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Sir James Forbes (André Morell) and his daughter, Sylvia (Diane Clare), are out of the blue requested to travel to a Cornish village by Sir James' former pupil, Dr. Peter Thompson (Brook Williams). The village has become a haven for mysterious deaths and Peter's believes that Sir James can shed some light on the matter. No sooner do they arrive when another victim surfaces and it's quickly becomes evident that something far more sinister than medical problems is at work here.

Hammer Horror tackles the zombie sub-genre with no little amount of success. Directed by John Gilling, The Plague Of The Zombies was filmed back to back with the equally entertaining The Reptile. Filmed out of fortress Hammer that was Bray Studios, the same sets that were used for The Reptile were also used here. With Bernard Robinson's Cornish Village again a treat for sore eyes. 1966 was the last year that Hammer used Bray Studios and it's fitting that it was a year that saw efficient and varying creepers filling out the Hammer Horror cannon. Peter Bryan's story, aided by some interesting imagery, delves into the dark world of witchcraft and voodoo, thus giving this particular "zombie" piece an extra dimension. This is not merely about zombies roaming the countryside and killing indiscriminately. Evil they are of course, but they have a purpose and being that comes to light as the story unfolds. There's also nods to tyranny and exploitation, wryly observed by the makers here, cheekily cloaked in a cloud of rotting flesh.

Technically it holds up rather well too. The effects are strong enough to carry the story, with the zombies eerie personified as they shuffle around all green flesh and grumbling away as we know they should. All captured in deluxe colour that comes out nice in High Definition. The cast are fine, with Morell standing out as he gives his usual classy and professional performance, while James Bernard's score is suitably at one with each and every change of pace. This is not just a fine and under appreciated part of the Hammer Horror output, it's also a worthy and most notable entry in the "zombie" genre. See it if you can. 7/10

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)

This is an above average Hammer Studios film from 1966. It was filmed back to back with The Reptile, another above average Hammer production, using chiefly the same crew and much of the same cast.

The story is that there is a mysterious plague killing people in a small Cornish village. Dr. Forbes (André Morell) travels there to investigate and is accompanied by his daughter, Sylvia Forbes (Diane Clare), who uses it as an excuse to visit her childhood friend Alice Tompson (Jacqueline Pearce). Alice's husband is the local doctor and has been unable to figure out why people have been dying. His wife Alice has also been acting strange lately, somewhat withdrawn and lifeless, which has been the main symptom before the locals died.

There is a local gang of privileged ruffians who are headed by the local nobleman, Squire Clive Hamilton. Hamilton more or less runs the village and he also owns the old abandoned mine near town. He is of course approached by Dr. Forbes but cannot provide any help as to the cause of deaths. But soon he doctor begins to suspect the truth: That the Squire is actually a practicing Voodoo priest who has been turning locals into zombies to work in his mine!

Before too long Alice Tompson dies and her distraught husband has her buried in the local cemetery. We get to watch as she rises from the grave to report to the mine for duty! There are lots of cool shots of zombies lumbering around and rising from graves

In this film the whole town is shrouded in mist and there is a constant sense of dread among the population. Michael Ripper does a great job as the local constable who is trying to solve the mystery along with Dr. Forbes. Tightly put together with a fast pace for most of the movie, this is a great release from Hammer. It is also the only zombie movie they ever put out which is too bad as this one turned out so well.

This release from Anchor Bay is another notch in their cap for the fine picture (1.85:1 anamorphic) and sound. There are a couple of trailers and a World of Hammer Episode: "Mummies, Werewolves & the Living Dead". It retails for $30, but it can be found for less. I am glad I own this dvd and I will watch it many more times over the years.

