The Plague of the Zombies

This is certainly the only movie that I've ever seen involving zombies mining tin instead of consuming living flesh. It's actually quite a nice change of pace to see a cerebral zombie flick, though - one that relies on mystery and characterization instead of torrents of gore. As usual for a Hammer movie, the cast consists of cool character actors who could out-perform a good half of our current big stars. Andre Morell is great as our concerned hero, John Carson makes a suitably sleazy villain, and veteran Hammer guest star Michael Ripper gets one of his meatiest, most memorable roles. A solid flick, if not terribly fast-paced or gripping. It's fun to summarize the plot to your friends when you're drunk (it's about zombies...mining TIN!)

This is one of the few good horror movies about zombies that I've ever seen. It has wonderful acting, mystery, intrigue, a great plot, and, of course, scary zombies. I wish modern horror movie makers would create more movies in the vein of this 1966 classic, rather than continually pumping out the tripe that we see so much of today. This film is a respectable addition to any horror lover's personal movie collection.

My vote for best Hammer movie of the 1960s goes to 'The Plague Of The Zombies'. It is easily one of the most original and entertaining films the studio ever released. Director John Gilling (also responsible for the bodysnatching classic 'The Flesh And The Fiends' a.k.a. 'Mania') really turns up the suspense in this gripping tale. He is helped enormously by a strong cast of leads - Andre Morell (the best Quatermass, in the original fifties TV version of 'Quatermass And The Pit'), who plays Sir James Forbes, man of science who must eventually accept that magic exists. Diane Clare ('The Haunting'), his independent daughter Sylvia, who becomes entangled in the mysterious goings on in a small Cornish village. And John Carson ('Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter'), the charming but evil Squire who they must defeat. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and am baffled why it is rarely mentioned when Hammer horror movies are discussed. Highly recommended fun, creepy and well acted.

One of the numerous 'period' horror movies to come out of Hammer Film Productions in the late '50s and '60s, "Plague of the Zombies" is pretty typical of the genre (excepting the absence of perennials Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee). Unwelcome newcomers arrive in a rural village that clearly has some dark secret, get warned away, refuse to leave, and ultimately get sucked into the evil goings-on. While the zombie make-up leaves something to be desired (by current standards), the script and story is quite good as is the acting. The film was shot concurrently with "The Reptile", sharing sets, cast members (including the lovely Jacqueline Pearce, perhaps best known as the slinkily evil Servalan in "Blake's Seven") and to some extent, plot*. While far from being the first Zombie film, "Plague of the Zombies" was highly influential: much of the current zombie aesthetic is a mashup of this film and the following year's "Night of the Living Dead". Recommended for aficionados of vintage horror films; however, modern fans, used to the gore and graphic decomposition in, for example, "The Walking Dead", may find the zombies a bit silly, which will pretty much kill the mood. (*also shared are comments in my reviews)

Young workers are dying because of a mysterious epidemic in a little village in Cornwall. Doctor Thompson is helpless and asks professor James Forbes for help. The professor and his daughter Sylvia travel to Thomson. Terrible things happen soon, beyond imagination or reality. Dead people are seen near an old, unused mine. Late people seem to live suddenly. Professor Forbes presumes that black magic is involved and someone has extraordinary power. He doesn't know how close he is: the dead become alive because of a magic voodoo-ritual, and so they must serve their master as mindless zombies. A cool zombie flick, with a decent cast, gruesome special effects, good atmosphere...worth watching! Not in the same league as, say, "The beyond" or "zombies", but it's decent entertainment anyways!