White Zombie (film)

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White Zombie
1932 Film poster
Directed by	Victor Halperin
Produced by	Edward Halperin
Written by	Garnett Weston
Starring	Bela Lugosi Madge Bellamy Joseph Cawthorn Robert Frazer John Harron
Music by	Guy Bevier Xavier Cugat Gaston Borch Nathaniel Dett Nem Herkin H. Maurice Jacquet Leo Kempinski Hugo Riesenfeld
Cinematography	Arthur Martinelli
Editing by	Harold McLernon
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	4 August 1932
Running time	69 min
Country
Language	English
Budget	$50,000 (estimated)
Followed by	Revolt of the Zombies
IMDb profile

White Zombie is an American horror film, first released on August 4, 1932. It is believed to be the first film to deal with zombies.

The film was produced independently by minor silent film makers Edward Halperin and Victor Halperin, from a script by Garnett Weston. Victor Halperin directed. It was picked up for distribution by United Artists.

The script by Garnett Weston features a young couple in Haiti, Neil Parker (John Harron) and Madeleine Short (Madge Bellamy), who have been invited by a casual acquaintance, Charles Beaumont (Robert Frazer), to come to his plantation to be married. Beaumont, however, is actually in love with Madeline and hopes to persuade her to become his wife instead. Rebuffed, he approaches local white Voodoo master "Murder" Legendre (Bela Lugosi) to temporarily turn her into a zombie, have her declared dead, send Neil back to the States in mourning, then revive her so that he can woo her anew. Legendre, however, has his own plans for the young lady, and for Beaumont.

Sherman S. Krellberg financed most of the production of the film through his Amusement Securities Corp., using the film rights as collateral. When the Halperins were unable to repay the loan in a timely manner, Krellberg took over the rights and, after its initial run was finished, periodically reissued the film through minor distributors, the last time being in 1972.

[edit] Trivia

The metal band White Zombie took their name as a tribute to the movie.
In Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the movie is mentioned by a supporting character during an optional scene.