I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
This sounds like a creaker, and it's not. The biggest reason? My guess is the director Jacques Tourneur, who had just finished the terrific "The Cat People" and was going to soon do the near legendary "Out of the Past." For this odd and enchanting zombie movie, he takes very little and makes a lot out of it. The mood, the plot (with help from writer Curt Siodmak, brother of the famous director Robert Siodmak), and the settings are made more substantial than was likely given the budget.
Besides the Jane Eyre-ish plot, the huge role given black actors is a rare thrill (for 1943) and they have complex and reasonably convincing roles to fill out, including the voodoo religious culture. There is one great dancing and drum scene halfway through that struck me as honest and great to watch.
There is no one of any fame here, yet all the key actors (there are half a dozen with critical roles) are really strong, not hammy and not faltering. I guess I keep addressing the fear that this is a low-budget cult film, and it doesn't feel like one. It's easily as good as most of the monster and horror films Universal was cranking out a decade after "Dracula."
This sounds like a creaker, and it's not. The biggest reason? My guess is the director Jacques Tourneur, who had just finished the terrific "The Cat People" and was going to soon do the near legendary "Out of the Past." For this odd and enchanting zombie movie, he takes very little and makes a lot out of it. The mood, the plot (with help from writer Curt Siodmak, brother of the famous director Robert Siodmak), and the settings are made more substantial than was likely given the budget.
Besides the Jane Eyre-ish plot, the huge role given black actors is a rare thrill (for 1943) and they have complex and reasonably convincing roles to fill out, including the voodoo religious culture. There is one great dancing and drum scene halfway through that struck me as honest and great to watch.
There is no one of any fame here, yet all the key actors (there are half a dozen with critical roles) are really strong, not hammy and not faltering. I guess I keep addressing the fear that this is a low-budget cult film, and it doesn't feel like one. It's easily as good as most of the monster and horror films Universal was cranking out a decade after "Dracula."