Pretty Good

Perfectly adorable

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Everyone rightly agrees that George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD pretty much single-handedly invented the modern zombie genre in 1968. It posited the zombies as a flesh-eating monsters which, when massed together, became a terrifying threat. Therefore the quaint Hammer Horror film THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES, made in 1966, is one of the last of the old-fashioned zombie films made just before the sub-genre changed forever.The good news is that this is a fantastic little film which feels much fresher and more inventive than Hammer's Dracula or Frankenstein films of the era. Peter Bryan's screenplay is the stuff of excellence, featuring some realistic and likable heroic leads (Andre Morell is at his best here, I feel), a truly dastardly villain in the form of John Carson (making him a fox-hunting toff is a stroke of genius), and a very clever reason for the existence of the zombies in the first place (they're cheap labour in a Cornish tin mine).Prolific B-movie director John Gilling directs what I think is his best movie. Certainly this is atmospheric stuff indeed with wonderful sets and costumes and a really lush and colourful look to it. The supporting cast includes Michael Ripper and Jacqueline Pearce and is just as colourful in its own way. The eerie dream sequence is well-remembered for a reason and there's one of those rousing fiery climaxes that Hammer did so well. THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES is a real delight for horror lovers and there's not a thing I can fault about it.

Before zombies became flesh eating creatures it were slaves driven by voodoo rituals from witch doctors. Even though a much better effort than the overly boring "I walked with a zombie" this one focuses on the greed of a magistrate (and he has a few other important professions) using voodoo not only to cause death upon young people (mostly men). Again with voodoo he brings them back to life as zombies who are forced to work for him as slaves in a mine digging I guess for gold or other precious things. It has a few nice scenes such as the rising from the grave from Alice and turning into a zombie and than the dream sequence where we see other dead people digging themselves up from their resting place. Unfortunately that is not enough to save the movie. Not saying the story is bad and it's OK in the visual department but it doesn't come across as very atmospheric. There are no stand out performances. I feel this one would have been better had it been in black and white. For me it lacked soul and felt overly long to reach its goal. A rather weak finale too. I think White Zombie did a much better job even though the story was very simple.

To keep this simple - atmosphere, that is the best, single word to describe this film for me.It emanates the creepiness that modern zombie flicks lack, thus, this is the definitive zombie film in my book. The acting is top-shelf and you warm up to (connect with) the characters quick-like as a result.Then, the makeup... as one of the earlier zombie films done in color, you really get to see the terrific detail lacking in earlier B&W movies, and I dare say better than later, more mainstream titles that I won't mention by name ;) Again, atmosphere.Bottom line, not much in the way of gore, as is so common in modern zombie movies (they seem to rely on it), but what you get is emotion. I can watch often and love to experience the creepy feel of the film, the ruthlessness of the villains, the triumphs and tragedies of our protagonist and his crew, then...the films climax. Greatness from start to finish. Love it!

Being left with my nerves torn to ribbons by 2012's ultra-creepy The Woman in Black,I felt that for October,I would take at one or two of Hammer Horror original titles.Searching round on Amazon,I was thrilled to discover that my interest in Hammer had hit at the perfect time,thanks to Studio canal bringing out new editions of the films,existentially remastered from the original negatives.Carefully judging the prices,I decided that Plague of the Zombies would be my intro to the world of Hammer Horror.The plot:Reciving a letter from his former top pupil, (whose also married his daughter's best friend) about a mysterious illness that is leading to people dying in a very strange way,Sir James Forbes and his daughter Sylvia decided to go and pay Dr. Peter Tompson a visit,in the hope of helping him to stop the continuous spreading of the illness.Arriving to the village in Cornwall,James and Sylivia are horrified to discover that the town is controlled by upper-class gangs,who rule the area with an iron fist.Attempting to make the gangs see reason,the Forbes and Tompson tell them that an autopsy has to be performed on one of the victims,so that the cause of death can officially be confirmed.Angered by their demands,the controllers of the village tell the Forbes and Tompson that it is simply "marsh fever" and is something which does not need any investigating at all.Seeing signs of this being a cover up,James and Peter begin to relies,that they only have one,illegal option left,to find out what disease is really killing the poor people of the town:dig up a body.Prepairing to carefully open the coffin,James and Peter are interrupted,when two police officers spot them,and get set to arrest them both on "grave robbery".Relising that this could possible be their only chance to see-what after effects the illness has had on the decease body,Forbes and Tompson quickly open the coffin,only to discover,that despite a person being buried in it,the coffin is now completely empty….View on the film:Feeling unsure about what I was about to witness,in my first ever,"classic era" Hammer Horror,I was relived to find Studio Canal giving the film a tremendous red carpet treatment,with the bonus making of on the DVD showing the painstaking work that the company had put in,to bring this terrific movie,truly back from the dead.Opaing with a lively,proto-Jaws like score from the great James Bernard,director John Gilling shows the events at the start of the movie to be "just another,typical day in Cornwall" as a West Indies Voodoo/Zombie ritual takes place deep within a tin mine.Despite being restrained by the studio to only use sets that would be used for the filming of another movie, (The Reptile) Gilling shows tremendous skills in not allowing the "boxed-in" restrictions from stopping him creating a wonderful,mysterious atmosphere.Although the film does feature a number of good,surprisingly dream-logic style Zombie scenes,Gilling unexpectedly makes the most chilling moments in the film,ones which involve psychological fear rather than gore,with one of the most terrifying scenes in the film,being a character fearing that they may be about to get gang Raped.Showing a strong influence of Arthur Conan Doyle,screenwriter Peter Bryan, (who,in 1959 wrote the screenplay for Hammer's version of Doyle's The Hound of the Baskerville) combines Tompson and the Forbes increasingly dangerous, amateur sleuthing with a wonderful,cleverly handled underlying subtext,which shows,that even after becoming dead & buried,the working class,is here literally used as slaves by the upper-class of the village,to do all of the "dirty work for them,even after death!Despite great performances from the whole cast,with the charming Diane Clare, (whose other credits include Ice Cold In Alex,Whistle Down the Wind and 1963's The Haunting) as Sylvia Forbes,and the wickedly good,James Mason-sound-alike John Carson as the boo-hiss Squire Clive Hamilton being two of the main highlights,Bryan sadly struggles to give the film the knock-out punch that it feels to be building towards in the first hour,as the ending leaves behind any sense of atmospheric, mystery horror behind,to instead end on a poorly done, Disaster movie-like note .