It is in essence the perfect gothic fairy tale. The film benefited quite nicely from the Great Depression in that Universal Studios was having to rent out it's back lots to help pay the bills. This had the effect of making White Zombie look much more like a big budget film rather than the shoe string budget shot in eleven days independent film that in fact was. White Zombie was headed up by the Halperin brothers, Victor and Edward, Director and Producer respectively. The film is also regarded as Bela Lugosi's finest role ever and I can't argue. This may in part due to the fact that Lugosi is rumored to have done more of the directing than Victor Halperin did. Rumors have persisted both ways. If anything were to prove this, White Zombie is the only commercial hit the Halperins had during their time in Hollywood. To the contrary though, this could just be that one lucky film they had in them.
The story follows Neil (John Harron) and Madeline (Madge Bellamy), a young couple as they arrive in Haiti. They believe that Beaumont (Robert Frazer) is welcoming them into his home for their marriage with the promise of a job for Neil in the banking industry. Little do they know Beaumont has fallen deeply in love with Madeline and wants her at any cost. He makes a deal with Murder Legendre (Bela Lugosi). After the this deal with the devil of Faustian style we began to see Beaumont become the most complex character. He goes from obsessed to remorseful to victim to hero.
The film does have it's flaws. The fact that the majority of the cast is pretty much assembled from silent era has-beens did make the acting seem dated even for it's release in 1932. On the other hand, it does serve the film. Most of the film's audio time is spent on the soundtrack and not the dialog (it's rumored that the Halperin brothers were huge fans of silent films).
Seriously though, for me to go into this film top to bottom, would take me far to long. If you are interested in learning more about this film or everything about this film (I mean EVERTHING!); check into Gary D. Rhodes' book White Zombie Anatomy of a Horror Film. The book is every bit exhausting as it is comprehensive. To close I will make one suggestion, if you're going to spend your money on this movie, don't buy one the dirt cheap public domain copies that floating around out there. The Roan Group did a wonderful restoration of the film which usually sells for ten dollars or less. Trust me, it's worth the two or three dollars extra that you'll pay for it.
Until next time
Bethany
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