White Zombie (1932)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tim S

  
  It's a shame that Bela Lugosi didn't get more leading parts that exercised his abilities as an actor, but then again, he was quite happy to indulge in his horror legacy and make a living off of it in the process. White Zombie was released a year after the success of Dracula,… More
  It's a shame that Bela Lugosi didn't get more leading parts that exercised his abilities as an actor, but then again, he was quite happy to indulge in his horror legacy and make a living off of it in the process. White Zombie was released a year after the success of Dracula, and its popularity was a big part of that success. However, the film itself isn't quite as good as the one it capatlized on. The storyline is pretty good, but it's all stuff we've seen before and that already we're quite familiar with. A mysterious doctor madman on unknown islands doing devilish things away from society. That's certainly nothing new. The film has a lot of atmosphere and some genuinely creepy moments, but overall just doesn't hold up well or stand out among the others. Most will only watch it for Lugosi's performance, and I can't think of a better reason than that to see it.

• Tsubaki S

  
  The first zombie movie, with a nice moody atmosphere. Casting-wise Lugosi clearly dominates, in many ways this is his movie.

• AJ V

  
  A great Lugosi movie, if you're a fan you should see this. He has zombies at his command. Fantastic movie!

• Randy T

  
  "With these zombie eyes he rendered her powerless... ...with this zombie grip he made her perform his every desire!" Very educational. For example; I learned that Bela carves a pretty mean candle. And... did anyone else know that the 'zombie grip' makes girls… More
  "With these zombie eyes he rendered her powerless... ...with this zombie grip he made her perform his every desire!" Very educational. For example; I learned that Bela carves a pretty mean candle. And... did anyone else know that the 'zombie grip' makes girls do whatever you want them to do? Why wasn't I informed of this years ago???

• Chris W

  
  Shortly after his iconic turn as Dracula, Bela Lugosi made this-the first ever zombie film. It's worth noting that this is also an independent film, not made by Universal or some other major studio. That's perhaps why this one seems to be overlooked more often than not. This… More
  Shortly after his iconic turn as Dracula, Bela Lugosi made this-the first ever zombie film. It's worth noting that this is also an independent film, not made by Universal or some other major studio. That's perhaps why this one seems to be overlooked more often than not. This is a zombie picture nothing like the kind made by Romero, and others following in his footsteps. Because of this, some viewers may find the film disappointing. I kinda liked it. Despite a short running time, it is rather slow, but the pace just adds to the atmosphere-which is done really well. Given the age of the film, it's surprising that there's some ambition here-especially with the camera work, which fetures cool and unique dissolves/transitions, framing through objects, and a long take (lasting several minutes) during a conversation that reveals important plot info. Despite its obscureness, the film does have an interesting legacy. Rob Zombie's band (before he went solo) took their name from this movies, which I think is just fine.

• Kylie B

  
  You can see that the small budget was used well, to great effect. However, the film has literally not aged well , the copy I saw made little attempt to restore the soundtrack which meant that in some scenes the dialogue was obscured by pops and crackle.

• A.D. V

  
  An excellent performance by Lugosi but this is an extremely slow-moving snooze fest.

• Pierluigi P

  
  The long zombie-cinema marriage started with this little and very interesting film. Lugosi plays once again a devilish man with a thick and menacing accent.

• Cindy I

  
  These are Haitian zombies, not living dead zombies. A dated but still entertaining movie about a man who will go to any lengths to possess the woman he loves, even if he has to kill her. Bela Legosi is fantastic as Murder Legendre, the villianous zombie-maker.

• Matthew Y

  
  The first zombie film of any kind does not get the genre started on the right foot and it would take over three decades before it emerged as one of the more prominent and profitable monster movie sub-genre's. The "zombies" in this movie are more like people in a trance… More
  The first zombie film of any kind does not get the genre started on the right foot and it would take over three decades before it emerged as one of the more prominent and profitable monster movie sub-genre's. The "zombies" in this movie are more like people in a trance under the spell of the films real villain Murder (subtle huh!) played by the great Bela Lugosi. Very low budget (even for its time) and shot in about two weeks the film certainly feels the weight of its limitations. I have to wonder if the film would have been lost in obscurity without Lugosi. Everyone else is weak in their respected performances and the sound quality is so bad (even for 1932) you can barely hear the dialog. In my opinion its not the borderline classic its hailed to be.

• Chris B

  
  White obvious limitations are natural as the film was shot in 11 days for a tiny budget, White Zombie is a decent and not to mention the first zombie film known in cinema. The zombie legions are all under the control of Murder Legendre (Bela Lugosi) and not the imminent threat to all… More
  White obvious limitations are natural as the film was shot in 11 days for a tiny budget, White Zombie is a decent and not to mention the first zombie film known in cinema. The zombie legions are all under the control of Murder Legendre (Bela Lugosi) and not the imminent threat to all in the vicinity zombies we've come to know. The film looks rather hastily thrown together, but still excudes a creepy atmosphere and Bela Lugosi is just as much a part of that as the graveyard and other creepy settings. A decent classic low budget horror flick that was also what inspired Rob Zombie to name his first band White Zombie.

• Adam M

  
  Probably the first zombie movie. Ever. Bela Lugosi plays a sinister voodoo master who has brought the dead to life to work for him. When he comes across a bride to be he hypnotises her and makes her into a zombie, confusing and enraging her husband and also a jealous rival. The… More
  Probably the first zombie movie. Ever. Bela Lugosi plays a sinister voodoo master who has brought the dead to life to work for him. When he comes across a bride to be he hypnotises her and makes her into a zombie, confusing and enraging her husband and also a jealous rival. The zombies in this aren't the flesh tearing, brain eating ones we're used to nowadays. In White Zombie they are just lifeless bodies, made to work, which is still a satire on modern life and something which George Romero would have picked up on. This relies on atmosphere for the most part and does quite well. The performances are good and Lugosi has a scary smile and general look about him which makes him perfect as the voodoo master. Pretty good for 1932. And yes, the great 90's metal band did take their name from this film!

• Nicky M

  
  I have recently gotten into watching old horror flicks to see where it all began and zombie flicks (as most of you know) are my faves. I try to put the movies into the context of the time period they are from and how they would have impacted those times. So while White Zombie has some… More
  I have recently gotten into watching old horror flicks to see where it all began and zombie flicks (as most of you know) are my faves. I try to put the movies into the context of the time period they are from and how they would have impacted those times. So while White Zombie has some decent early cinematography and builds a measure of suspense, it is also irratatingly slow to come to a climax. Bela Lugosi is sufficiently creepy and it is easy to see why he was one of cinema's big early stars. One thing is real apparent to me... I much prefer my zombies brain and bloodstarved as opposed to voodoo imposed hiding in an early love film.

• Barry L

  
  Typical Lugosi. Creepy, ham acted and great.

Read all 14 featured audience ratings