The Walking Dead (1936)

Thanks for the memories!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In order to dispose of an honest judge a small group of racketeers hire a local gunman to kill him and then set up a recently released convict named "John Ellman" (Boris Karloff) to take the fall. Sure enough, John Ellman is convicted and then sent to the electric chair due in large part because of two witnesses named "Jimmy" (Warren Hull) and his girlfriend "Nancy" (Marguerite Churchill) who wait too long to come forward. Fortunately, a physician named "Dr. Beaumont" (Edmund Gwenn) comes up with a novel idea to bring John Ellman back to life even though he has been dead for several hours. Although his plan succeeds there is something much different about John which nobody can quite seem to figure out. Now rather than reveal any more of the plot and risk spoiling this movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that for a short, relatively low-budget motion picture produced in 1936 this film turned out to be quite good all things considered. I especially liked the performances of Boris Karloff and to a lesser degree that of Marguerite Churchill along with the nifty (albeit now antique) cars used in this movie. Be that as it may, I enjoyed this film and rate it as above average.

Five Time Oscar Nominee Michael Curtiz Directed this Horror/Supernatural/Sci-Fi/Gangster Film. That's quite an Amalgamation You might say, and a Hard Thing to Pull Off. Against All Odds it Delivers on all Counts. Boris Karloff, a Good Cast, and a Moody Atmosphere are all on Display.This is a Unique Movie for its Odd Take on the Resurrected and is More Spiritual Leaning than Most. Also, here the Walking Dead is a Very Sympathetic, almost Pathetic Soul Reluctantly Roaming the Earth in Search of Questions and not Out for Revenge. The Movie Looks Great and is a Class Act all the Way. With a Short Running Time it Moves at an Incredible Pace. The Scientist and His Myopia is also shown to be Less than Empathetic beneath the Surface where His Quest for the Truth is Counter Intuitive and Unethical.It is one Worth Searching Out for its Rich and Deep Undercurrents. It does have a Code-Enforced Ending that has a One-Sided, Heavy-Handed, Bible-Quoting Necessity to get a Pass and a Seal of Approval.

After seeing Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster in those Universal horror classics, it must have been obvious to Jack Warner and director Michael Curtiz that he was the only player capable of bringing this film off. Karloff is once again a resurrected man and said resurrection has foiled a carefully made frame that Karloff has been put in.Boris is cast as a concert pianist who has just served ten years for manslaughter. The judge who sent him up has become the target of the city's racketeers which include Barton MacLane and Karloff's own lawyer Ricardo Cortez.Here's where Karloff is under-appreciated as an actor. When you examine the frame up that is used it's really kind of stupid. But Karloff creates such an impression of this down and out pitiable figure that the real trigger man Joe Sawyer can take advantage of him and get him arrested and tried for the crime Sawyer commits.Here also is where Ricardo Cortez plays one of his patented screen heels as well. He defends Karloff once again and throws the case and then prevents two witnesses, Warren Hull and Marguerite Churchill, from coming forward to save Karloff from the electric chair. Their reasons for originally not coming forward are specious as well, but Karloff's brilliant performance smooths that all over.They work for scientist Edmund Gwenn who uses electricity and a lab that looks a whole lot like Dr. Frankenstein's to shock Karloff's cadaver back to life. He feigns amnesia and starts looking for those who did him wrong. What Karloff doesn't feign is that he has no memory of those hours that he was not among the living.As you can see a whole lot of the Warner Brothers stock company got work in this film giving Boris Karloff an unusually strong supporting cast for a change. Still Karloff carries this film and this terribly wronged man that Karloff brings to the screen will haunt you and overcomes a lot of script and editing weaknesses The Walking Dead has.

It's a dead man walking in this film with Boris Karloff brought back to life by a doctor (Edmund Gwenn - Miracle on 34th Street).There was no surprises as I would have expected, as the reanimation was posted all over the newspapers the next day.It's not just a horror film, but a gangster film, as Ellman (Karloff) was executed for a crime he didn't commit.It was really funny when he went after those involved in the conspiracy to frame him. A little supernatural work on a lot of guilty consciences.It was a fascinating film, and Gwenn was superb. Karloff was also very good.