I Walked with a Zombie
Journalist Inez Wallace, (1888-1966), visited Haiti and observed drug use among the workers at the sugar plantations in that impoverished country. She wrote an article about her experiences that was published in the May 3, 1942 issue of “The American Weekly” Sunday newspaper supplement magazine. The title of her article was “I Met a Zombie.” The film rights to this nonfiction article were purchased by RKO studios and assigned to producer Val Lewton, (1904-1951), head of the newly-formed B horror movie unit. Lewton decided to create a zombie movie inspired by the 1847 novel “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, (1816-1855). He handed the screenwriting tasks to Curt Siodmak, (1902-2000), who had recently scored a major box office success with his screenplay for the 1941 movie “The Wolf Man” for Universal. Newton had Siodmak’s work rewritten by Ardel Wray, (1907-1983). She would become one of Lewton’s regular collaborators in “The Snake Pit,” his horror unit at RKO.
This week’s movie was “I Walked with a Zombie” from RKO in 1943, directed by Jacques Tourneur, (1904-1977). Canadian nurse “Betsy Connell,” (Frances Dee), accepts a position on the fictional Caribbean island of “Saint Sebastian.” Her employer is the moody “Paul Holland,” (Tom Conway), who owns a sugar plantation. His ancestors brought the population to the island as slaves. Betsy’s patient is Paul’s wife “Jessica,” (Christina Gordon). After a horrific infection she has been left in a mindless state, capable of walking and obeying simple instructions but incapable of speech or of interacting intellectually or emotionally. Betsy learns from a local calypso singer, (Sir Lancelot), that before her illness Jessica had fallen in love with Paul’s half-brother “Wesley Rand,” (James Ellison), who is now drowning his sorrows with alcohol. Betsy finds herself falling in love with Paul, and he is beginning to reciprocate. She decides that she must cure Jessica to make Paul happy. With the help of “Dr. Maxwell,” (James Bell), they attempt an insulin shock treatment to restore Jessica’s mind. When this fails Betsy decides to follow the advice of the housekeeper “Alma,” (Theresa Harris). She takes Jessica to the local Vodou temple or “houmfort” in the hopes that they can use mystical powers to help the woman. She encounters an enormous zombie called “Carrefour” who is played by the unblinking Darby Jones. The local authorities begin an investigation, and the Vodou believers dispatch Carrefour to retrieve Jessica so that they can heal her by spiritual means…
This is an absolutely haunting film experience. Tourneur and Lewton achieve horror with atmosphere rather than with shock effects, and it works beautifully. The cast is largely excellent, although top-billed James Ellison seems a bit out of place, (he was more at home in Westerns). Darby Jones provides a striking image as the zombie Carrefour. Tom Conway, James Bell, Sir Lancelot and Theresa Harris were all regulars in Val Lewton’s stock company.
This movie was the second hit in a row for Val Lewton following “Cat People” in 1942. In total “The Snake Pit” would create nine horror films for RKO. Not all were as successful as this one, but all are interesting.
The opening credits are played over footage of Betsy Connell and Carrefour walking together on a beach, thus justifying the title “I Walked with a Zombie.” This walk on the beach never actually occurs in the plot of the movie.
In 1945 RKO released a comedy semi-sequel to this film called “Zombies on Broadway.” It starred the team of Alan Carney and Wally Brown, the studio’s attempt to replicate the success of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello at Universal. Bela Lugosi played the mad scientist who created zombies. Sir Lancelot and Darby Jones both played similar roles in this piece. I’ve seen it, and it isn’t very funny.