Sir James Forbes (André Morell), professor of medicine at London University, receives an urgent letter from his protege Peter Thompson (Brook Williams), now practicing in a remote Cornish village. Peter's patients have been dying of a mysterious malady and he is in desperate need of assistance.
Sir James goes to visit his former pupil, accompanied by his daughter Sylvia (Diane Clare), who is keen to see her old friend Alice (Jacqueline Pearce), now Peter's wife.
With bodies disappearing from the graveyard and the mill wheel of the supposedly abandoned and haunted tin mine inexplicably turning, Sir James soon realises that something sinister is afoot. Could it, by any chance, have anything to do with Squire Hamilton (John Carson), recently returned from the Voodoo-infested Indies?
Shot back-to-back with The Reptile as part of a four film package (with Dracula Prince of Darkness and Rasputin the Mad Monk ), The Plague of the Zombies today stands as one of the high points in Hammer's prodigious output, with a degree of quality that belies the circumstances of its production.
Where the film follows the tried and tested Hammer formula, it showcases all that was best about the studio, whilst its departures from the norm provide an added edge.
Characteristically high production values and a respectful treatment of faintly ridiculous material by a competent, professional cast and crew, overcome the usual minuses like over-exposed Black Park exteriors and some rather obvious day-for-night shots.
André Morell and John Carson exemplify the classic savant and monster combination, the former a man of science who is nevertheless not blind to the existence of the supernatural, the latter a black-hearted villain who conceals his malignancy behind a charming veneer, the other performers – with Jacqueline Pearce a stand-out as the unfortunate zombie-to-be Alice – the normal humans caught in the middle of this cosmic battle between good and evil.
The use of explicitly English settings, as opposed to a vaguely specified mittel -Europe, allows Plague of the Zombies to engage a touch more concretely with British society and politics, specifically class relations and the ambiguous legacy of colonialism, than usual.
This is not to say, of course, that Hammer were ever about making political films (politically) or any such romantic notions, more that the fantastical nature of their product afforded a space within which it was possible for their filmmakers to engage, however obliquely, with the social questions of their day – interested parties can refer to Peter Hutchings' book Hammer and Beyond for the whole thesis.
And, while following the stolid, yet effective, example of Terence Fisher for much of the running time, director John Gilling also showcases his directorial chops in an extremely impressive, oft-quoted, dream sequence in which the zombies rise from their mist-enshrouded graves and attack. (True, he also throws in a laughable moment of accelerated motion when Sir James throws open a coffin, perhaps influencing a similar sequence in Roman Polanski's affectionate Hammer pardody The Dance of the Vampires , but I am willing to forgive him it…)
Anchor Bay's Region One DVD of The Plague of the Zombies presents the film in 1.85:widescreen and 2.0 Dolby Digital, with a choice of English and French language tracks. The transfer is good, with strong, vibrant colours and saturated blacks and plenty of detail and acuity. Though there are some scratches and lines, these are not too intrusive and nothing unexpected for a film of this vintage. All told, it's certainly enough to put my old VHS copy of the film to shame.
In terms of extras we get a cool miniature poster reproduction; two trailers – one being the combo for the The Plague of the Zombies/Dracula Prince of Darkness double-bill, where boys would get Dracula fangs and girls zombie eyes as a freebie – and an episode from the 1990 TV series World of Hammer , entitled Mummies, Werewolves & the Living Dead . Running just short of 25 minutes, it's basically a clip show, presenting highlights from a loose collection of Hammer films including The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires and Night Creatures , strung together by an Oliver Reed commentary. (One suspects the man must have been down on his luck at this point and happy to re-establish his relationship with Hammer, having appeared in now fewer than eight of their features early in his career.) An okay supplemental, I suppose, but not on a par with the commentaries and new features found on the likes of the Demons of the Mind and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb releases, especially when you consider that the opportunity cost to Anchor Bay, who also sell DVDs of the series in its own right, was basically zero.
Still, Plague of the Zombies remains one of the very best Hammer films and Anchor Bay are to be thanked for making it available in such a quality transfer.
Copyright © K H Brown 2002-2005
Rating:
2.0 / 5
(1 vote)
|
7884 views
|
Previous
|
Next
|
Best prices on The Plague of the Zombies
|
Print
|
Email page