Review of The Plague of the Zombies (1966) by Mollz M — 16 Mar 2012

By the mid-1960's, Hammer had done films with vampires, werewolves, Mummy's and other such ghouls and monsters, but they hadn't done a zombie film, and this was their stab at one. It was shot back-to-back with The Reptile (1966), and both films shared some sets.

It does have it's scares but it takes it's time building up. Set in a small mining village in Cornwall sometime in the mid 1800's, the villagers are dying from a mystery illness that accelerating, Dr.

Peter Thompson (Brook Williams) is unable to determine the cause of the illness. Thompson calls for help from his old friend Sir James Forbes (Andrà (C) Morell) who travels to the village with his daughter Sylvia (Diane Clare), but upon arrival they discover the coffins of the deceased are empty, and the Doctors discover zombies on the estate of Squire Clive Hamilton (John Carson), who had been to Haiti a few years before and practiced voodoo out there.

The zombies seem to be coming from an old tin mine on Squire Hamilton's estate, and the doctors have to put a stop to further deaths by zombie attack before it's too late. It's got good moments in it, but it takes it's time building up to get to them.

But, it remains to have had an influential power on other filmmakers, even George A. Romero cited this as an influence on his own Night of the Living Dead (1968).