This October, I’m going to be doing something a little bit different with my contribution to 4 Shots From 4 Films. I’m going to be taking a little chronological tour of the history of horror cinema, moving from decade to decade.
Today, we complete the 1930s.
4 Shots From 4 Films
Dracula’s Daughter (1936, dir by Lambert Hillyer)
Revolt of the Zombies (1936, dir by Victor Halperin)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936, dir by George King)
This October, I’m going to be doing something a little bit different with my contribution to 4 Shots From 4 Films. I’m going to be taking a little chronological tour of the history of horror cinema, moving from decade to decade.
Today, we complete the 1930s.
4 Shots From 4 Films
Dracula’s Daughter (1936, dir by Lambert Hillyer)
Revolt of the Zombies (1936, dir by Victor Halperin)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1936, dir by George King)
Today’s horror movie is an early take on one of the most iconic of all monsters. First released in 1936, Revolt of the Zombies tells the story of what happens when the French discover that the secret to creating zombies is located in Cambodia. Naturally, they organize an expedition to track down that secret and destroy it.
Simple, right?
Unfortunately, when it comes to the French and zombies, nothing is ever simple…
Revolt of the Zombies was directed by Victor Halperin, who had previously directed the atmospheric classic White Zombie. Unfortunately, Revolt of the Zombies is hardly a classic. However, I still find the movie interesting as an example of what a Hollywood zombie film looked like before George Romero revolutionized the genre with Night of the Living Dead. The zombies in Revolt of the Zombies are not the undead cannibals that we’ve all been conditioned to expect. Instead, they’re closer to the original zombies: brainwashed servants without a will of their own.
One final note: the eyes that are frequently superimposed over the action belong to Bela Lugosi.
Through the Shattered Lens 