Grade: B
Synopsis: In Haiti, a wealthy man turns to a mysterious mill owner (Bela Lugosi) to help him win a woman away from her fiancé.
White Zombie is an effective horror film bolstered by a good performance from lead Bela Lugosi and a refreshingly edgy pre-code script.
Lugosi is great as ‘Murder’ Legendre, a ruthless mill owner who uses zombies for cheap labor. His piercing gaze and imposing stature combine to create a truly memorable villain, one who’s always icy cool and calculating. A sentiment best illustrated in a scene where he’s asked what would happen if his zombies ever regained their souls.
Indeed, with all credit due Lugosi, the script by Garnett Weston is a large part of why the film is so successful. A pre-code thing of efficient beauty, Weston’s script tells the story of a man driven by lust to make a deal with the devil, and wraps it all up in just over an hour. Granted, the Hollywood ending is a bit of a cop-out (a slightly darker finale would have made this something great) but still a lot of fun.
Thus, for classic horror fans, White Zombie is a must see, as it easily ranks among Lugosi’s best performances.
