Review of White Zombie (1932) by Garrett C — 02 Jun 2016

Similarly to Dreyer's "Vampyr" (which this movie reminded me of more than a little), there's a lot of great things to be said about this film. Lugosi's performance is one of his most legendary, the reused Universal sets look astonishing as usual, the lighting is beautiful, the atmosphere is perfect, and some of the imagery is unforgettable.

Unfortunately also like Vampyr, this movie suffers from being inconsistent, with some truly atrocious acting and a muddled plot. The film is ultimately a minor horror classic (the very first zombie movie ever!), but its shortcomings make it a film only for the devoted horror fans.

For those of us who can't get enough of these sorts of films, you won't regret sitting through some of the dull or painfully bad moments, because there's enough striking early gothic brilliance to keep you going.