Dr. Maynard (Charles Trowbridge) tells Dr. Terry Evans (Robert Livingston) and his nurse, Susan Drake (Lorna Gray), about the theft of ten pints of blood from his lab. Later, he is visited b... Read allDr. Maynard (Charles Trowbridge) tells Dr. Terry Evans (Robert Livingston) and his nurse, Susan Drake (Lorna Gray), about the theft of ten pints of blood from his lab. Later, he is visited by Ormand Murks (Ian Keith), a man Maynard had once had committed to an insane asylum and w... Read allDr. Maynard (Charles Trowbridge) tells Dr. Terry Evans (Robert Livingston) and his nurse, Susan Drake (Lorna Gray), about the theft of ten pints of blood from his lab. Later, he is visited by Ormand Murks (Ian Keith), a man Maynard had once had committed to an insane asylum and who later died from an operation, and Maynard learns that Murks is an example of living dea... Read all
- Susan Drake
- (as Adrian Booth)
- Blair
- (as Thomas Jackson)
- Driver
- (as Charles Hamilton)
- Detective
- (uncredited)
- Detective
- (uncredited)
- Medical Examiner
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was produced, along with The Catman of Paris (1946), in order to create Republic's first pre-packaged horror double feature.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Cauldron of Horrors: Valley of the Zombies (1954)
The darker notions in the storytelling and of the accompanying ambience are adjoined with broader airs of mystery as lab workers Terry and Susan seek to discover by themselves the truth surrounding recent murders. Usually I'd criticize the levity in the chief characters' dialogue as unbecoming of the nature of the material, nevermind how they are written (especially as Susan is a woman prone to jumping at her own shadow). I do think that holds true here to no small degree, and for the fact of it the resulting tableau will hold less appeal for genre purists, those who have a hard time engaging with older films, or those who look above all for visceral thrills in their horror. Yet the McGowans gave Robert Livingston and Adrian Booth some genuinely sharp and clever lines to impart as Terry and Susan, and overall I think the picture is just balanced enough so that the touches of comedy, the mystery, and the underlying horror concept all blend together fairly well - a balance which itself is sadly relatively rare in genre flicks from this timeframe.
The art direction is terrific; stunts and effects are modest by most any standards, but appreciable. Even sound effects are employed well, and the cinematography; other minutiae like costume design, hair, and makeup are just swell. The narrative is fundamentally solid, despite the details in its telling that weigh upon it to its detriment, and the same definitely goes for the scene writing. The horror vibes this has to offer may be less robust than in countless other examples among its brethren, yet they are present and meaningful nonetheless; one can easily imagine what 'Valley of the zombies' would look like if it were made at any point from the 60s or 70s onward. What we have here, then, is a movie that's ultimately very well written, and very well made by the standards of its timeframe. If the final product lacks the vibrancy of that genre enthusiasts are accustomed to it's only as a matter of the sensibilities by which such titles were once made, and not a specific failing on the part of anyone here. In fact, though it's no exemplar, I'm inclined to believe that this is one of the better horror films to have been released under the Hays Code.
It's not perfect, but it's duly engrossing, certainly entertaining, and unexpectedly satisfying. That's more than can be said of innumerable features even in all the decades since. Anyone who isn't receptive to the stylings of 40s cinema won't find anything here to change their minds, yet if you're open to all the wide possibilities of what the genre has to offer, there's much more to like here than it may seem at first blush. Don't necessarily go out of your way for 'Valley of the zombies,' but if you do have the chance to watch, this is actually well worth a mere fifty-six minutes of one's time, and I'm pleased to give it a firm recommendation.
- I_Ailurophile
- Oct 13, 2023
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El valle de los zombies
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime56 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1