User reviews

A pretty ordinary cheapie from Monogram Studios that begins with some promising atmosphere and visual style, but ultimately deteriorates with a lot of talk and some lame attempts at comic relief by black funny-man Mantan Moreland, who's not so humorous this time around.

A very youthful John Carradine plays it surprisingly low-key as an unconvincing Nazi scientist trying to create an army of non-scary zombies to fight for the Germans. He even turns his own wife into one of them, the fiend. These living dead sleepwalkers are more like what you'd call the "marching dead" as they step about in silly and perfect militaristic formation, like mindless robots. Those viewers unfamiliar with "pre-Romero" zombie movies are bound to be left especially stumped.

** out of ****

A somewhat fun Monogram horror movie. The wife of Dr. von Altermann (John Carradine) has died mysteriously. Her brother and a hired detective (hunky Robert Lowery) investigate. It seems the doctor is quite mad and experimenting on human beings and turning them into zombies.

Yes, it's a cheap no budget movie but it's fun. It has a nice atmospheric opening, a few amusing lines, some funny bits by Mantan Moreland and an interesting plot. Also Carradine gives a good performance and Lowery is tall, handsome, muscular and pretty good in a nothing role. A light enjoyable horror flick. Good viewing around Halloween. I give this a 5.

This movie is another example of the genius of Poverty Row studios, like Monogram, Republic, Mascot, etc. Who can argue with the kind of comedic mystery represented by Charlie Chan, The Purple Monster, The Tiger Woman, Radio Ranch, Rocket Man, and zombie movies like this.

The plot has to do with a mad scientist who wants to create an army of zombie Storm Troopers to help the Nazi's conquer America. (Be sure to look for an early scene where the zombies are assembled and goose step in formation). I don't think we need to go any farther into the story. It is only important to realize that this is Saturday Matinee entertainment in it's purest form.

It is one of the only forums where one can see the sinister elegance of a John Carradine, as well as the comic genius of a Mantan Moreland, all the while enjoying a virtual parade of second string pre-prime, and post-prime players. In this case we find Gale Storm (pre My Little Margie), and Bob Steele (post cowboy). A mute Veda Ann Borg, as the zombie wife, reminds us that her voice was as important as her acting. Speaking of Mantan Moreland; it is really too bad that PC guilt won't allow for the recognition he deserves.

I urge anyone who is interested in a little Saturday entertainment to catch this little gem if you can. You won't be disappointed. If you like it, and I know you will, you might want to check out another called "The Whip Hand".

One of low budget horror schlockmeister actor, John Carradine's more animated roles as a implied Nazi scientist, who is turning humans into zombies to serve the Reich. Mindless scuffling brain dead, only able to obey the most simple of orders....bit like staff in McDonalds.

Hitler isn't mentioned by name, since America wasn't at war at the time they was filmed, but it's pretty obvious who the bad guys are working for!

There seems to be two types of zombies in film, the traditional voodoo type popular in the old black & white films of the 1930's and '40's. Blank eyed and just following the commands of someone else as they stumble along. And then there is the type we know from later films like 'The Night of the Living Dead' and 'The Evil Dead.' Still roaming about but with only the intention to kill and eat the flesh and brains of their victims. Both have their moments in various movies over the years.

'Revenge' features the former zombie type, although, these are particularly goofy looking and would look more at home in an old time freak shows as geeks as they bite the heads off chickens. One black zombie named Lazarus with his wild hair, looks like a young Don King.

As to the plot, the evil doctor decides to make his wife a zombie along with the others and that's where he makes his mistake. Even though he lets her keep her strappy heels as a nice womanly touch as he turns her into one of the living dead, she's not happy about it.

It all goes horribly wrong and ends in tears, and the moral of the tale must be, never, ever, turn your wife into a zombie, it's just asking for trouble....

The film is interesting enough and it quickly rolls along to a finish, but never rises above it's poverty row origins. Not a patch on any true zombie classics but fun just the same.

This is surprisingly well made. The direction features quite a bit of camera movement for a quickie, the photography boasts some moody shadows and interesting wide angle lens effects, the swamp graveyard set is cool, and above all it's well acted--with Moreland doing his thing but the rest of the cast giving their all. And the music score is also well done not too much music either--not the wall to wall stock music approach in this film.

There is a lab/montage scene that is pretty elaborate and well done. There is another nice tidy montage to show time passing at a dinner party which has a funny pay off line and the last shot has an unusual pay off as well.

Carradine fans will enjoy his bug eyed entrance into the film but for the most part he plays it pretty straight/sober and he has a kind of memorable exit from the film--not to give it away.

The intentions I guess are mainly comic though it's not all that funny you almost wish they had just gone for serious horror yet it isn't campy for the most part and it's an all professional job.

