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

Shot in 1942, not released until 1943.

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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

References Dracula (1931)

User Reviews

Book burning is always a bad idea...

... and although that was probably not the intended lesson of this film, you've got to wonder why Dr. Lloyd Clayton would burn so much material belonging to his dead brother when he truly didn't understand the power that brother Elwyn had. With the "Dr." in front of his name you think he'd have more of an appreciation for the value of information. Brother Elwyn turns out to be a vampire in the untraditional sense. He dies and rises from the grave a vampire without having been made one by another vampire, and the recipe for this transformation is never made clear. Not to worry, though, because Elwyn has veteran vampire lackey Dwight Frye to serve him faithfully, here as the rather excitable Zolarr.

Also unlike other vampires, Elwyn just doesn't bite you and be done with it, he enjoys talking you to death - at least in the case of his brother Lloyd. Instead, at mealtime, Elwyn begins to slowly drain the blood and thus life from Dr. Clayton's ward, Gayle. Soon there are rumors among the townspeople that Dr. Lloyd Clayton is slowly poisoning Gayle so that he can usurp her inheritance. So if Elwyn is successful not only will Lloyd probably be hit with a murder charge, but ward Gayle will become one of the undead too. However can this mess be fixed with all of the answers to Lloyd's questions now in ashes? Watch and find out.

This is one of my favorite public domain horror films. The main problem with the film is that the elements survive in a rather washed out state being a bit hard on the eyes and the ears. However, if you can get past that and the low budget, the acting in this one is pretty good and the script is a good one with a bit of a twist on your traditional vampire tale. I recommend it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 April 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Créature du diable

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