I've been watching horror films since before I could walk and this is the first time I have viewed this. Story is about a doctor named Sir John Forbes (Andre Morell) who receives a letter one day from a former pupil who is asking for help because people in his village are dying under strange circumstances. Sir John and his daughter Sylvia (Diane Clare) head to the village and they find his former pupil Peter Tompson (Brook Williams) and his wife Alice (Jacqueline Pearce) who explain the problem at hand. Alice looks pale and sick and has a bad cut on her arm but she insists that she is fine. Sir John asks what the autopsies revealed and Peter tells him that the village Squire would not allow any autopsies due to religious practices. The village Squire is Clive Hamilton (John Carson) and he has many men who work for him and are very obedient and one day he comes to visit Sylvia. A glass breaks and Sylvia ends up with a cut finger and when she isn't looking he takes some of her blood and keeps it. Then one night Alice leaves her home and ends up dead. Peter is heartbroken and Sir John suggests that they dig up some bodies in the cemetary and when they do they discover that all of the coffins are empty! Sir John figures out that Squire Hamilton has practiced black magic and can make the dead rise up as zombies and make them work in his underground mine. But he has to hurry because the Squire has put a spell on Sylvia and plans on using her next! This was directed by John Gilling who along with Terence Fisher was very popular especially with fans of these films by Hammer Studios. Gilling filmed this and then went right ahead a week later to direct "The Reptile" back to back and some of the sets can be seen in both films. I think one of the reasons that this doesn't get mentioned much when people speak of Hammer films is because it lacked real recognizable faces in the cast. The whole cast is good and veterans of these types of films but here in America how many people knew who John Carson was? I think most viewers were accustomed to seeing Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in the leads and if they weren't than maybe they got pushed by the wayside over the years. The special effects are not bad and it was pretty eerie seeing Alice rise up out of her grave. But I did laugh at some of the scenes in the mine where some of the men were flogging the zombies with whips to make them work. I guess good workers are hard to find! What's the world coming to if you can't get a zombie to put in a decent days work? But this is an effective film and one of the few that Hammer made that dealt with Zombies. Creepy atmosphere and a good cast make this a fun film to view.

This was the one and only zombie movie that the British horror kings Hammer Films ever put out. It might seem quite odd to some modern viewers in that there are no flesh-eating ghouls to be found here at all. The reason for this is quite simple, this movie came out two years before George A. Romero's legendary classic Night of the Living Dead (1968) which effectively was a year zero moment for the modern, more grotesque zombie. In this one the undead are almost tragic beings who are slaves to an evil human. This isn't so strange, as Hammer had made a habit of going back to the 30's and making modern versions of the horror classics of that decade. To this end Plague of the Zombies could be considered a new version of the zombie films of those earlier years when the conception of the undead was wrapped up in Haitian voodoo, with the zombies themselves slaves to occult masters. A film that looks to have been particularly influential here is the Bela Lugosi poverty row cult item White Zombie (1932), which featured all those things plus the idea of the undead being used to work tirelessly in a mill, an idea revisited here also. What was also noticeable to me was that this one looked like a second-tier Hammer film financially, with none of their big stars in it. In fact, it seems to have been made as a support feature for Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), with the funny trailer for this double-bill saying that boys will be handed out Dracula fangs and girls will be given zombie eyes! It also seems to clearly have been made back-to-back with The Reptile (1966) which also shares the same filming location as well as some acting personnel. But the interesting thing is, that despite the lower profile that Hammer gave it, this remains one of their strongest 60's movies.

A couple of physicians investigate a series of unexplained deaths and vanishing corpses in a small Cornish village. The local squire appears to be involved in some way. One chief strength is the atmosphere which is helped quite a bit by the great locations. The slightly odd looking antiquated village is very distinctive, while the old mill is quite haunting. The zombies themselves make only selective appearances but they make for interesting shambling creatures, dressed in sack cloths. One of the highlights of the movie as a whole has them rise from the earth in a graveyard and attack one of the central characters in a sinister dream sequence. Even better is a scene just prior to it where the doctor's dead wife comes out of her grave and advances directly towards him with an intense relentless look on her face. This scene was the highlight of the film for me. It was shot very well and acted perfectly by Jacqueline Pearce who also put in a very memorable performance in The Reptile. On the whole, this has to go down as one of the best Hammer films from its period on account of its more original material and well-crafted moments. It was maybe also the very last of the old-school zombie movies too before Romero changed the sub-genre forever more, and for this reason too it is worth seeing.