The script holds it back from becoming above average though it is above average in all departments for this low budget genre of the era. Even the sets though not memorable don't look impoverished and the lab has quite a bit of gear in it.

The direction really impressed me with always making the most out of every situation--within the restricted scale of the movie.

One interesting thing, and you know this right away, is Nazi scientist Carradine kills and zombifies his wife, she does occasionally speak and they do a kind of interesting hollow sound to her voice. I think this film may be the first of the Nazi dead army plot movies tough it's certainly not the best one.

All said and done on a script level you pretty much get what you'd expect which isn't much but the movie almost won me over and fans of this era of genre films could do a lot better but you could do a lot worse as well.

After hearing about the sudden death of his sister, a man by the name of "Scott Warrington" (Mauritz Hugo) and two friends named "Larry Adams" (Robert Lowery) and "Jeff" (Mantan Moreland) head out to the Louisiana swamps to find out what happened. But first they meet a doctor by the name of "Harvey Keating" (Barry Macollum) who tells them that after examining the body of "Lila von Alterman" (Veda Ann Borg) he is convinced that she did not die of a heart attack like he was originally told by her husband "Dr. Max Heinrich von Alterman" (John Carradine). Dr. Keating suspects she was poisoned. When they get to the house of Dr. von Alterman they find the body of Lila and discover that she is quite dead. Not long afterward her body disappears and they further discover that there are things going on that are extremely unusual and these discoveries could pose a grave threat to the United States. Anyway, rather than detail the rest of the story and possibly spoil the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a likable film for the most part. One thing I should mention though is that it bears a striking resemblance to a movie made two years earlier called "King of the Zombies". Unlike that movie though this one was made during World War II and features--Nazi swamp zombies! Also included are two attractive actresses named Gale Storm (as "Jennifer Rand") and the aforementioned Veda Ann Borg. Add in some creepiness along with some humor for good measure and this movie manages to entertain fairly well for a B-movie of this type. I rate it as average.

Poor John Carradine. He made a fatal mistake in thinking that he could turn his wife into a zombie and that she would obey his every command. Even dead, the wife is always right.

Carradine starred as Dr. Max Heinrich von Altermann, a NAZI scientist that was trying to develop an army that would not have to eat and would be impervious to bullets for Hitler's army. He should have stuck to men and not tried to use his wife to prove his success. It proved his undoing.

The film also featured the famous Mantan Moreland who, when he wasn't sniffing after the lovely Sybil Lewis, was engaging in the oft criticized stereotypical behavior that he was famous for, including the famous line "feet don't fail me now."

Scott Warrington and Detective Larry Adams arrive in Louisiana to mourne the death of his sister Lila, he is shocked to learn that his brother in law, Doctor Max von Altermann, has a very strange plan for his deceased wife.

For 1943 it's somewhat ahead of the curve, two things stand out, the casting and the content. It features a pretty diverse cast, good to see, especially in horror.

I have never really associated the 40's with zombie movies, so it did come as something of a surprise, the trouble is, it's not particularly good. It's pretty slow, it's very dialogue heavy, and the story, though well imagined, is badly realised.

Doctor von Altermann is an interesting one it's fair to say, the typical maniacal villain, one who'd fit in well in one of today's horror thrillers, the archetypal megalomaniacal villain.

Not the finest hour for either John Carradine or Mantan Morland, but there's no denying that the pair have a degree of presence.

Watch it as a curiosity, just don't expect too much.

4/10.

The title implies a far greater sense of purpose than the walking dead actually display in this Monogram quickie. Zombies usually stagger, but this time they orderly march in line, their slow pace presumably compensated for by the fact they work for no wages. They're an emaciated bunch apart from Veda Ann Borg, more unnerving than usual since for once she hardly says a word.

Monogram Studios was a very low-budget film company that had a knack for creating dumb movies that still were often entertaining. Cerebral? Never...but fun in a low-brow sort of way. So, if you are looking for William Shakespeare, keep looking for another studio. But, if you like schlocky Lugosi, Carradine or George Zucco films, then this is the studio for you!

Here, we find John Carradine in a couple familiar roles--a mad scientist AND a Nazi!! But unlike the typical insane Nazi scientist, he has come up with a rather unique plan--to create an army of zombies! This way, they Third Reich will have super-soldiers who are impervious to pain and practically unstoppable. Being a really nice guy, he kills his own wife and reanimates her--he's THAT devoted to his goody cause. Into this weird little world of bizarre experiments come a group of do-gooders--including Monogram's king of scaredy-cats, Mantan Moreland. In this movie, Moreland basically plays the same guy he played in the Charlie Chan films--comic relief that occasionally actually helps despite himself! As I said above, this is NOT a film for the intellectually-minded and I am sure the Criterion Collection will NOT be releasing this film any time soon. The acting is occasionally quite bad, the plot silly and the whole thing makes no sense if you think about it....but it's an oddly satisfying B-movie if you like that sort of schlock! So, if you like schlock, then this is very good schlock!!

