Valley of the Zombies (1946)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Absolutely the worst movie.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Not bad mid-40's black-and-white thriller. A mental patient, thought to be dead comes back from wherever, after having some weird procedure performed on him that keeps him alive as long as he consumes continuous amounts of blood. When he can't make a withdrawal at a blood bank, no problem, he just kills someone, drains them, and embalms them. Why the embalming I don't know. Ian Keith as the blood consumer is certainly creepy. Near the beginning of the film a local tower clock bongs incessantly and gives a gloomy air. A young doctor and his nurse girlfriend give some light-hearted moments. The film is under one hour so the story moves right along. I obtained a DVD-R and though the quality is not the greatest it is watchable. I wish a re-mastered version would be released very soon. I recommend this film, a nice time passer on a Saturday afternoon.

OK, I admit it. I love 30's and 40's B horror films. They generally have great atmosphere and wonderful characters. Are both the atmosphere and the characters over-the-top? Yeah, most of the time, but that is part of the charm. You don't watch these movies looking for great cinema. You watch them for the perpetually foggy streets. What city or what country makes no difference, 9 times out of 10 there will be fog. You watch them for the crazed characters. You watch them for the dripping-with-venom dialog. You also have the wonderful look that black and white creates. Things are stark and heavily shadowed.You watch these films simply because you love the time and the genre. Not for great writing and most times not for great performances. You either love these period B films or not. Had I lived during the era you would have never gotten me out of the theater.

VALLEY of the ZOMBIES is not exactly a horror film and in spite of the title there are no wandering "undead". A fifty-six minute mystery from Republic Pictures is what we get. Interesting, too. A well known surgeon, Dr. Rufus Maynard(Charles Trowbridge)discovers there is a large number of pints of blood missing from his lab. A former mental patient, believed to be six feet under, Ormand Murks(Ian Keith),pays a surprise visit to tell the good doctor where the blood is going and why. Not very long after Maynard's nurse Susan Drake(Lorna Gray)and Maynard's business partner Dr. Evans(Robert Livingston)come back to the office to find the doc dead. Enter Detective Blair(Thomas Jackson)and Susan and Dr. Evans are suspects of murder. After 24 hrs of detention at the local poky, the couple are freed and go about trying to solve the mysterious death of Maynard and clearing their names. Perfect atmosphere and pace. Plus there is a bit of humor amid the gloomy story. Nothing scary; just fun to watch. Other players: Earle Hodgins, Charles Cane and LeRoy Mason.

If you approach this looking for zombies, especially an whole valley full of 'em, you'll be sadly disappointed yet I can't help it...I like this short little movie just the same. Maybe it's the wonderful atmosphere this film has what with mysterious going ons in the night, graveyards and tombs figuring into the plot. Or maybe it's the old fashioned villain who truly looks like a fiendish fellow...Ian Keith as the thought to be dead Ormond Murks, who now needs the blood of the living to stay alive. And while there may be a number of outdated stereotypes (by today's standards) at work here especially in terms of the frantic female Nurse Susan Drake who is easily spooked and frightened leaning upon the always steady and sure male Dr. Terrance Evans..still there's a certain innocence to this style of Horror which makes it fun...kind of hard to explain really. It's only being an hour long doesn't hurt either.