The Walking Dead (1936)

The Age of Commercialism

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

In order to dispose of an honest judge a small group of racketeers hire a local gunman to kill him and then set up a recently released convict named "John Ellman" (Boris Karloff) to take the fall. Sure enough, John Ellman is convicted and then sent to the electric chair due in large part because of two witnesses named "Jimmy" (Warren Hull) and his girlfriend "Nancy" (Marguerite Churchill) who wait too long to come forward. Fortunately, a physician named "Dr. Beaumont" (Edmund Gwenn) comes up with a novel idea to bring John Ellman back to life even though he has been dead for several hours. Although his plan succeeds there is something much different about John which nobody can quite seem to figure out. Now rather than reveal any more of the plot and risk spoiling this movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that for a short, relatively low-budget motion picture produced in 1936 this film turned out to be quite good all things considered. I especially liked the performances of Boris Karloff and to a lesser degree that of Marguerite Churchill along with the nifty (albeit now antique) cars used in this movie. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this film and rate it as above average.

The Walking Dead (1936) is more of a somber drama with horror and gangster genre elements than an all-out chill fest. Still, it's worth a watch.Karloff gives the best of his unsung performances here. His melancholy and pensive characterization is perfectly mixed with a quiet menace reminiscent of his portrayal of Imhotep in the 1932 version of The Mummy.The atmosphere and cinematography are beautiful in that black-and-white 1930s horror way. So eerie and sad.Michael Curtiz's direction is good, though not as impressive as his later work would be. The other actors are adequate, but none can sustain the same interest as Karloff.Classic horror nerds will enjoy this, though it's not in the same ranks as the likes of The Black Cat (1934) or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931).

This is one of those B movies that grade A character actors make to satisfy their own souls. Basically, a bunch of familiar faces, some with familiar names, do variations on their standard personae in service of a moral fable. Each character illustrates a moral attitude or dilemma, with their ends illustrating the logical outcome of their choices. Most get a chance to explicate their character's world view, and most seem to relish the opportunity.If you can believe one of these other reviews, Karloff's character was radically re-written at his behest, and it gives him a chance to play the Monster as himself. If you know something about Karloff's early career, or lack thereof, you can see he draws on his own experience for his character's early demeanor. First, he is an educated man suffering from bad luck and PTSD, then he has to struggle back from a traumatic brain injury. If you like watching Karloff use those big old eyes of his,this movie is for you.

After having a chance to view several Karloff movies, it's obvious he had a great deal of charm. He has a soft spoken side to him that really comes through. In this one, a group of gangsters who have a big time attorney on their sides frame him for a judge's murder. He is brought back to life by Edmund Gwynn, a scientist dabbling in things not to be dealt with, or whatever. Boris finds himself in a semi-catatonic state, slowly reviving the memory of the men who framed him in order to kill the judge. There are some really touching scenes having to do with Karloff's love of music. He also seems on a mission from somewhere beyond as he picks the five men off one at a time. I won't say any more. He does a nice acting job and is very sympathetic. Gwynn's character is driven to experiment on the man and is waylaid. At times he appears to be as guilty as the others, but never has an opportunity to carry things out. It's a decent movie with a decent message.