Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Halloween Horror Watch #10: White Zombie

White Zombie -- Victor Halperin



White Zombie used to be "the other Bela Legosi movie" to me. This was during the time that I was terrified to walk down the horror movie aisle at Blockbuster. I didn't know anything about it then and I knew little about it now aside from the fact that it was going to feature voodoo-type zombies instead of Romero-type. Like many movies of the era (and every era after), the leading lady is nothing but a plot point to create conflict between several men. It's a simple and well-worn device, but it's put to good use in White Zombie.

Bela Legosi is the voodoo master subtly named Murder and he is fantastic. I've never been too impressed with his Dracula performance probably because it was iconic long before I was born and held few surprises by the time I saw the movie. But here, Legosi really impressed me. He's got as much charisma, poise, and nuance in this performance that I always hear him lauded for in Dracula. My sadness about his eventual career arc jumped up a few notches after watching White Zombie. The man deserved better.

 The rest of the acting runs the gamut from hammy to solid but it all fits in this world. There are some terrific sets and mattes. Ultimately, I'm just a sucker for the old ways of movie making. There are times in White Zombie where I forgot it had sound, especially near the climax. It's no masterpiece, but it's well-worth your time if you like classic horror or pre-Romero zombie movies.

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