White Zombie (1932)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Victor Halperin

Writers:

Garnett Weston (dialogue)
Garnett Weston (story)

Release Date:

4 August 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Romance

Tagline:

The Dead Walk Among Us!

Plot:

A young man turns to a witch doctor to lure the woman he loves away from her fiance, but instead turns her into a zombie slave.

Plot Keywords:

Zombie | Wedding | Plantation | Potion | Zombie Slave

Cast

Bela Lugosi	...	'Murder' Legendre
Madge Bellamy	...	Madeleine Short Parker
Joseph Cawthorn	...	Dr. Bruner (missionary)
Robert Frazer	...	Charles Beaumont
John Harron	...	Neil Parker
Brandon Hurst	...	Silver (the butler)
George Burr Macannan	...	Von Gelder (a zombie) (as George Burr MacAnnan)
Frederick Peters	...	Chauvin (a zombie)
Annette Stone	...	Maid
John Printz	...	Ledot (the witch doctor zombie)
Dan Crimmins	...	Pierre (witch doctor)
Claude Morgan	...	Zombie
John Fergusson	...	Zombie
Velma Gresham	...	Maid
Hans Joby	...	Chauvin (a zombie) (as John S. Peters)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Clarence Muse	...	Coach driver (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Halperin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Garnett Weston		dialogue
Garnett Weston		story

Produced by
Edward Halperin	....	producer
Phil Goldstone	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Xavier Cugat		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Arthur Martinelli

Film Editing by
Harold McLernon		(as Howard McLernon)

Art Direction by
Ralph Berger

Makeup Department
Carl Axzelle	....	makeup artist (as Carl Axcelle)
Jack P. Pierce	....	makeup artist (as Jack Pierce)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Cody	....	assistant director
Herbert Glazer	....	assistant director

Art Department
Conrad Tritschler	....	sets

Sound Department
L.E. Clark	....	sound engineer

Special Effects by
Howard A. Anderson	....	special effects (as Harold Anderson)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Bohny	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Jockey Arthur Feindel	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Enzo A. Martinelli	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Guy Bevier	....	composer: title theme (as Guy Bevier Williams)
Gaston Borch	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Nathaniel Dett	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Hen Herkan	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
H. Maurice Jacquet	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Leo Kempinski	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Abe Meyer	....	music arranger (uncredited)
Hugo Riesenfeld	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Herbert Farjeon	....	dialogue director
Sidney Marcus	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Edward Halperin Productions
• Victor Halperin Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1938) (USA) (theatrical) (reissue)
• Screencraft Pictures (1940) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Joseph Brenner Associates (1970) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Roan Group, The (1992) (USA) (VHS) (laserdisc)
• Roan Group, The (1996) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Roan Group, The (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• K-tel Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Vintage Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Emerald (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Flashback Home Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Passport International Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Admit One Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Englewood Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• LS Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Liberty Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mars Distribution (????) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)

Other Companies

• Amusement Securities Corp.  financing
• Clarco Inc.  sound

Runtime:

69 min | USA:67 min (Roan restoration) | Canada:85 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Australia:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1991) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

RKO-Pathé Studios - 9336 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Edward Halperin Productions

Trivia:

Rob Zombie named his first heavy metal band, White Zombie, after this movie.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Parker drunkenly staggers to Madeleine's crypt through the graveyard, he grabs a tombstone in passing. The tombstone wiggles.

Quotes:

Charles Beaumont: I thought that beauty alone would satisfy. But the soul is gone. I can't bear those empty, staring eyes.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Liebestraum

Better than you would expect it to be.....

....not exactly a lost masterpiece, but more than worthy of viewing.

I agree w/ some of the others here--it's basically a silent movie w/ added dialogue here and there-check out the wild over-acting on the part of the Zombies(lurch around w/ bug eyes etc), Bela(just a bit) and the two lead guys the lover and the obsessive. They're basically '20's actors held over from what I saw, overly mannered etc.

I enjoyed the china doll look of the blonde, thought that the wipes/dissolves/matte shots were innovative for 1932, and agree that the tone is indeed quite effective and eerie. All those shots of the hillside graveyard w/ the zombies lurching along its top are nicely done.

What was w/ having just the one black actor and then a couple more in blackface? I don't get it. It's not like you can't tell....

Bela is fine here--a few too many 2" closeups but not a bad performance, as always he can project the evil as few ever could. I liked the zombies-as-mill-workers part, that certainly stands out.

Overall, if you are a Bela fan or like '30's horror flix, do check it out. It's slowish and dated as hell, but you won't be let down if you keep it's era/genre in mind as you watch.

*** outta ****