I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (REVIEW)

Dir. Jacques Tourneur

Reviewer. Dan Cook

Evocatively shot and replete with some of the best imagery in 1940's horror, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE is an atmospheric and meditative chiller from the esteemed duo of producer Val Lewton and director Jacques Tourneur whose previous collaboration CAT PEOPLE remains one of the greatest black and white pictures ever made.

Telling the story of a young nurse who is sent to the West Indies to care for a woman suffering from severe catatonia, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE may not be as memorable as it's feline-themed sibling but still stands as a classic of the genre thanks to it's spotlight on the mysterious voodoo religion - a topic which would later gain much more attention in Wes Craven's underrated 1988 gem THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW.

As you would expect from a movie 77 years old, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE isn’t exactly pants-wettingly terrifying but it does have some rather unsettling sequences and a cold, immersive ambience that leaves quite an impression. Certainly one for the vintage horror aficionado.