The Plague of the Zombies

John Gilling updates the classic zombie concept – that is, the one stemming from the voodoo tradition that envisioned the revenant as the slave of the white colonialist – by trading the Caribbean for a European Gothic setting (a village paralyzed by terror, a Mephistophelian nobleman, a gloomy cemetery, etc.) and turning the exotic plantation into a dusty tin mine. In this context, what had been the exploitive landowner (see “White Zombie” – 1932) now assumes the guise of the cold, heartless aristocrat who is likewise the master of a dehumanized workforce doomed to eternal toil.

“The Plague of the Zombies” gets credit for coming a good two years before George A. Romero revolutionized the depiction of the living dead, starting with his “The Night of the Living Dead” (1968). In fact, Gilling makes an effort to flesh out the film’s allegoric potential by emphasizing the political aspect (particularly the social component), as demonstrated when the locals refuse to allow autopsies to be performed on their loved ones (‘What did the autopsies show?’ ‘I didn’t make any.’ ‘You didn’t make any? What’s come over you?’ […] ‘The villagers… they don’t want the bodies of their loved ones cut about.’). At the start of “Dawn of the Dead” (1978), the Puerto Rican characters will display a similar reaction. Moreover, “The Plague of the Zombies” opts for a series of representational approaches that will reappear in upcoming films (a striking example is the tilted, off-kilter shots in the cemetery scene).

Visually refined, atmospherically rich, and with a masterfully orchestrated buildup of tension, this is a horror film that doesn’t disappoint. Despite a lack of big names, the cast – flush with “Hammer faces” – offers satisfying performances. Voodoo priest Clive Hamilton, played by John Carson, is just the right amount of evil, while André Morell gives a worthy performance as Sir James Forbes, a Victorian man of science.

The film is usually associated with “The Reptile” (1966), as both were released in the same year, both share thematic and technical-production aspects, and both were directed by the competent Gilling, renowned for his extensive knowledge.