White Zombie (1932)

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

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)

Trailer

More like this

• Vampyr (1932)
• The Monster Walks (1932)
• The Mummy (1932)
• Kongo (1932)
• King of the Zombies (1941)
• Revolt of the Zombies (1936)
• Black Moon (1934)
• Voodoo Woman (1957)