Review: The Plague of the Zombies
Andre Morell plays a respected professor who arrives in a small town on the request of former med school pupil Brook Williams. It seems an unusual plague is bumping off the locals thanks to a voodoo-practising local squire (John Carson) who is creating a zombie horde for self-serving, sinister means. Diane Clare plays Morell’s bubble-headed daughter who accompanies him on the journey. Sometimes enjoyable 1966 Hammer zombie movie from director John Gilling (Hammer’s “The Mummy” , “The Reptile” , and “The Gorgon” ) is frankly a bit overrated. For me, I’m not much into voodoo films and it takes far too long to get its motor going, with more reliance on talk than I felt helpful. Once it finally does get cooking there are a few standout elements, but it was a bit too late for me by then. Some of the imagery is interesting and fun, the first appearance of a zombie is quite startling. The make-up is pretty good, actually and we even get a decapitation, which is quite bold for 1966. ...