Revolt of the Zombies

Old voodoo zombie movies have a special place in my heart. They aren't particularly scary or anything, but the stone, blank nature of the "zombies" and the usual grace and power of the masters is always enthralling.

Revolt of the Zombies is sort of a sequel to the awesome White Zombie. It sadly doesn't have Bella Lugosi, but it does show his eyes every once in a while! The thing about it is that despite not having Bella, it does a good job creating a villain.

There is the stereotypical villain of this era, foreign, bushy eyebrows, wearing all black. He kills the monk king that holds the secret to creating zombie servants and steals the cloth scroll that he believes holds the answer. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have the know how or smarts to figure out what it all means.

Enter our meek, nerdy, sciency, archaeologist Armand. He and a group of others go on an expedition to Cambodia to find the ancient knowledge. There Armand falls in love with Claire. They get engaged, but later it is revealed that Clair truly loves Cliff and only agreed to marry Armand in order to make Cliff jealous and make him admit his love for her. This turns Armand angry and vengeful. He heads out on his own expedition to find the secret and eventually discovers it. With the right mixture of herbs and minerals, he tests his zombie dust on his servant. Its a success.

Mazovia (evil guy) discovers that Armand knows the key, and tries to convince him that they could rule the world with an iron fist. But these tales of grandeur fall upon def ears as Armand only wants one thing, Clairs love. He has his servant kill Mazovia and slowly begins building his empire.

And that's what is great about this movie, its the slow build of power. And that it is actual power. We can see and understand that Armand has become untouchable and that the only possible way for him to be defeated is for him to relinquish his power over these people.... and of course he does. For the forgiveness and love of Claire.

He is quickly murdered when he does so and Claire is reunited with her love Cliff.

I love the build of power and the sense of it all. This movie does this old story well and never really falters. If you like old ass zombie flicks, check it out. Its always interesting seeing how films are done has changed over time.