White Zombie (More Human Than Human...)

(An aside) White Zombie isn't bad metal, honestly, they're pretty interesting!

Zombie movies have been a serious passion of mine for quite some time, so I was pretty excited at the prospect of seeing the first zombie movie ever made- though I knew it would not have many of the characteristics of the zombie movies I enjoy watching (campiness, humor, unnecessary over the-top violence, etc). I was also interested in the film upon learning that Bela Lugosi was in it- I have never seen the original Dracula, and White Zombie was the first film I've ever seen starring him. It was fun to see what people defined as horror or scary at the time this film was made; the effects used seemed to me to be primarily atmospheric, more subtle in their eerieness than most modern films which are typically full of loud unexpected noises, scantily clad woman, and over-the top scenes of blood and gore. Filmmakers had significantly less resources with which to create films that carried a great deal of horrific intensity, and I was interested to see how exactly that this would be pulled off.

Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed by this film. I found it at best to be only slightly disturbing, and I think that the reason I feel this way about it is because of the nature of the zombies. The zombies, to me, were not scary at all, they seemed just like mindless, purposeless drones, under the control of an extremely creepy, strangely-motivated, tall European man. Typically, when I watch zombie movies, the things I appreciate the most are the overt sense of humor involved, and the outlandishness of many of the scenes in films in this genre. I understand, of course, that this movie was made close to eighty years ago, and the methods with which to deliver such cinematography were not in existence.

The reading and class discussion for this film were based largely around the idea that White Zombie was metaphorical for US imperialism in Haiti. While I can most certainly understand where this comes from, I think the film derived largely from the desire to entertain an audience with something exotic and until that point, relatively little known. Furthermore, I think the fact that it takes place in Haiti is based primarily on stereotypes and ignorance of that area, rather than the director trying to create something allegorical and politically relevant. White Zombie is, after all, a zombie movie.

There were a few problems I had with this film- the first of which is the fact that all the characters, though achieving the goals they were intended to achieve with diligence, were like cookie cutter characters one would imagine in any horror film. The ignorant, woman-obsessed rich estate owner, the incredibly naive woman he pines for, her chivalrous fiance, the doctor who can solve all the problems, and the creepy man who lives in a giant gothic castle and controls zombies to do his bidding. Perhaps this can be said to be due to the fact that this film was made at such an early point in American horror film, and many subsequent releases have perpetuated these stereotypes which at the time did not exist, but never the less, I found it to be somewhat annoying.

There was however, one scene in the film that I (and many others, it would seem) found to be particularly powerful. This was the scene when Beaumont first arrives at the zombie mill owned by the (unnamed in the film...why?) Legendre. The sight of those zombies methodically and mechanically pushing that mill around, combined with the creaking and cracking noises made during this scene was genuinely disturbing. I found that the sounds in this scene were the main function of causing it's disturbing nature, and I know of very few films I've seen that have used sound in such a way to truly affect the audience (Eraserhead being a prime example).

Ultimately, White Zombie was a film I felt more or less neutral about. While I found the sound in particular to be interesting, I found the plot itself and the acting to be a bit boring (with the exception of Bela Lugosi). And though I understand where all the connections are seen with regards to the film being metaphorical for American imperialism, I think that sometimes it's okay to just make a good old fashioned zombie film.