I remember seeing Plague of the Zombies when it first came out in the 60's and was instantly impressed.

Brit film makers Hammer had a reputation for churning out a succession of cheap and cheerful hammy horror films, often back to back using the same sets. One or two were good, most were mediocre, and some were awful. Hammer often used experienced actors like Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, but also used reasonably well known British character actors, and also gave many young actors and actresses a start in films. This is certainly one of their best efforts and it has a couple of genuinely scary moments.

It is well made, well directed, photography is excellent, actors are competent. No complaints.

Sir James Forbes (Andre Morell), a respected doctor, receives a rather cryptic letter from an old pupil, Peter Tompson (Brook Williams) about strange, mysterious deaths in Tompsons' Cornish village. He and his headstrong daughter Sylvia (Diane Clare), who went to school with Tompsons' wife Alice (Jacqueline Pearce), pay the young medic a visit. James comes to the realization that some person has begun resurrecting the recently dead for some unknown purpose.

Although not as great as some titles in the Hammer filmography, "The Plague of the Zombies" is a solid shocker and Hammers' only attempt at a zombie picture. Director John Gilling and screenwriter Peter Bryan keep up anticipation throughout, and once the zombies show up, they don't disappoint. Given appropriate visages by Hammer makeup effects ace Roy Ashton, they're subtly creepy and amusing. Best of all is the set piece that kicks off the final third, a parade of the dead returning to life in a churchyard.

The music, sets, photography, etc. are all exemplary, and handled by some talented Hammer regulars. Bryans' screenplay isn't airtight, but it's reasonably intelligent as it takes its distinguished men of medicine and presents them with a nightmare scenario. It leads up to a fiery, exciting finale that doesn't give the heroes much room to breathe.

Morell, 57 at the time, is a delightful sardonic curmudgeon at first, but you just know that he's going to be an efficient hero who will connect all the dots and work to solve the problem.

There are engaging performances all around - John Carson as the cagey Squire Hamilton, Alexander Davion as thuggish young man Denver, and Marcus Hammond as the angry Tom Martinus. But the true delight for Hammer devotees is seeing its most frequent repertory player, Michael Ripper, in one of his best Hammer roles as a tough-talking sergeant. Sexy brunette Pearce does seem to thoroughly enjoy her one big scene.

This precedes George Romeros' legendary "Night of the Living Dead" by two years, and it's too bad Hammer couldn't have capitalized on the great success of that American classic with further forays into the zombie sub genre.

Recommended for any lover of old British horror.

Seven out of 10.

Admission: I view this one through rose-tinted spectacles, not blind to its many faults but mentally papering and glossing over the cracks. I'm afraid that POTZ is one my favourite Hammer films, mainly because I think it has reasonable production values and a credible atmosphere in portraying a slightly different and incredible story. People killed to be turned into the Undead to work in a Cornish tin mine for no wages! Never mind Metropolis, this is the more likely future!

Andre Morell, John Carson and Michael Ripper do their usual sterling jobs with the material even though some of the other actors and actresses unwittingly glorify Zombieism. The "actual" zombies in POTZ must be ciphers representing the true state of affairs for ordinary workers under British capitalism in Victorian times, and are not the more familiar Romero types that were to follow. It's these latter-day ghouls that nearly all teenagers have tried to partially emulate in their free time since 1968... myself included at one time.

The climax is a bit rushed, and reminiscent of The Time Machine's Morlocks and Frankenstein's windmill, but is vaguely satisfying.

Known for being the first movie to introduce zombies as flesh eating ghouls (before Night Of The Living Dead did it), this low-budget Hammer movie doesn't really have a lot to offer.

