White Zombie (1932)

White Zombie (1932)

„White Zombie“ is a 1932 horror film directed by Victor Halperin. The screenplay by Garnett Weston, based on the novel „The Magic Island“ by William Seabrook, is about a young woman’s transformation into a zombie at the hands of an evil voodoo master.

On their arrival in Haiti, Neil Parker and Madeleine Short Parker, a young couple, take a coach that passes a funeral in which the body is being buried in the road. That night they are followed by several eerie figures who, their coachman informs them, are zombies. He explains that the dead are buried in the road in hopes that the many passers-by will prevent the body from being exhumed and turned into a zombie. As their coach passes him while he is standing in the road, „Murder“ Legendre, owner of the local sugar mill that employs the zombies, snatches Madeleine’s scarf.

Neil and Madeleine arrive at the home of the wealthy Charles Beaumont, whose desire for Madeleine prompts him to ask Murder for supernatural assistance, although he has invited her and Neil to be married in his house. Because Murder looked deeply into Madeleine’s eyes while she was in the coach, he knows her love for Neil is true and unwavering, and his only solution for Charles is to transform Madeleine into a zombie. Charles is horrified by this alternative, but takes the potion given to him by Murder.

During the wedding ceremony, Charles entreats Madeleine to leave Neil, but to no avail. Shortly after the wedding, Madeleine, having been given the potion, apparently drops dead and is buried, only to be disinterred by Murder and Charles and brought back to life as a zombie. Neil, who in a distraught and drunken state sees apparitions of Madeleine, seeks the assistance of a missionary, Dr. Bruner. Bruner consults with a witch doctor who is the only man known to have left Murder’s fortress alive. The doctor, however, refuses to become involved. Neil and Bruner then journey to Murder’s castle and camp on the beach below the cliffs. As Neil suffers from a tropical fever, Bruner approaches the castle alone, but later, images of Madeleine awaken Neil and he, too, enters the castle.

Charles, meanwhile, regrets Madeleine’s transformation and begs Murder to return her to life, but Murder has his own ideas for Madeleine, who is completely under his control, and refuses. Charles realizes to his horror that he, too, has been tainted by the potion and is slowly being transformed into a zombie. When Neil enters the fortress, Murder senses his presence, and after Neil collapses, Murder silently orders Madeleine to kill him. Unaware of her own actions, Madeleine approaches Neil with a knife, but Bruner grabs her hand from behind a curtain, and she drops the instrument and walks away. Neil awakens and follows Madeleine to the cliff, and Murder commands his zombies to kill Neil. Bullets do not stop the zombies, but when Bruner knocks Murder out, the zombies topple off the cliff to their deaths.

Murder awakens and eludes Neil and Bruner until Charles, who has recovered some of his motor capabilities, pushes Murder off a cliff. The fall kills Murder, and Charles is unable to regain his balance and falls to his death as well. Murder’s death releases Madeleine from her stupor and she is restored to Neil.

A 1932 American Black & White pre-Code horror film directed by Victor Halperin, produced by Edward Halperin, screenplay by Garnett Weston, based on William Seabrook’s book „The Magic Island“ (1929), cinematography by Arthur Martinelli, starring Béla Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn, Robert W. Frazer, John Harron, Brandon Hurst, George Burr MacAnnan, Clarence Muse, Frederick Peters, Annette Stone, John Printz, Dan Crimmins, Claude Morgan, John Fergusson, and Velma Gresham.

In addition to the black actors, the production also used white actors in black-face. Jack Pierce, Lugosi’s make-up artist, was responsible for the make-up of several other famous horror films of the era including „Frankenstein“ (1931), „The Wolf Man“ (1941), and „The Mummy“ (1932).

The zombie theme was inspired by, but the screenplay not based on, the Broadway play by Kenneth Webb, „Zombie“. Webb sued the Halperins for copyright infringement, but did not win. Hoping to cash in on the country’s interest in voodoo, which began with William B. Seabrook’s book on Haitian voodou, „The Magic Island“ (1929), the film, then titled „Zombie“, went into development in early 1932. The Halperins leased office space from Universal Studios. To aid the Halperins, producer Phil Goldstone helped secure funds as he had for other independent films, with funding coming from Amusement Securities Corp.

Shot at Universal Studios using sets, props, and furniture from such classics as „The Cat and the Canary“ (1927) , „Frankenstein“ (1931) and „The Hunchback of Notre Dame“ (1923). Footage was recycled for a follow-up film, „Revolt of the Zombies“ (1936), also made by Halperin Productions.

A personal favorite of Lugosi, considered to be the first feature length zombie film, and the archetype and model of all zombie movies. Rob Zombie named his heavy metal band, White Zombie, after this movie.

Cast:

• Bela Lugosi – „Murder“ Legendre
• Madge Bellamy – Madeline Short Parker
• Joseph Cawthorn – Dr. Bruner
• Robert Frazer – Charles Beaumont
• John Harron – Neil Parker
• Brandon Hurst – Silver
• George Burr MacAnnan – Von Gelder, Zombie
• Frederick Peters – Chauvin, Zombie
• Annette Stone – Maid
• John T. Prince – Ledot, Zombie
• Dan Crimmins – Pierre, Witch Doctor
• Claude Morgan – Zombie
• John Fergusson – Zombie
• Velma Gresham – Tall Maid
• Clarence Muse – Coach Driver

„Im Bann des weissen Zombies“ ist ein Horrorfilm von 1932 unter der Regie von Victor Halperin. Das Drehbuch von Garnett Weston, das auf dem Roman "The Magic Island" von William Seabrook basiert, handelt von der Verwandlung einer jungen Frau in einen Zombie durch einen bösen Voodoo-Meister.

Neil Parker und Madeleine Short Parker, ein junges Paar, nehmen bei ihrer Ankunft in Haiti einen Bus, der an einer Beerdigung vorbeifährt, bei der die Leiche auf der Straße vergraben wird. In dieser Nacht werden sie von mehreren unheimlichen Gestalten verfolgt, die, wie ihr Kutscher ihnen mitteilt, Zombies sind. Er erklärt, dass die Toten auf der Straße begraben werden, in der Hoffnung, dass die vielen Passanten verhindern, dass die Leiche exhumiert und in einen Zombie verwandelt wird. Als die Kutsche an ihm vorbeifährt, während er auf der Straße steht, entreißt "Murder" Legendre, der Besitzer der örtlichen Zuckermühle, die die Zombies beschäftigt, Madeleines Schal.