White Zombie (1932)

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

Director:

Victor Halperin

Writers:

Garnett Weston (story by), Garnett Weston (dialogue by)

Stars:

Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bela Lugosi	...	'Murder' Legendre
Madge Bellamy	...	Madeline Short Parker
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Dr. Bruner
Robert Frazer	...	Charles Beaumont
John Harron	...	Neil Parker
Brandon Hurst	...	Silver
George Burr Macannan	...	Von Gelder - Zombie (as George Burr MacAnnan)
Frederick Peters	...	Chauvin - Zombie
Annette Stone	...	Maid
John T. Prince	...	Ledot - Zombie (as John Printz)
Dan Crimmins	...	Pierre - Witch Doctor
Claude Morgan	...	Zombie
John Fergusson	...	Zombie
Velma Gresham	...	Tall Maid

Storyline

Young couple Madeleine and Neil are coaxed by acquaintance Monsieur Beaumont to get married on his Haitian plantation. Beaumont's motives are purely selfish as he makes every attempt to convince the beautiful young girl to run away with him. For help Beaumont turns to the devious Legendre, a man who runs his mill by mind controlling people he has turned into zombies. After Beaumont uses Legendre's zombie potion on Madeleine, he is dissatisfied with her emotionless being and wants her to be changed back. Legendre has no intention of doing this and he drugs Beaumont as well to add to his zombie collection. Meanwhile, grieving 'widower' Neil is convinced by a local priest that Madeleine may still be alive and he seeks her out.

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Plot Keywords:

zombie | zombie slave | haiti | telepathy | voodoo zombie | 

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Taglines:

An Astounding Story to Hold You Spellbound..The Strangest Love Tale in 2000 years, Told on the Borderland of Life and Death! (Print Ad- Auckland Star, ((Auckland, NZ)) 5 November 1932)

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les morts-vivants

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Victor & Edward Halperin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min 67 min (Roan restoration) 85 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two years later, Black Moon (1934), another film with a Voodoo theme, would feature a Voodoo song whose first notes are very reminiscent of the first notes of the intro credits' Voodoo chant in White Zombie (1932). Clarence Muse starred in both films.

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Goofs

Even though the movie is set in Haiti you can see steam coming from the mouths as if it was cold.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Neil Parker: Looks like a burial.
Madeline: In the road?

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Crazy Credits

"White Zombie starring Bela (Dracula) Lugosi."

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Alternate Versions

The scene is which the zombie is crushed by the grinder, after falling into the chute in the factory, is missing from most available prints.

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Connections

Featured in Starz presents Zombie Mania (2008)

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Soundtracks

Agitato Pathetique
(uncredited)
Music by Gaston Borch

User Reviews

A terrific Lugosi performance helps make this creepy zombie pioneer a must see for any horror buff!

There's something about 1930s horror movies that makes them really special and haunting. It's probably got a lot to do with the talkies being new and directors being free to experiment with tricks learned from German expressionism. Whatever the explanation the best movies from the early 30s (James Whale's 'Frankenstein', 'Bride Of Frankenstein' and 'The Invisible Man', Todd Browning's 'Dracula' and 'Freaks') have a dreamlike quality that sticks in your brain and just won't leave. Bela Lugosi is one of the icons of horror movies. He made 'White Zombie' not long after 'Dracula', his definitive role, and gives another great performance. 'Island Of Lost Souls' is a better movie than 'White Zombie' but Lugosi on has a small role in that so I'd say this is his best movie after 'Dracula'. It's easy to forget just how quickly his career died. His two mid-30s teamings with Boris Karloff ('The Black Cat' and 'The Raven') were basically the beginning of the end for him as a major star, and by the time he played Ygor in the underrated 'Son Of Frankenstein' at the end of the decade he was almost a has been. Oh well Lugosi is just terrific in this movie as the sinister 'Murder' Legrende, Haitian mill owner and zombie master. Robert Fraser plays Charles Beaumont, a local plantation owner who becomes obsessed with a young woman (Madge Bellamy) about to be married. He invites her and her fiance (John Harron) to his estate to have their wedding all the while planning some way to win her. An hour before the wedding he becomes desperate and reluctantly approaches his sinister neighbour Legrende. Legrende's solution has dire consequences for all involved. The movie was obviously made a shoe string budget but there are plenty of striking visual images, especially those involving Bellamy after Lugosi gets to her. The zombies are very creepy and are the precursors to zombie classics later made by Tourneur, Romero, Fulci and Raimi. For this and for Lugosi 'White Zombie' is a must see for any horror buff!