When this film was still thought of as "lost", it's reputation grew as if it were a masterpiece. When it was "found", it turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. It was released by a small independent and it is said that Lugosi accepted something like $5,000 to play the zombie master, Murder Legendre. He had just turned down "Frankenstein" and probably thought that this film might make the same kind of splash. He was wrong. As usual, he hams it up so badly, that it is almost enjoyable. You have to be a Lugosi fan to appreciate his style of emoting. John Harron is a real wimp as the bridegroom. Robert Frazier is much better as the man who is trying to steal Madge Bellamey, the bride. The black and white cinematography is really quite good for such a low budget picture and there are some artistic moments. But it is one of those movies that you either like or hate and does not live up to its "lost" film expectations. A much better version of the walking dead genre is "I Walked With A Zombie" with Tom Conway and Frances Dee.
Review of White Zombie
