My take: It may be the first zombie movie, but it ain’t the best. If you like Bela Lugosi though, he is thoroughly creepy in this one.
White Zombie, the 12th movie in Studies in Terror, is not your typical zombie movie.
Poster for White Zombie
Unlike the zombies of today that rise from the dead due to disease or some unknown catalyst, the zombies in White Zombie are slaves, revived from a comatose state to enact the desires of one man. That one man is Murder Legendre (yes, that is actually the character’s name), a master of voodoo played by Bela Lugosi.
The story revolves around a couple who go to Haiti to get married. They meet a plantation owner who seems as though he wants to help the couple. In reality, he wants the young bride for himself. He strikes a bargain with Murder Legendre to turn the young woman into a zombie so he can fool the young husband into thinking she is dead and keep her for himself.
Knowing the zombie movies that come in later decades (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, etc.), the zombies in this film are not all that frightening. But this was the first feature-length zombie film and you have to give the writer/director credit for bringing to life a thoroughly creepy idea from Haitian folklore. In fact, the concept of zombies was so new and unknown to 1932 audiences that they had to clearly explain the zombie legend throughout the film.
Bela Lugosi’s creepy stares and demeanor alone make the movie worth watching. I would recommend this to people who liked him in Dracula. I would also recommend this movie to anyone who likes zombie movies and stories, because it is always fun to see where things began.
The movie is easy to find. I watched it on Netflix, but there are also versions available on youtube such as this one here:
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