Film Review
One of the best films to come out of the fruitful partnership of
the production companies Hammer and Seven Arts, The
Plague of the Zombies is also one
of the most influential of all British horror films, defining a sub-genre that
continues to be popular with both filmmakers and audiences. Its
influence can be seen on George A. Romero's classic horror masterpiece
Night of the Living Dead (1968),
and the plethora of zombie films since. Although it was
released as the B-movie accompaniment to the more lavish
Dracula: Prince of Darkness
(1965), this is clearly the superior film, offering far more thrills
and a much more interesting story than the more familiar vampire romp.
The Plague of the Zombies
achieves a remarkable visual impact on what, even by the standards of
the day, was a ludicrously tight budget. The production
limitations are surmounted by a combination of imaginative set design,
lighting and camerawork which lend a haunting dreamlike feel and offer
the viewer an experience that is genuinely frightening. The
psychological effect of the oblique camera angles and unusual shot
compositions is accentuated by James Bernard's eerie score, creating a
sense of confinement and oppression. This serves to amplify the
film's anti-colonialist subtext very well, making it clear that the
villains of the piece are not the zombies, but rather those who choose
to exploit them.
This fiilm was shot back-to-back with the equally effective chiller
The Reptile (1966), sharing the
same atmospheric sets designed by Bernard Robinson. Both films
were directed by John Gilling, who, despite his excellent work here,
had a somewhat undistinguished filmmaking career. Whilst it may
lack any big name actors, the cast list does include some very capable
British character actors, with top billing going to André
Morell, who was famous at the time for his portrayal of Professor
Bernard Quatermass in the BBC television series
Quatermass and the Pit, transmitted
in 1958. Morell makes a good substitute for Peter Cushing,
bringing a vulnerability and sense of moral indignation that would have
felt less convincing had the part been played by Cushing.
Sci-fi enthusiasts and telly addicts of a certain generation will
easily recognise Jacqueline Pearce, who would become a television icon
as Servalan in the cult BBC series
Blake's
Seven in the late 1970s.
It may seem pretty tame by today's standards, but when it was released in 1966
The Plague of the Zombies was
something of a groundbreaking film, pushing the boundaries of acceptability with a more realistic
depiction of physical violence than had so far been seen in a British horror film. It is
easily one of the most shocking
and scariest of the horror films that Hammer made, and also one of the
most compelling. The highpoint has to be the sequence set in a
misty graveyard where the zombies rise from their graves and advance
slowly on their petrified human victim. This sequence has been
emulated many, many times since, almost to the point that it has become
a standard horror cliché. Gilling's direction and Arthur Grant's suitably
expressionistic photography makes this an utterly terrifying journey
into Hell - and an enjoyable one at that.
© James Travers 2009
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Film Synopsis
Sir James Forbes, a distinguished professor of medicine, is surprised
when he receives a letter from a former pupil, Dr Peter Thompson,
inviting him to look into a spate of mysterious deaths in a small
Cornish village. Intrigued, Sir James travels down to Cornwall
with his daughter Sylvia and immediately senses that something is
wrong. He receives a cold reception from the locals who, set in
their superstitious ways and controlled by the reclusive Squire
Hamilton, refuse to allow post-mortems to be performed on their
dead. Sir James and his former student decide to exhume one of
the recently buried villagers, only to discover that his coffin is
empty. Peter then learms, to his horror, that his wife Alice is
dead, murdered by what Sylvia describes as a walking cadaver...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.