Underplayed Gems

White Zombie (1932)

White Zombie poster
Directed by
Victor Hugo Halperin
Genre
horror film, zombie film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 09m
Rated
NR
Rating
6.0 of 10 from 280 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A young woman falls under the spell of a voodoo master on a Haitian plantation. The master turns her into a mindless zombie to serve his will.

eerieatmosphericslow-pacedgothiccreepydarkmelancholicspooky

What happens

White Zombie is a 1932 pre-Code horror movie produced independently by Edward Halperin and directed by Victor Halperin. The screenplay by Garnett Weston, based on The Magic Island, a non-fiction travel book by William Seabrook, is about a young woman's transformation into a zombie by a voodoo master. Bela Lugosi features as the zombie master Legendre, with Madge Bellamy appearing as one of his victims. Other cast members include Joseph Cawthorn, Robert W. Frazer, John Harron, Brandon Hurst, and George Burr MacAnnan. Large portions of White Zombie were filmed on the Universal Studios lot, borrowing many props and scenery from other horror movies of the era. The movie premiered in New York to negative reception, with reviewers criticizing the movie's implausible story and weak acting. While the movie made a substantial financial profit as an independent feature, it proved less popular than other horror movies of the time. White Zombie is considered the first feature length zombie movie; a loose sequel, Revolt of the Zombies, opened in 1936. Developing a cult following over the decades, modern reception to White Zombie has been more positive; with praise of the movie's atmosphere and comparisons to the 1940s horror movies of Val Lewton. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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