DVD : Horror Classics, Vol. 1: White Zombie
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: TROMA ENTERTAINMENT INC
EAN: 9786305436300
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 6305436304
Label: ROAN
Manufacturer: ROAN
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: ROAN
Release Date: October 26, 1999
Running Time: 73 minutes
Sales Rank: 60921
Studio: ROAN
Theatrical Release Date: August 04, 1932
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Madeleine (Madge Bellamy) arrives at midnight to witness a mysterious burial before coming face to face with the satanic looking Murder Legendre (Lugosi with goatee and searing eyes) a hypnotist and voodoo master who has been supplying the local mills with an army of zombie laborers. Madeleine's nightmare is just beginning. Having landed in a world of almost perpetual night where hollow-eyed zombies lumber through the sugar mill and the ghostly town is eerily bereft of living souls she becomes the object of desire for Legendre whose plan to possess her involves her initiation to the world of the undead.System Requirements:Running Time: 73 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: UNRATED UPC: 785604200123 Manufacturer No: AED2001
Amazon.com:
Bela Lugosi followed up his star-making role in Dracula with this ambitious low-budget horror film from the Halperin brothers, who effectively transplanted the misty gothic mood of the Universal horror films to their poverty-row studio. White Zombie drips with atmosphere from the opening, as eerie chanting accompanies the credits and Madeleine (Madge Bellamy) arrives at midnight to witness a mysterious burial before coming face to face with the satanic looking Murder Legendre (Lugosi with goatee and searing eyes), a hypnotist and voodoo master who has been supplying the local mills with an army of zombie laborers. Madeleine's nightmare is just beginning. Having landed in a world of almost perpetual night, where hollow-eyed zombies lumber through the sugar mill and the ghostly town is eerily bereft of living souls, she becomes the object of desire for Legendre, whose plan to possess her involves her initiation to the world of the undead. This first zombie movie is also one of the best, with Lugosi's archly sinister performance dominating the film (thankfully obscuring a lot of overacting by supporting players), and astounding sets and gorgeous matte paintings creating a wondrous sense of poetic doom. --Sean Axmaker
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
The drumbeat and song tell of a foreign location. The people bury a dead body in the road to prevent it from being dug up and turned into a zombie. Who are those strange people in the night? Are they are the living dead, zombies who work at night? Mr. Beaumont offered them a job. Is there something strange going on? There are ominous noises in the sugar works. "I looked into her eyes." "No, not that!" "There is no other way." What about that lone flower? What will that marriage bring? What about that voodoo doll? What a horrible fate! As the story unfolds we learn more about the characters. Will they rob a grave?
"Have you got a match?" Can a drug cause a lethargic coma, like death? Article 49 of French Law says that it is attempted murder. Is that Madeline playing a piano? Can she be brought back to life? Was something put into his drink? Will Silver feed a vulture? [The film shows the technical effects of that time.] The story runs on. What will Madeline do with that knife? Will the villain's power be overcome by a holy man? Will the creatures self-destruct? Was it all a dream? "Have you got a match?"
The horror of this film now seems dated and is now comically funny. Were those zombies working at night a symbol for Hollywood or exploited workers?
Rating:  -
Considering the genre, time period, and star actor, it's always tempting to compare "White Zombie" to the classic Universal Monster movies. However, while "White Zombie" is on par with the best of these films, it's also extraordinarily different. The Universal classics ("Frankenstein", "Dracula", "The Wolf Man", etc) tend to be relatively simple stories, often with a fascinating, easily identifiable monster at the center. "White Zombie" rejects that mold, offering something far more poignant and (at the same time), far less recognizable than the spirit-gummed prosthetic faces of the Universal monsters.
The plot is far more complex than what you normally get in a Universal monster film, including a conscious-laden villain with a relatively well developed back-story and a somewhat elaborate reason for bringing the undead into the plot line. In a sense, Charles Beaumont becomes the protagonist of this film, far more compelling and likeable than the naive couple he seeks to destroy. We can certainly empathize with his belief that he is a better suitor for Madeleine than her vapid, weak-willed fiancé. We understand and almost condone the passion that drives him, even when we know that his actions are wrong and will lead to terrible consequences. Because of this, by the time we get to the wedding ceremony, it becomes obvious that there can be no happy resolution at the close of "White Zombie"- only an end to suffering. I'd like to see a Universal monster film ... Read More
Rating:  -
It is really amazing to think about how old this movie is, and how it really is one of the groundbreaking horror movies of the time. By today's standards, the look of the movie is quite archaic. The scenes jump and seem to be cut together at certain points, but it takes away very little from the movie. The acting is somewhat hokey, but again, the plot makes up for it. Upon watching this movie reminded me of the original Nosferatu, though this movie does have sound.
Bela Lugosi, in a very early role, barely recognizable if you ask me, portrays a 'Prince of Darkness' character. He is able, through voodoo, to create zombies and have them under his control. A plantation owner comes to him and begs him to help him win the heart of a women who is betrothed to another. Soon after the wedding the bride falls dead, or does she? It seems that Lugosi has been able to make her fall into a coma-like state and later with the assistance of zombies, and the plantation owner, they steal her body from the crypt. Her husband, sensing foul play, enlists some individuals, knowledgeable in voodoo to follow him to Lugosi's castle to get his wife back and free her from the zombie hold.
Rating:  -
White Zombie (Victor Halperin, 1932)
Back when I was a monster-movie-obsessed kid and I thought Edward Edelson was the world's greatest author, monster-movie books were still politically incorrect, and White Zombie was one of the most oft-mentioned "if you like zombies, this film is a must-see" flicks. Well, people got more sensitive in the eighties, and White Zombie kind of faded into obscurity; I doubt you'll be seeing a Criterion Collection release of this one any time soon. The cheapo-DVD manufacturing crowd fell on it like gangbusters when it hit the public domain, however, and you can probably find it for a buck or two at your local Half Price Books or Wal-Mart in a cardboard sleeve. That's how I got hold of my copy (for a buck and a half!).
White Zombie, made at the height of both Victor Halperin's and Bela Lugosi's careers, is the tale of Murder Legendre (Lugosi), a plantation owner/witch doctor who uses mind control to turn those around him into zombies. Charles Beaumont (prolific silent film actor Robert Frazer) lures a friend, Neil Parker (character actor John Herron) and his fiancee, Madeline Short (Madge Bellamy), out to his plantation for their marriage, then plots with Legendre to turn Madeline into a zombie so Beaumont can have her for himself. Once Beaumont realizes that she's no fun without her personality, he wants Legendre to reverse the process; nothing doing, chum, says Legendre. Meanwhile, Neil and a local missionary (Joseph Cawthorn) ... Read More
Rating: -
How much do I love this movie? Well, I watch it at least twice a month. I've even been known to start the movie all over again after it finishes. I'm only 30 years old but the older I get the less I enjoy new movies and the more I love older films. Maybe because they were about story and not all about special effects and White Zombie has a great story. Bela gives what I think was his best performance, even better than Dracula. I can't recommend this one highly enough and this is the best version out there on dvd.
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starring: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn, Robert Frazer, John Harron
directed by: Victor Halperin
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: TROMA ENTERTAINMENT INC
EAN: 9786305436300
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 6305436304
Label: ROAN
Manufacturer: ROAN
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: ROAN
Release Date: October 26, 1999
Running Time: 73 minutes
Sales Rank: 60921
Studio: ROAN
Theatrical Release Date: August 04, 1932
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