In this poverty row quickie, John Carradine plays an Axis scientist who is trying to create a zombie army to defeat the Allies in WW2. However, he gets more than he bargained for when he turns his own wife into a zombie.

This Monogram comedy/horror quickie is pretty much zombified itself. Even the big climax isn't much. One scene of Carradine in his lab has some visual flair, but mostly this film is shot in medium. The film only comes to life when Mantan Moreland gets to do his stuff. I'm aware that Mantan Moreland is considered "politically incorrect" by most of today's self illuminated cultural and intellectual elite, but Moreland always gave a professional performance. His comic timing is perfect. Sybil Lewis is quite good as the straight women for Mantan to play off.

John Carradine, the same guy who graces my TV often in Grapes of Wrath, comes off much closer to the mad doctor from Woody Allen's "Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex..." In this case, he's killed his wife and her brother is coming to a Cajun swamp for details. Turns out, he's building a zombie army for the Nazis and she was part of the experiment.

The brother has a detective in two, as well as comedic relief. Mantan Moreland is the sidekick driver who gets to make some wisecracks in the middle of the horror mystery, which I've seen him do in other zombie flicks with pretty much the exact same plot.

My favorite aspect though is the fact that while the zombies generally follow the will of their master, a couple of them are completely self-aware. One of them says, "I drove a car like this.... when I was alive..." There's a feminist twist included too, should any young riot-grrrl band need a sound-byte for their vinyl release.

Always enjoy the Classic Horror films, however, this film was really a big waste of time and if it were not for John Carradine playing the mad man doctor who is able to control human beings through his experiments. This film was made during WW II and John Carradine was a German Nazi working to find a human weapon against the entire world. Bob Steele playing in many roles as a cowboy or gangster and in this picture Bob seemed bored to death with his role in this film and acted like this was his first film. Mantan Moreland, (Jeff) gave an outstanding performance with great comedy which helped keep the audience attention. I hate to criticize a film made in 1943, but this is really a big disappointment. If you like John Carradine and the roles he played as Count Dracula throughout many films during the 1940's, you just might like to watch John doing his best.

There is not much to say about this one except that it is probably the worst of the early spate of zombie movies (I may get to watch another one, REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES [1936], before the month is out). For all star John Carradine's intention of building an army in the service of the Third Reich with them, they are not seen to do much at all!; James Baskett (Uncle Remus from SONG OF THE SOUTH [1946]!) plays their leader, who also serves as Carradine's manservant. Black comic Mantan Moreland reprises his 'fraidy cat' chauffeur role from KING OF THE ZOMBIES (1941), as does the exotically named Madame Sul-Te-Wan as Carradine's housekeeper. Unfortunately for Carradine, his supreme achievement – the zombification of his wife – brings him all sorts of trouble: not only do her relatives turn up at his remote abode/lab to inquire into her sudden death (which means he has to fake a funeral service!) but she actually proves disobedient and indignant, eventually 'persuading' her fellow zombies to rise against their master!! Also involved is cowboy star Bob Steele (still best-known for his bit in Howard Hawks' THE BIG SLEEP [1946]) who plays a U.S. secret agent posing as a Nazi posing as a Sheriff! Thankfully, director Sekely would have much better luck with his next genre effort, THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962).

If I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE can be considered the high point of the zombie genre in the 1940s, then REVENGE OF THE ZOMBIES (1943, aka THE CORPSE VANISHED) is a different kind of film entirely: cheaper, funnier, and certainly messier coming from the poverty row Monogram Pictures studio. The story involves a bunch of Americans heading to the Caribbean for a funeral, only to find themselves held captive by a mad scientist.

If you're looking for zombies you get about half a dozen of them here, but they're oddly inert and follow the realistic zombie tradition, i.e. We usually see them being used for slave labour. The Nazi mad scientist stuff is little utilised although John Carradine is having a ball as the villain of the piece. Mantan Moreland supplies some of his trademark comic relief in the comedy scenes. It's not a great film, but horror lovers will find a few elements to enjoy.

Cheapie horror comedy from Monogram, a sort of sequel/remake of King of the Zombies. Mantan Moreland was in both pictures playing the same character. There are small differences in the plots of the two films but essentially they're the same - a couple of white guys and their black valet (Moreland) wind up in a spooky old dark house where a mad scientist (John Carradine) is experimenting with zombies for the Nazis. Moreland is an acquired taste but he's pretty much the only person in this who appears to be trying. Even John Carradine looks bored. There's not a lot about this to love. It's not as cheesy or fun as you might hope. As much as I didn't care for King of the Zombies, there were at least some funny moments here and there. This is just blah.

