Zombies archetype of horror Cinema

Zombies - From Haitian Folklore to Hollywood

ZombiesZombies are the only Cinema monsters without previous reference on horror literature. Only on a book about folklore research  “The Magic Island” (William Seabrook, Alexander King) we can find the first reference about Zombies as a believe among the Haitian islanders and rumors among the African slaves in Caribbean.   There are significant differences between the archetype of Hollywood zombies and Haitian folklore zombie.  Cinema presents Zombies as returned dead ready to conquer earth by expanding a disease. Hollywood zombies are unstoppable flesh eaters.  On the other hand according to Haitian tradition Zombies are not necessary dead  and they are not eat flesh they are weird human beings walking on night around cemeteries.  

After the release of the book “The Magic Island” theater was the first art to create an artistic project based on a Zombie concept. In 1932 took place the stage play “Zombie”. The same year cinema introduced the archetype of Zombies in film “The White Zombie” (Victor Helperin, 1932). The film “White Zombie” was produced on a minimal budget by using the already used in films Frankestein and Dracula sets and the available cast form Universal Studio (Bela Lugosi). The theme of the film is about a mad scientist (Muder Legendre) who used a special drug to turn the local citizens of an island into an army of Haitian Zombies. The film is excellent  and it achieved a huge commercial success.

Later in 1936 Halperin brothers tried to repeat the success of the film “White Zombie” by producing a sequel film with the title “"Revolt of the Zombies"”, the theme of the film is about the creation of a Zombie army in Cambodia. As result, the Helperin brothers created a new sub - genre, the military zombie sub genre. The film “The Revolt of the Zombies” was not a great commercial success as the initial film “White Zombie” but influenced the film industry and and the creativity. Later Jean Yarbrough in 1941 directed the film”King of the Zombies” and in 1943 Steve Sekely directed the film “Revenge of the Zombies” both films share the same theme mad Axis scientists trying to use zombies for world domination.

In 1941 Jacques Tourneur directs a masterpiece of horror cinema and in my opinion the best Zombie film ever “I walked with a zombie” by adding another aspect to Zombie mythology, the mental illness. The film “I walked with a Zombie” asks a question to audience “what if, the Zombie is a mental ill person.

After two decades Hammer Studios produced the film “The Plague of the Zombies” (John Gilling, 1949) the theme of the film is about the exploitation of cheap labor with poor white villagers turned into Zombies for use as labor slaves.

(to be continued)

Elias Stoikos

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Val Lewton Horror Film Producer (1904 – 1951)

The Master of Horror films : Val Lewton 

"If you make the screen dark enough, the mind's eye will read anything it you want! We are great ones for dark patches" -   Val Lewton  

Val Lewton had an different idea about the classic films of Universal Monster films, he believed that they were old fashioned and they used to recycle the same film techniques and shock effects. Val Lewton re established the horror genre in an entirely different way with a series of films that change the horror genre for ever and by presenting a different face of horror.

Val Lewton believed that by withholding a certain amounts of visual information the audience would fill in the nasty details. The box office success of his films are empirical evidence of the correct approach to his believes. Val Lewton worked with other filmmakers (directors, editors and writers) who shared the same vision about cinema with him. Among them I can mentioned Jacques Tourneur, Robert Wise and Mark Robson.

A few words about the personal life of Val Lewton

 

Val Lewton was born in Russia in 1904 as Vladimir Ivan Leventon and he was raised in New York . His mother Nina was actress. He started at MGM department of publicity and he became an experienced fiction writer (one of his book is the notorious Weird Tales). Then he moved to California and started as editorial assistant to “Gone with the Wind”. In 1942 Val Lewton joined the RKO Pictures and he was allowed complete creative control – with conditions as to use the studio’s already tested sensational titles, to avoid messages, to spend less than $ 150.000 per picture or per month on shooting and to limit the length to around 75 minutes. Working on those guidelines and his own professed terror formula – “a love story, three scenes of suggested horror and one of actual violence” – Val Lewton rethought and revitalized the genre, though a series of revered nightmares that rejected mad scientists and monster make – up.

Lewton wrote “Cat People” (1942) inspired by the initial plot of Algernon Blackwood's story “Ancient Socceries” and it was a huge success saving RKO from a very difficult situation just a step before the bankruptcy. The he produced the unforgettable film “I walked with a Zombie” (1943). The same year 1943 Val Lewton produced “The Leopard Man” (1943) based on the thriller “Black Alibi” by Cornell Woolrich. The plot structure of the film is about a supernatural leopard overtones are redhearings and the invention of a psychopath to mask his murders,

Then Val Lewnton produced the film “The Seventh Victim” (Mark Robson, 1943) and the plot structure of the film is about an orphaned schoolgirl in New York discovering that her sister is a devil worshipper.