We start with a creepy underground voodoo ritual, unintelligible chanting and blood dropping on a doll, and a woman waking up and reciting the same chant. We learn later that the woman is an old friend of the protagonist, played with expression by Diane Clare. Her father and her go to a small British village, to visit the woman and her husband, a doctor (and former student of the old man) who is struggling with the skepticism of the village people on letting him perform an autopsy on any of the many recently deceased. The last noteworthy character is the Squire Clive Hamilton, a rich and mysterious man.

Hamilton's men kidnap Ms. Forbes (Clare), and take her to his home, where they begin to torture her mentally, but the charming Squire comes to the rescue, and from there on, attempts to spark a relationship with her.

Of course not everything's what it seems, and soon enough Mrs. Forbes' friend dies, murdered by a decomposing man. While her father and the doctor investigate, she learns that Mr. Hamilton might be the cause of her friend's death, and that she might be next.

While quite original for its time, for me it didn't work as well, because, well, I've watched a lot of movies that pull the same tricks before seeing this. The look of the zombies is easily surpassed by that of Night Of The Living Dead, which was made only a year later, and the acting is average at best, the standoff being Clare and André Morell, who plays her father. The mystery is easy to figure out 30minutes in the movie, but it's still a very original movie for it's time, and you can see that it was made with a lot of love for the genre.

In a small Cornish village, the local squire, Clive Hamilton (John Carson), resurrects the dead to work in his tin mine.

This film, from Hammer studios, is probably often overlooked. Despite Hammer's big name and influence, this one has some of the least publicity, due in part to the absence of Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee. Those not familiar with the British horror scene will likely not know the actors or director involved with this film (though I encourage you to acquaint yourself).

Mike Mayo calls this "one of Hammer's best" with a story about the relationship between the upper class and workers. He sort of equates the zombies with Karl Marx's proletariat and I don't know how serious I should take that. Using zombies as a labor force would actually free the working class... and they, in turn, would have cheap labor.

There is a "strong central performance and plenty of atmosphere", says Howard Maxford, and I agree. As with much of Hammer, the feel of the film really goes a long way to carrying it.

Despite the lurid title - equally applicable to the later 'Night of the Living Dead' - this late Bray production by comparison seems charmingly old fashioned; but further continues Hammer's condemnation of predatory capitalism in its depiction of a corrupt aristocracy seeing in voodoo simply an excuse to create cheap labour.

(1966) The Plague of the Zombies HORROR/ SUSPENSE THRILLER

Medical professor, Sir James Forbes (André Morell) decide to visit one his pupils, Dr. Peter Tompson (Brook Williams) who has become a doctorate at a mining village, along with his grown up daughter, Sylvia (Diane Clare) which is supposed to be plagued with unexplained zombies from the occult lead by the village quire Clive Hamilton (John Carson).

Again, this is yet again another unique spin on the zombie genre never been shown before, and with the Hammer touch. Somewhat similar to another zombie cave movie "Day of the Dead" by George A Romero except this one is far more superior.

It's 1860. The population of an English village is dying from a mysterious plague. Local doctor Peter Tompson invites help from his mentor Sir James Forbes who brings along his daughter Sylvia. Squire Clive Hamilton is the local leader and seems to be blocking their investigation. He does however rescue Sylvia from the fox hunters who are exceedingly subservient to him.

This is one spooky town. This is good British horror from Hammer Film. I don't recognize any of the British actors. That's my main drawback. I wish for a Hammer favorite like Christopher Lee. The actors here seem very capable veterans. The directing is good. There is good eeriness although I would like for something even darker. The zombie voodoo does add to the film's darker eerie qualities. The zombies are basically people in grey makeup and some with cataract contact lens. It's interesting to compare this to Night of the Living Dead which comes out two years later. This is a more classical zombie movie.

An X-rated horror film from the famous Hammer House of Horror from 1966. Directed by John Gilling, who had a hand in other Hammer titles such as "The Shadow of the Cat" (1961), "The Reptile" (1966) and "The Mummy's Shroud" (1967). This film was written by John Gilling who, like Gilling had plenty of experience in horror. Together they created, what at the time was, a truly gruesome film with stars Andre Morell, Diane Clark and Brook Williams.

