The Plague of the Zombies

Infobox Film | name = The Plague of the Zombies


caption = 1966 theatrical poster
director = John Gilling
producer = Anthony Nelson Keys
writer = Peter Bryan
starring = André Morell
Diane Clare
Brook Williams
Jacqueline Pearce
John Carson
Alexander Davion
music = James Bernard
cinematography = Arthur Grant
editing = Chris Barnes
distributor = Warner-Pathé (UK)
20th Century Fox (USA)
released = January 9, 1966 (UK)
January 12, 1966 (USA)
runtime = 90 min.
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:106189
imdb_id = 0060841
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Plague of the Zombies" is a 1966 Hammer Horror film directed by John Gilling. It stars André Morell, John Carson, Jacqueline Pearce, Brook Williams and Michael Ripper. The film is notable for its seminal imagery, which influenced many films in the zombie genre, and its themes of colonialism, exploitation and tyranny.

Production

Production on the film began on 28 July, 1965 at Bray Studios. It was shot back-to-back with "The Reptile" using the same sets, a Cornish village created on the backlot by Bernard Robinson.

Plot synopsis

Sir James Forbes (Morell) and his daughter, Sylvia (Clare), travel to a Cornish village at the request of his former pupil, Dr. Peter Thompson (Williams). He needs help solving a spate of mysterious deaths, and Peter's wife, Alice (Pearce) is soon the next victim. The trail leads to Squire Hamilton (Carson), who has returned from a trip to Haiti armed with voodoo secrets, which he is using to resurrect his victims as zombies to work in his tin mine.

Publications

*The script was novelized by John Burke as part of his "The Second Hammer Horror Film Omnibus" paperback in 1967.

Trivia

Phil Anselmo of the heavy metal band Pantera has a tattoo on his arm of the Zombie that throws Jaqueline Pearce's character down the hill

Dub musician Scientist has a song called "Plague of Zombies" on his 1981 album "Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires", which is a possible reference to this film.

References

*cite book|author=Rigby, Jonathan,|title=English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema|publisher=Reynolds & Hearn Ltd|year=2000|id=ISBN 1-903111-01-3

External links

*imdb title|title=The Plague of the Zombies|id=0060841
* [http://www.davidlrattigan.com/hhplague.htm Dictionary of Hammer Horror commentary]