Zombies of Mora Tau (1957)

User Rating:

4.5/10   

Director:

Edward L. Cahn

Writers (WGA):

George H. Plympton (story)
Bernard Gordon (screenplay) (originally as Raymond T. Marcus)

Release Date:

March 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

ZOMBIES OF THE AFRICAN VOODOO COAST! (original poster - all caps)

Plot:

Zombie-like, dead crewmen of a sunken ship have always prevented salvagers from claiming the wreck's legendary box of diamonds, but will a new group of treasure hunters succeed?

Plot Keywords:

Treasure | Diamond | Legend | Sailor | Africa

Cast

Gregg Palmer	...	Jeff Clark
Allison Hayes	...	Mona Harrison
Autumn Russell	...	Jan Peters
Joel Ashley	...	George Harrison
Morris Ankrum	...	Dr. Jonathan Eggert
Marjorie Eaton	...	Grandmother Peters
Gene Roth	...	Sam, the chauffeur
Leonard P. Geer	...	Johnny - a Crewman (as Leonard Geer)
Karl 'Killer' Davis	...	First Zombie - in Roadway (as Karl Davis)
William Baskin	...	Zombie
Ray Corrigan	...	Sailor
Mel Curtis	...	Johnson - Crewman in Launch
Frank Hagney	...	Capt. Jeremy Peters - a Zombie

Also Known As:

The Dead That Walk (UK)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden - 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Clover Productions

Trivia:

Columbia Pictures released this film on a double bill with The Man Who Turned to Stone (1957) with the tag line: "Warning - This is the Most Shocking Horror Bill Ever Shown!"

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Throughout the film Jan and the other characters, including Grandmother Peters, repeatedly refer to Mrs. Peters as Jan's grandmother and Jan as her granddaughter; but when Grandmother Peters greets the members of the expedition upon their arrival by boat, she introduces Jan as her "great-granddaughter".

Quotes:

Sam, the chauffeur: [after hitting a particularly deep pothole] Sorry, Miss Jan.
Jan Peters: Sam, I think by now you'd know every hole in this road.
Sam, the chauffeur: I know all the holes, Miss Jan, but on this road there's no place to go but in them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Middleman: The Ectoplasmic Panhellenic Investigation (#1.8)" (2008)

The swimming dead take to land...BEWARE!

I can never resist a good Zombie movie, and this one gives that interesting twist ....the zombies appear to be amphibious! They are protecting their treasure resting at the bottom of the murky waters....and do so by scaring the treasure-seekers with their horrible looks! Ahhhh!! It seems every group of treasure-seekers that tries to steal the loot, end up dead, so good ole granny (who seems to be the only one who accepts these walking weirdos) takes it upon herself to have the grave sites pre-dug for their convenience....how charming... This flick also provides us with our standard staple of "ear-piercing scream" from the helpless and unknowledgeable "Jan" The underwater sequence becomes quite amusing when the zombies casually stroll along the bottom of the lake towards their sunken ship....I guess being dead prevents the burning of calories, thereby giving them that extra weight to stay down............happy viewing!