin", 30 October 2007
Author:
Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States
A somewhat fun Monogram horror movie. The wife of Dr. von Altermann
(John Carradine) has died mysteriously. Her brother and a hired
detective (hunky Robert Lowery) investigate. It seems the doctor is
quite mad and experimenting on human beings and turning them into
zombies.
Yes, it's a cheap no budget movie but it's fun. It has a nice
atmospheric opening, a few amusing lines, some funny bits by Mantan
Moreland and an interesting plot. Also Carradine gives a good
performance and Lowery is tall, handsome, muscular and pretty good in a
nothing role. A light enjoyable horror flick. Good viewing around
Halloween. I give this a 5.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Dumb AND entertaining at the same time!, 18 November 2010
Author:
planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida
Monogram Studios was a very low-budget film company that had a knack
for creating dumb movies that still were often entertaining. Cerebral?
Never...but fun in a low-brow sort of way. So, if you are looking for
William Shakespeare, keep looking for another studio. But, if you like
schlocky Lugosi, Carradine or George Zucco films, then this is the
studio for you!
Here, we find John Carradine in a couple familiar roles--a mad
scientist AND a Nazi!! But unlike the typical insane Nazi scientist, he
has come up with a rather unique plan--to create an army of zombies!
This way, they Third Reich will have super-soldiers who are impervious
to pain and practically unstoppable. Being a really nice guy, he kills
his own wife and reanimates her--he's THAT devoted to his goody cause.
Into this weird little world of bizarre experiments come a group of
do-gooders--including Monogram's king of scaredy-cats, Mantan Moreland.
In this movie, Moreland basically plays the same guy he played in the
Charlie Chan films--comic relief that occasionally actually helps
despite himself! As I said above, this is NOT a film for the
intellectually-minded and I am sure the Criterion Collection will NOT
be releasing this film any time soon. The acting is occasionally quite
bad, the plot silly and the whole thing makes no sense if you think
about it....but it's an oddly satisfying B-movie if you like that sort
of schlock! So, if you like schlock, then this is very good schlock!!
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Back in my country I will be exalted as one of the greatest men in history!, 20 March 2008
Author:
sol from Brooklyn NY USA
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
(Some Spoilers) Monogram Pictures long awaited sequel, after two years
in the making, to the highly successful 1941 Zombie flick "King of the
Zombies". The movie "Revenge of the Zombies" only has Mantan Moreland
as Jeff in it's cast from the original film. The rest of the original
crew found better things to do with their lives with three dying within
three years of "King of the Zombies" release.
The Nazis having the war turn against them decide to create a new
secret weapon to steam the tide and thus guarantee their ultimate
victory. Working in the swamps and alligator infested Louisiana Bayous
Nazi mad scientist Dr.Max Henrich Von Altermann, John Carradine, has
created an army of Zombies with his newly deceased wife Lila, Veda Ann
Borg, as it's latest recruit.
Using the extract of the poisonous swamp lily to create an army of
walking dead Dr. Altermann is now ready to ship out, in a Nazi U-Boat,
back to his fatherland Nazi Germany where he can do his work unimpeded
from the FBI and US Government Secret Service. It's there that he'll
infuse the desperate needs of the German Whermacht with a new source of
manpower: Mindless Zombies who are not only immune to bullets and
artillery shells but will follow orders without question from their
superiors.
All this of course is just a pipe dream on Dr. Altermann's part in that
the Zombies are not that cooperative with his mad and insane scheme of
world conquest. Their only interested in going back to their eternal
rest and not having anything to do with the world of the living.
It's when Dr. Altermann's wife's brother Scott Warrington, Mauritz
Hugo, and good friend Larry Adams, Robert Lowery, together with their
chauffeur Jeff show up for Lila funeral things start to get a bit weird
for everyone involved. Lila just gets up out of her coffin and
disappears into the swamps.
It's not until much later that Larry and Scott as well as Jeff realize
that the bereaved Dr. Altermann is a Nazi spy trying to do in not only
them but the USA as well. Dr. Altermann has since gotten hooked on his
naive secretary Jennifer Rand, Gale Storm, whom he wants to take home
with him, via U-Boat, to Germany to be his future bride. This all leads
to Dr. Altermann's dead wife Lila to get a bit jealous and later have
his Zombies together with her give him a taste of his own medicine. An,
overdose, way over his head, of a black water bayou cocktail.
Nowhere as good as "King of the Zombies" the movie still has it's
moments with mostly Mantan Moreland's, as Jeff, eye bugging and
hysterical comedy act. In fact Moreland ends up being the hero by
saving Larry from a fate worse then death: In becoming a Zombie.
