Movie Review: White Zombie (1932)
Synopsis: After meeting her on a ship to Haiti, Charles Beaumont falls in love with Madeline Short. She, however, is in love with Neil Parker and marries him. Determined to have her, Charles enlists the help of a local Voodoo witch doctor, "Murder" Legendre, and slips Madeline a potion through a flower that makes it appear as though she died on her wedding night. Legendre then uses his skills to turn Madeline into a zombie slave, a decision Charles soon regrets.
Who's in it? The movie stars Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Robert Frazer, John Harron and Joseph Cawthorn.
Review: It had been a while since I last watched White Zombie, enough time to remember very little about it. So, when I came across the film last night, I decided to add it to my library and watch it this morning.
The movie, as it turns out, is OK but I also understood why it was so easy to forget.
I will start out by saying there are some good things about this film. Lugosi, for example, was solid as "Murder" Legendre. While I'll stop short of saying it was one of his best roles, it was a character that fit the actor and was believable as a result.
I also thought the movie's premise was believable - I'll take a jealousy motive over a mad scientist just turning people into zombies for the heck of it any day. Plus, there were times when I could say it was genuinely creepy. While not the flesh-eating variety of zombie or even zombies that came back from the dead, the army at Legendre's disposal had the right vibe for a movie of this nature.
My biggest problem with this film is there's just not a whole lot of excitement in it. It takes an eternity for the movie to get to the whole "white zombie" reveal involving Madeline (Bellamy) and while there are a couple action scenes after that, it wasn't anything that was suspenseful to the point I was on the edge of my seat. Not to mention, it was a little too easy for Neil (Harron) and Dr. Bruner (Cawthorn) to save the day after Bruner had no problem deducing what happened to Madeline (it is amazing how characters in these movies are so quick to accept the supernatural explanation).
I think this movie, like many others, was ultimately just a victim of its shorter runtime. Had three been more time to develop some character depth and show more of Madeline in her zombie-like state, I think it would have made a world of difference. It probably still wouldn't be one of my favorite zombie films, but it would be more memorable.
Final Opinion: There's enough good in this movie to make it watchable. However, as a zombie/classic horror movie, it is just average.
My Grade: C
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Here are some reviews of other Bela Lugosi films:
Movie Review: Bowery at Midnight (1942)
Movie Review: The Thirteenth Chair (1929)
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