
White Zombie
1932, Horror, 1h 13m
21 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsYou might also like

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Where to watch
White Zombie Photos
Movie Info
Murder Legendre (Bela Lugosi) is the menacingly named zombie master of Haiti. So it's to him that Charles Beaumont (Robert Frazer) goes when he needs help for a twisted plan. Spurned in marriage by Madeline Short (Madge Bellamy), Beaumont has decided on a simple solution: kill Short and bring her back as a zombie. Then she can be his forever. The only problem comes when Legendre keeps the fetching girl for himself -- and her new husband (John Harron) comes to Madeline's rescue.
Cast & Crew
Bela Lugosi
'Murder' Legendre
'Murder' Legendre
Madge Bellamy
Madeleine Short Parker
Madeleine Short Parker
Robert Frazer
Charles Beaumont
Charles Beaumont
Joseph Cawthorn
Dr. Bruner
Dr. Bruner
John Harron
Neil Parker
Neil Parker
Brandon Hurst
Silver
Silver
Critic Reviews for White Zombie
Audience Reviews for White Zombie
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Oct 01, 2018Overlooked perhaps, but this is one of the greats of the genre and due largely to (dare I say it?) the hypnotic performance of it's star, Bela Lugosi. Mesmerizing. And yes, zombies too, but such is Lugosi's chi that his minions are actually less frightening than Lugosi himself. How good is this? It challenges his performance in Dracula.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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Apr 10, 2013White Zombie is another early Bela Lugosi vehicle, this time he plays an evil voodoo witch doctor who's creating an army of zombies to do his bidding. A young couple recently arrives in Haiti to get married at their friend's estate. But their friend has ulterior motives for inviting them. He's determined to steal her away from the groom. With the help of the evil Legendre (Lugosi), he slips her the zombie potion on her wedding day. However, he has her as a zombie, and where's the fun in that? Lugosi as Dracula and as Legendre does the hypnotic stare and also does a lot of things with his hands. In fact, he might be doing much the same character, just different make-up. The rest of the cast is pretty undistinguished, and apart from it's notoriety as the first "zombie movie" there isn't much reason to watch this. It's rather dull and uninteresting by today's standards.Devon B Super Reviewer
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Dec 27, 2011It's a shame that Bela Lugosi didn't get more leading parts that exercised his abilities as an actor, but then again, he was quite happy to indulge in his horror legacy and make a living off of it in the process. White Zombie was released a year after the success of Dracula, and its popularity was a big part of that success. However, the film itself isn't quite as good as the one it capatlized on. The storyline is pretty good, but it's all stuff we've seen before and that already we're quite familiar with. A mysterious doctor madman on unknown islands doing devilish things away from society. That's certainly nothing new. The film has a lot of atmosphere and some genuinely creepy moments, but overall just doesn't hold up well or stand out among the others. Most will only watch it for Lugosi's performance, and I can't think of a better reason than that to see it.Tim S Super Reviewer
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Nov 17, 2011White obvious limitations are natural as the film was shot in 11 days for a tiny budget, White Zombie is a decent and not to mention the first zombie film known in cinema. The zombie legions are all under the control of Murder Legendre (Bela Lugosi) and not the imminent threat to all in the vicinity zombies we've come to know. The film looks rather hastily thrown together, but still excudes a creepy atmosphere and Bela Lugosi is just as much a part of that as the graveyard and other creepy settings. A decent classic low budget horror flick that was also what inspired Rob Zombie to name his first band White Zombie.Chris B Super Reviewer
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