This was a movie that I first learned about when I watched the prequel, King of the Zombies. I knew this was one that I'd get to when I shifted to watching horror from 1943. What intrigued me was to see Mantan Moreland come back along with Madame Sul-Te-Wan. There was at least representation. Other than that, I knew this was a pre-Night of the Living Dead zombie movie.

Synopsis: when Dr. Von Altermann's (John Carradine) wife Lila (Veda Ann Borg) dies mysteriously at his spooky mansion, her friends and relations suspect murder.

Now I'll be honest, I did cut the synopsis down as it gets quite wordy. The information I've kept in is all that we need. The movie itself starts with it being stormy out. We are in Louisiana and near the bayous. Lazarus (James Baskett) makes a call, waking up other zombies. He gives them orders to dig and one to watch over Dr. Harvey Keating's (Barry Macollum) house.

We are following Larry Adams (Robert Lowery) who is trying to figure out what happened to his sister, Lila. She was married to Dr. Max Heinrich von Altermann. From everything that was known, she was healthy and died rather suddenly. This is why he suspects murder. He is here with Scott Warrington (Mauritz Hugo) who is a private investigator. They enlist the aid of Dr. Keating who suspects foul play as well.

They converge on the house of Max. He has a secretary of Jennifer Rand (Gale Storm) who Larry takes a liking to. Max is more than willing to help their investigation. It even seems that her will leaves everything to Larry. This is odd since she is married to the doctor. It is suspected that he is trying to get rid of them.

There is a good reason too. Max, with the aid of Mammy Beulah (Sul-Te-Wan), turned Lazarus and the others we saw earlier into zombies. He then does the same thing to his wife. It turns out that this doctor is working with the Nazis and believes they can turn the tide of the war if they can create an army of zombies that will do whatever they're told. There is a hiccup when Lila refuses to listen to Max. She isn't the only one that wants to help this trio solve what is happening before it is too late.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. I want to bring up about this being a sequel. This is an interesting way to do it and effective. We are getting a similar premise to what we got in King of the Zombies. There is a Nazi that is trying to use zombies for World War II. We have Americans that stumble on the plot and do what they can to stop them. This makes more sense with the brother of a victim coming to investigate what happened. There are other changes as well. This is moved from an island in the Caribbean to Louisiana. Voodoo is practiced in both areas or at least thought to be, so that is believable. I thought what was kept the same and what was changed worked well in the confines of the story.

What I can't give credit for is using the same concept. I loved the idea for King to have a Nazi trying to figure out how to make zombies for the Third Reich. I'm not sure when it was discovered that Adolf Hitler was into the occult, but it fits in line with different things I've heard over the years. It is less creative to use it again a couple years later for another movie. This is a 'poverty row' flick so that make sense.

Before moving away from the story completely, I am glad that this featured black characters. Moreland is used less here, but he is still over the top with the comedy. I like him. They also bring back Mammmy Beulah. She takes on the 'magical negro' character. She knows how to make the elixir for creating zombies. That means she also knows how to counteract it as well. This is slightly racist with things I've learned from Horror Noire, but it is the era this was made. We still see this character today. It doesn't make it easier to digest though. I'll also go over the zombies here. They are voodoo ones. What I did find interesting is that they're referred to as the 'living dead'. I'm not sure if that was used prior to this film.

Next should be the acting. I've already given credit to Sul-Te-Wan and Moreland. I'm glad they were cast here. It is interesting to see Carradine in another starring role this year. He has a great, suave look that translate to him as a villain. Storm was solid as well. She isn't given a lot to work with outside of Max turning his attention toward her. I do like Lowery, Macollum and Hugo as our trio trying to solve the mystery. Borg was good as a zombie. Credit to Baskett as well as the others for being these monsters. One last person to credit is Bob Steele as the sheriff. There is a commentary there about corrupt local officials as it looks like he's a henchman for Max. That message still fits today. I'd say that overall, the acting here is solid across the board.

All that is left to go into is filmmaking. Since this is a 'poverty row' film, the cinematography is fine. I did like the setting of the bayou of Louisiana. There is something creepy about it and desolate. That works especially when the storm rolls in. Another setting is Max's house. I did like the slight elements of the 'old dark house' and trying to find his laboratory. The effects we get are limited. That is also due in part to the era. I also thought the soundtrack was fine. I did like the call that was made for the zombies. There is an eerie factor there.

In conclusion, this movie is fine. This is a sequel in name only. It borrows elements like the Nazis trying to learn to create zombies for WWII and being in an area where voodoo is found. Other than that, there isn't continuity between the two. I do wish that this would do a bit more to set itself apart. The acting is fine. Credit there to Carradine, Moreland and Sul-Te-Wan as the bright spots. The rest fit for what was needed. This is made well enough. It doesn't do much to stand out though either. I'd only recommend this to fans of this era of cinema or you're out to see historical zombie films.

My Rating: 6 out of 10.