In a small village in 1860's Cornwall people are mysteriously dying. Doctor Thompson seeks help from his old Professor, James Forbes to try and crack the problem. Forbes and his daughter travel to meet Thompson where they uncover a grisly truth. The dead are being resurrected to do the bidding of their master, a local squire who is trained in Haitian witchcraft and voodoo. While the magic appears harmless, and the zombies are being put to work in tin mines that the local's wouldn't want to go into, there are other more horrific consequences of the undead roaming the village.

With this film being from the 1960's I probably don't need to say how dated this looks by today's standards. Bear in mind though, this was meant to look dated in the 60's because it is meant to be depicting the 1860's - it is probably fair to say that this a period costume drama that bridges into the realm of horror like titles such as Dracula or Frankenstein have done so many times. While aesthetically out of place what this film does achieve is a decent plot, some good acting, and a wonderful mystery and adventure. Rather than relying on buckets of blood and gore, this film had some solid performances and a unique take on zombies - how many other films can you name that boast zombies mining?

I was incredibly young when I first watched this, and it was pre-George A. Romero too. While being scarred because I was so young, I was also fascinated by the concept of the dead being brought back to life as mindless workers. This might have been one of my first sights of zombies, and it is definitely one that stayed with me. I might not have been the only one inspired by this, the aforementioned Romero apparently took some inspiration from this, in particularly the dream sequence of the dead rising from their grave which was filmed with a green tint. Apparently this went on to inspire Romero for his "Night of the Living Dead", which to this day remains a firm favourite of mine.

If like me you are a serious fan of zombies, then this is a must. It sits firmly in the history of zombie films and uses methodology to create the zombies which has almost been forgotten from cinema. Voodoo zombies started the ball rolling in films like Victor Halperin's 1932 "White Zombie", but radioactive and plague zombies seem to have become all the rage these days. Due to how this film has aged, there is not really anything too menacing that means that a wider audience can enjoy it too. It's a lovely film, a flashback to a different time and it's nice to re-watch this years after it scared me, in order to write this review.

Fine Hammer horror with a fine cast and a very nice production. Strongest point: a captivating creepy and gothic-like atmosphere. All in all a real pleasure to watch and a nice dive back in the early days of horror. Belongs on every Hammer film horror movie watchlist.

Whilst I've still be listening to the "House of Hammer" Podcast, my ability to watch along has been reduced as access to free versions on YouTube has declined, as more rigorously protected copywrite claims has increased. Indeed "The Plague of The Zombies" has a fancy Blu Ray release, though this version I watched was a little rougher around the edges.

Sir James Forbes (Andre Morell) a medical doctor, comes to a Cornish village, with his daughter Sylvia (Diane Clare) at the behest of one of his proteges, Dr Peter Tompson (Brook Williams). The village has been beset by a number of unexplained deaths and Dr Tompson's inability to determine why is causing increased anger in the locals. His cause is not helped by the family members refusal to allow an autopsy. Forbes decides they will do one anyway, but when they open a coffin, they discover that it is empty.

A liked a lot of "The Plague of the Zombies". It is an interesting crossover film between the sort of Haitian "I Walked with A Zombie" mind control version of the idea of a Zombie, and something a little more Romero-esque. Whilst the film generally doesn't have the violence or gore that Hammer acquired a reputation for it does have some scary imagery, with the grey skinned man near the mine a particular highlight. Performances are generally pretty good; Andre Morell is ever reliable, and I thought John Carson does well as the village squire.

It does, maybe, unravel a bit in it's final act. Usually there's a more sinister reason for raising the dead, than the rather prosaic reason given here. It seems like an awful lot of effort to go to, to avoid paying a few quid. I also thought the ending was bit abrupt, though that is a little more par for the course for films from this time than today.

Had I been allowed to pick which film from the recent Hammer releases I'd be able to see, I'd have picked "The Plague of the Zombies" so I'm happy to learn that it was a good one.