Day 62: White Zombie

Continuing to burn through old horror, I finally saw White Zombie, the movie that gave Rob Zombie a band name. Much like the Island of Lost Souls, which came out the same year, it seems to be about white colonialism and the horrors of a workforce upraising. Unlike Moreau's animal men, Bela Lugosi's Murder (that's his damn name) has figured out a way to fake people's deaths and bring them back as obedient zombies.

The plot is really weird. A couple getting married are invited to a rich guy's house in Haiti where they are promised a wedding ceremony and the male is promised a top of the line job. Turns out the rich guy just wants the girl for himself and he turns to Murder (the guy, not the act) at the last possible minute to somehow get the girl. Murder can only do so much and the best he can offer is to fake the girl's death and bring her back as a zombie. This turns out not to fun for anyone involved.

The despondent groom teams up with a local priest to figure out what is going on with all these island zombies. By the end, chaos reigns. Lugosi does a great job cranking it up to eleven here. The supporting cast are all a little flat and boring but it helps to contrast with the evil shenanigans of the zombies. I will say, the sound design in the sugar mill scene was nerve shredding.