Good story, Not enough for a whole film

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

As it turns out, THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES is an exceptional entry in the genre: part Monster Movie and part Social Commentary (worker rights are touched on- like the right not to be worked to death after Death...), it boasts a solid cast working from a sound script, with some taut direction and some suitably icky makeups (I've always liked the "soulless" look white contacts give Supernatural characters; Sam Raimi nailed the look in THE EVIL DEAD). The direct lineal descendant of movies like WHITE ZOMBIE and I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES can be viewed as the last of that particular line: within a year or two, George Romero would redefine the Zombie in Fright Films (for better or for worse) for Generations to come.

Sylvia Forbes receives a letter from her school friend Alice who lives in a village in Cornwall , a village that has been struck by a mysterious illness that is killing the inhabitants . Since her father is the eminent doctor Sir John Forbes she suggests they visit the village to get to the bottom of this mystery If you've been brought up on the post Danny Boyle super fast zombie era then don't build your hopes up . In fact if you're ages with me and remember catching all these George A Romero movies on home video in the 1980s where a zombie sinks its teeth in to someone and bite a chunk out of someone , again don't expect any gore . In fact don't expect any zombies because its not that type of movie . In many ways it plays out like a period mystery set in the late 19th Century and uses most of the sets used from the other Hammer movie from 1966 THE REPTILE one of the best most atmospheric films the studio produced . If you're expecting something along the lines of THE REPTILE again you're going to be disappointed The problem lies in the way the story is told . We're shown a scene where black extras thump on some bongo drums ( Films in those days did play up to stereotypes a bit too much and Hammer were worse than most at it ) where a Shaman gives an incantation . If you've no knowledge as to what might be happening here the title of the film gives a very big clue . What this means is that the audience are one step ahead of Sir John Forbes as he tries to solve the mystery , a mystery that is rendered redundant to the audience . The Shaman's plan for the undead when it is revealed is faintly ridiculous when given any thought , but I guess those nasty mine owners don't believe in a ( Pun alert ) paying their employees a living wage Not to be totally negative there is a plus point in the film's favour and that is the casting of Andre Morell as Forbes . Morell is best known for his portrayal as the eponymous Professor in the original BBC production of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT . Every time I give a loan of my DVD of that show to anyone vaguely interested in television science fiction they always comment that one of the best things about the show is Morell's performance . He effectively plays the same character in exactly the same way which is in no way a criticism . Forbes is an intellectual studious man with a hint of both arrogance and open mindedness and he's very easy to buy in to as being a real person who is on a mission to solve something which makes the film slightly better than it possibly deserved to be

John Gilling directed this atmospheric Hammer studios thriller that stars Andre Morell as Sir James Forbes, who, along with his daughter Sylvia(played by Diane Clare) have arrived at a Cornish village to help his former student Peter Thompson(played by Brook Williams) deal with a string of mysterious deaths he hasn't been able to solve because of the superstitious villagers. The local Squire Hamilton(played by John Carson) is in reality the leader of a secret voodoo cult that is using zombies as slave labor in his silver mine, and having first targeted Peter's wife Alice, now wants Sylvia... Excellent horror film has fine atmosphere, direction, and script, with good performances by all. Makes a perfect double feature with "The Reptile", also from Hammer.

Quality zombie movie? Yep, this is such surprise, beautiful-looking and well-made costume Gothic instead of repulsive gory garbage and trashy production values. Group of spoiled young rotters, led by over-aged but well-acting John Carson, cause outbreak of zombie plague (and exploitative capitalism!) in 19th century Cornwall. Storyline and characters remind - maybe intentionally - about Dracula. For example, André Morell as the old Professor who is trying to solve what is behind these strange wounds and mysterious blood disease turning Victorian Brits as monsters, is like elegantly heroic, Very English version of Van Helsing.