According to a large number of critiques Val Lewton is a significant film producer and among his best works are “The Body Snatchers” (1945), “Isle of the Dead” (1945) and Bedlam (1946).  

You can see a video tribute to Val Lewton 

You can follow as on twitter (horror2112)

Elias Stoikos

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Resources

Val Lewton - Wikipedia

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Val Lewton - Bright Films Journal 

Val Lewton - University of California, Berkeley

I need to mention that this article tries to provide information to reader using all the available data on the day of its publishing. New information and data for this subject and issue are published every day. It’s been highly recommended to the reader to search on Google for more information. World is moving searching is the driving force. Searching is the source of inspiration and the source of truth.                                    

I walked with a Zombie (1943, Jacues Tourner)

I Walked with a Zombie - Who said the dead don't walk

The film “I Walked with a Zombie” is considered one of the best horror films ever and it’s among the most significant films in Zombie sub – genre. The concept of the film is based on an article which was published published in American Weekly magazine by Columnist Inez Wallace “I walked with a Zombie”. The rights of the article were acquired by RKO Pictures head Charles Koerner and he asked the producer Val Lewton to start the preproduction of a film based on the article.

At the beginning Val Lewton had a different idea and wanted to change the title of the film but finally he and the film director Jacques Tourneur produced a masterpiece of horror cinema and now days is considered one of the greatest achievements in the genre. According to Alan Jones is a rare piece of visual poetry, constructed as a haunting symphony of elegant nightmare imagery.

The main persons behind the success of film “I walked with a Zombie”

As I have already mentioned earlier the film “I walked with a Zombie” was directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton, the screenplay of the film was directed by Curt Siodmak and Adrel Wray. The story of the film is based on an article with the same name written by Inez Wallace and published in American Weekly Magazine. The film “I walked with a Zombie” it was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and Director of Photography was Roy Hunt and the unforgettable soundtrack of the film eas composed by J. Roy Hunt.

Cast of the film “I walked with a Zombie”

James Ellison performs the part of Wesley Rand, France Dee performs the part of Betsy Connell (the main female character) Tom Conway performs the part of Paul Holland and Edith Barrett performs the part of Mrs. Rand. In the film participate also Jame Bell, Christine Gordon, Theresa Harris, Sir Lancelot, Darby Jones and Jeni Le Gon.    

The plot structure of the film “I walked with a Zombie”

The film “I walked with a Zombie” is about the most common question – the powers of reason struggling against the powers of unknown.

The plot of the film is developed in the exotic background of a tropical island in West Indies. Jessica (the role performed by Christine Gordon) is catatonic and her husband is a rich American plantation owner Paul Holland (the part performed by Tom Conway). There is a strong belief among the local habitants of the small island that Jessica suffers because the mother of her husband Mrs Rand (Edith Barret) has placed a voodoo curse on her because Jessica had a love affair with her half – brother Wesley (part is performed by James Ellison).        

Holland the husband of Jessica can’t accept the rumors and the superstitions beliefs of locals and he believes that his wife is mentally ill. The main character of the film is Betsy (role played by Frances Dee) a Canadian nurse who arrives in the island to look after Jessica. Betsy tries to solve the various problems of Jessica. Betsy takes Jessica in a voodoo ceremony in an effort to help Jessica return back to her normal life.

The film is known to audience, to film industry and to all media for the amazing, unforgettable and unique nocturnal walk of Betsy and Jessica through a sugar cane field as they walking to get to Houmfort, the island’s voodoo centre. During their walk they will meet various talisman, a tree hung goat carcass, a horse’s skull garlanded with faded flowers and they are approaching drums drown out the sound of the rustling wind.

You can see om youtube the legendary sugar cane scene from the film “I walked with a Zombie”

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Elias Stoikos

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Resources

I Walked with a Zombie - Wikipedia

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I walked with a Zombies - Rotten Tomatoes

I need to mention that this article tries to provide information to reader using all the available data on the day of its publishing. New information and data for this subject and issue are published every day. It’s been highly recommended to the reader to search on Google for more information. World is moving searching is the driving force. Searching is the source of inspiration and the source of truth.