Dead Men Walk (1943)

The twin of a kindly small-town physician returns from the grave for vengeance against his brother, who secretly killed him because the twin served Satan.

Director:

Sam Newfield

Writer:

Fred Myton (original screenplay)

Stars:

George Zucco, Mary Carlisle, Nedrick Young

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George Zucco	...	Dr. Lloyd Clayton / Dr. Elwyn Clayton
Mary Carlisle	...	Gayle Clayton
Nedrick Young	...	Dr. David Bentley
Dwight Frye	...	Zolarr
Fern Emmett	...	Kate
Robert Strange	...	Wilkins [Harper, in credits]
Hal Price	...	Sheriff Losen
Sam Flint	...	Minister

Storyline

We meet Doctor Lloyd Clayton at the funeral of his twin brother, evil magician Elwyn. Zolarr, Elwyn's hunchbacked servant, accuses Lloyd of Elwyn's murder, but Lloyd claims it was self-defense. Lloyd's niece Gayle and her fiance David soon find that Elwyn's evil influence is still at work.

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Plot Keywords:

b movie | stock footage | funeral service | good twin | evil magician | 

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Taglines:

Devil's sorcery, as a dead man returns for vengeance!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

George Zucco's estate from an earlier PRC film, The Mad Monster (1942), serves as the crypt for the evil twin.

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Goofs

A single bell is shown pealing, but part of the Westminster Chimes is what is heard - and none of the notes match when the bell is ringing.

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Quotes

Elwyn Clayton: [to his twin brother, who has hunted him down] You don't wait for Death; you come to meet him!

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: The Screaming Skull (2010)

User Reviews

Low Budget Variation of the Dracula Theme!

You'll have to look long and hard to find a favorable review of PRC's "Dead Men Walk". However, I think the film has long been condemned unfairly. Granted, its not a classic, but some obvious continuity gaffes aside, it compares favorably I think, with many such similar vehicles turned out by the bigger studios.

The story is a low budget variation of the Dracula theme with the good twin/evil twin plot thrown in. It begins with the funeral of evil twin Elwyn Clayton (George Zucco) who is interred in the family crypt. Good twin Dr. Lloyd Clayton (Zucco again) was apparently responsible for his brother's death. Hunchback Zolarr (Dwight Frye) rescues Elwyn's coffin from its tomb and moves it to an old graveyard where Elywn emerges as a vampire. The vampire then reveals himself to his brother and swears his revenge by slowly draining the life from Lloyd's young ward Gayle (Mary Carlisle). With the help of Mary's beau Dr. David Bentley (Nedrick Young), Lloyd battles his evil twin to their final showdown.

Director Sam Newfield does what he can with a small budget. The misty graveyard and shadowy nights are done as well as could be expected. The film is also aided by the casting of George Zucco in the lead. Zucco was always better than his material and deserved a better fate. As an added touch there is Dwight Frye in one of his last roles as the hunchback, a role patterned after his "Renfield" in 1931's "Dracula". Also. look for PRC's resident comic sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John as the citizen who finds one of the vampire's victims and Forrest Taylor who does the prologue.

Better than its reputation.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Men Walk

Filming Locations:

Chadwick Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sigmund Neufeld Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1