I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Val Lewton and Jacque Tourneur are the forces behind this movie. When we think of zombies, we have a picture in our minds of the characters in "The Night of the Living Dead" and numerous movies and TV shows following it, including "The Walking Dead." This was made when the zombie was better known as a drink than as a character. This is quite different than what we are used to. A young woman gets a job as a nurse on an island where voodoo is practiced. Her job is to watch after a woman who is pretty much catatonic, who seems to sleepwalk, in a house where there are mysterious circumstances. On the island is a subculture that beats drums and holds meetings doing that voodoo stuff. The woman who is the center of all this has been affected in some way by these people and her husband is also involved in some way. Like many of the Lewton films, it's very low key with incredible atmosphere. I've been wanting to see this film for years and finally had the opportunity.

Frances Dee (Betsy) is appointed as a nurse to care for Christine Gordon (Jessica) on a Caribbean island. Gordon has a mysterious condition. Can it be attributed to voodoo or more natural causes? Whatever the condition, it is weird! The rest of the cast include her plantation-owner husband Tom Conway (Paul), his half-brother James Ellison (Wesley), their mother Edith Barrett, and a community of voodoo worshippers. They all have their own theories as to what has happened to Jessica. So, can nurse Frances get to the truth? This film is way better than its title suggests. It's atmospheric, spooky, nicely shot and very unexpected as well as original in its setting. There are quite a few memorable set pieces in this fairly short film. In fact, it's all pretty memorable and keeps you watching. If you try to anticipate what is coming next, I guarantee you will get it wrong. I got things wrong every time I thought I knew what was going to happen. It's a very good film in that respect. So, just watch the story unfurl.The actors are fine – I wasn't too enamoured with James Ellison given that he had the top credit. I don't think he deserved it. I'd have put him around 4th on the cast list. There are also several story threads left open and not fully explained but it doesn't matter, it adds to the mystery. I recommend this one - a different kind of zombie in this film. It's scary and sad.

This is not a bad zombie film - it's actually fairly good for what it is. Nurse Betsy is from Canada and she is hired to go to the West Indies to care for Jessica, a woman who's mind seems inflicted with a type of paralysis. Jessica is the wife of Paul Holland - Betsy and Paul fall in-love and Betsy is determined to help Jessica because she believes that is what Paul is wanting.Jessica is believed to be a zombie and some believe that voodoo is the only cure for her. Is Jessica a zombie or is she simply sick as a result of a high fever? This would be a great double feature with films like White Zombie (1932), Revolt of the Zombies (1936) or the comedy-horror film King of the Zombies (1941).6.5/10

*Spoiler/plot- I walked with a zombie, 1943. A Canadian pretty nurse arrives in the West Indies island St. Sebastian to care for the wife of wealthy sugar plantation owner. The young nurse thinks she seems to be living in paradise, despite plantation owner's dim view of his surroundings. His half-brother is much cheerier. When the nurse finally meets the plantation owner's wife, she finds the wife walking in the garden late at night. The wife is in a trance state. The family doctor explains that the wife has a severe tropical fever that burned out portions of her spine, leaving her in a zombie-like state. It's recommended to try insulin shock treatment. The nurse also begins to wonder if local native voodoo might be able to cure the wife.*Special Stars- James Ellison, Frances Dee, Tom Conway, Edith Barret, James Bell, Sir Lancelot. Dir- Jacques Tourneur.*Theme- The occult is dangerous.*Trivia/location/goofs- American, RKO studios. Val Lewton did not like the article "I Walked With A Zombie" by Inez Wallace that had been optioned so he adapted the story to fit the novel "Jane Eyre" because he felt the article's plot was too clichéd. The two figures seen walking along the beach during the opening credits are Frances Dee and Darby Jones. *Emotion- A horror noir film from this period in film history. In this film; less is more. The audience gets a chance to be involved in the film's action and goes along for a fun intriguing ride. *Based On- Jane Eyre book and West Indies island zombie myths.