There's also Madame Sul Te-Wan as Dr. Altermann's maid Mammy Beulah
who's really the one who gave the mad doctor the idea of creating
Zombies in the first place. It's when Mammy Beulah realized just what a
low down swine her boss really is that she informed Larry & Co. what to
do in keeping form being turned into, with a dose of swamp lily
extract, a Zombie. A strong cup of coffee.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
REVENGE OF THE ZOMBIES (Steve Sekely, 1943) *1/2, 23 January 2010
Author:
MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta
There is not much to say about this one except that it is probably the worst of the early spate of zombie movies (I may get to watch another one, REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES [1936], before the month is out). For all star John Carradine's intention of building an army in the service of the Third Reich with them, they are not seen to do much at all!; James Baskett (Uncle Remus from SONG OF THE SOUTH [1946]!) plays their leader, who also serves as Carradine's manservant. Black comic Mantan Moreland reprises his 'fraidy cat' chauffeur role from KING OF THE ZOMBIES (1941), as does the exotically named Madame Sul-Te-Wan as Carradine's housekeeper. Unfortunately for Carradine, his supreme achievement – the zombification of his wife – brings him all sorts of trouble: not only do her relatives turn up at his remote abode/lab to inquire into her sudden death (which means he has to fake a funeral service!) but she actually proves disobedient and indignant, eventually 'persuading' her fellow zombies to rise against their master!! Also involved is cowboy star Bob Steele (still best-known for his bit in Howard Hawks' THE BIG SLEEP [1946]) who plays a U.S. secret agent posing as a Nazi posing as a Sheriff! Thankfully, director Sekely would have much better luck with his next genre effort, THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962).
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Sekely Goulash, 8 June 2009
Author:
Robert J. Maxwell (rmax304823@yahoo.com) from Deming, New Mexico, USA
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
It's instructive to compare this tale of zombies in da bayou country
being raised to provide Hitler with an indestructible army, with Val
Lewton's almost contemporaneous production, "I Walked With a Zombie",
over at RKO. Both are saddled with lurid title and a low budget. Both
have a few recognizable names at the head of the cast. But "I Walked
With a Zombie" is immeasurably better than this one because of the care
that Lewton put into his minor masterpieces. "Revenge" seems to have
been thrown together hastily, made up of comic, dramatic, and mystery
elements -- something for the whole war time family including the
half-dozen kids. Maybe ESPECIALLY the kids.
The plot is absurd, naturally, but generally speaking the notion of
zombies is kind of interesting from a cultural perspective. Think of
it. A horde of mindless workers who never die, never eat, and never get
paid. Slaves who don't mind their condition. It's the very model of a
traditional agrarian society. Zombies provide labor-intensive
enterprises with the rough and unskilled hands they need. It's no
surprise that we associate zombies with the Caribbean and the Gulf
Coast. That's where plantations of rice, sugar, cotton, and tobacco
thrived.
Oh, yes. The movie.
All done by the numbers. Everything is pretty much rudimentary, from
the photography to the direction by Steve Sekely and set dressing. John
Carradine gives the only truly smooth performance. Gale Storm is cute
but irrelevant. Mantan Moreland does his usual eye-bulging number but
never gets around to saying, "Feets, don't fail me now!," which might
have salvaged at least one scene.
Otherwise, the acting is no better than you or I could do. Of course
the performers get no help from the script but it would hardly matter.
If you doubt it, stand in front of your bathroom mirror and recite this
line, "Gentlemen, I think that it's imperative that we see no unholy
rites are performed over Mrs. Altermann." If that particular line is
troublesome, try this one. "Forgive me, Hair Doctor, but I can't
believe you would turn your wife into a zombie." Well, it's not
entirely without its virtues. The movie provided employment for a
number of African-American actors and actresses outside the flourishing
black cinema of the period.
The skeleton in the closet -- the one called "Charlie" -- is actually a
female. The pelvic girdles are the windows of the skeleton.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Feets don't fail me now, 26 October 2007
Author:
lastliberal from United States
Poor John Carradine. He made a fatal mistake in thinking that he could
turn his wife into a zombie and that she would obey his every command.
Even dead, the wife is always right.
Carradine starred as Dr. Max Heinrich von Altermann, a NAZI scientist
that was trying to develop an army that would not have to eat and would
be impervious to bullets for Hitler's army. He should have stuck to men
and not tried to use his wife to prove his success. It proved his
undoing.
The film also featured the famous Mantan Moreland who, when he wasn't
sniffing after the lovely Sybil Lewis, was engaging in the oft
criticized stereotypical behavior that he was famous for, including the
famous line "feet don't fail me now."
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