Dead Men Walk (1943)

Reading Kim Newman's excellent Nightmare Movies book,I noticed Newman mention that the first Human Centipede shared similarities with "mad scientist" movies starring George Zucco.Taking a look at a box set that an IMDber had kindly sent me,I was delighted to find a Zucco title starring James Whale collaborator Dwight Frye,which led to me getting ready to see a dead man walk.The plot:Attending his brother Dr. Elwyn's funeral, Dr. Lloyd Clayton hears whispers from the towns people that Elwyn is not really dead,due to him having been involved in the occult.Joining the hushed discussions of the residence,Elwyn former assistant Zolarr suspects that Lloyd knows more about his brothers death than he is letting on.Unknown to the towns people and his brother,Elwyn had made secret plans with Zolarr which would allow Zolarr to bring him back from the dead as a vampire.Coming back from the dead,Elwyn decides to sink his fangs deep into his Lloyd's life.View on the film:Filmed in just 6 days,director Sam Newfield gives the movie some stylish touches,with the overlapping reappearance/disappearing image of Elwyn Clayton giving the title a ghostly atmosphere.Running at a trim 64 minutes,the screenplay by Fred Myton offers a charming mix of "mad scientist" and vampire bite.Openly mentioning Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,Myton does very well at setting up expectations for a Hyde tale,which are gradually twisted into a clear divide being made between Lloyd & Elwyn,with Lloyd being a man of reason,and Elwyn being a creature of the night.Slobbering over the screen, Dwight Frye gives a cheerful performance as Zolarr,with Frye's bug eyes popping out as he tip toes in the shadows to do his masters bidding.Taking on two roles in this flick, George Zucco gives a wonderful performance as the Clayton's,thanks to Zucco giving Lloyd some shots of upper-crust charm,which are counted by the red-eye madness of Elwyn,as the dead men drop.

* More campire than vampire. * According to IMDb, Mary Carlisle was born in 1912 and no date of death is given. * Perhaps those vampire bites have affected her longevity. * How differently we would perceive the 1930s and 1940s if the movies had been filmed in color. The era seems impossibly distant. * This is possibly the most hypophotonic movie ever made. I can almost count the photons in some scenes. * If you're wondering why the catalog of disjointed thoughts, it's because IMDb doesn't allow reviews shorter than ten lines, for some logorrheic reason, so I'll keep on rambling, line after line, until IMDb's software lets me know that the "review" is long enough for submission on this site. * I've seen many reviews shorter than ten lines. Does anyone know how to avoid having to write reviews with a minimum of ten lines?

Back from the grave, the undead Elwin, played by the legendary character actor Zucco, foretells Anthony Hopkins' ominous persona; we should note that in this script the _vampirism is, seemingly, remotely, derived from the oriental occultism.Zucco, with his somewhat nervous sadness and essentially banal face, plays both the ruthless vampire and the vampire's brother; this actor was almost a signature for bad B horrors, and DMW is no exception.Very melodramatic, amply risible, exceedingly rhetorical, insultingly unimaginative, badly acted and trite, DEAD MEN WALK is another useless B movie made by poor Zucco in the '40s.Mary Carlisle plays, with some charm, the damsel in distress.

George Zucco sinks his teeth into dual roles as good and evil twins, one a friendly town physician, Dr. Lloyd Clayton, and the other, occultist brother Elwyn who had discovered the power of vampirism while away in another country(..also known as a devil worshiper who studied and dabbled in sorcery). Accused of murdering his brother, by Elwyn's loyal assistant, Zolarr(Dwight Frye, yet playing another hunchbacked fiend), Lloyd is soon confronted by him after attacking a female victim within the town. Claiming revenge for being pushed off a cliff, Elwyn promises to ruin Lloyd's life, and starts by draining his beloved daughter, Gayle(Mary Carlisle)of her blood. Gayle, slowly dying due to anemia, Lloyd starts debating his sanity, and soon accepts, despite common logic dictating otherwise, that Elwyn is in fact a vampire, and must convince his daughter's fiancé, David(Nedrick Young)as well. As more people are killed(..such as local snoop, Kate(Fern Emmett), considered the superstitious town loony, who stumbles onto Elwyn's hiding place and is executed by Zolarr), the town hicks become restless and scared, forming a mob that will accuse Lloyd of committing the deeds after overhearing David's threats towards him to the sheriff(Hal Price), considering him the one responsible for Gayle's weakening and deteriorating state. But, when David himself sees Elwyn, returning to antagonize his brother Lloyd, they set out a plan to stop him and Zolarr of their conniving evil schemes to endanger innocents. Lloyd faces insurmountable odds as the town mob set out to find him while he searches for Elwyn's lair, also confronting Zolarr in a climactic battle of good vs. evil.Zucco and Frye are the definite draws for this little horror tale which operates using the traditional vampire themes. It was certainly neat seeing Zucco getting a chance to portray not only the compassionate, caring doctor who faces daunting challenges as nearly everyone sides against him, but also the vile, malevolent vampire brother who uses unbelief as a weapon. Frye doesn't have to stretch since he has portrayed this same kind of character numerous times, but it's always fun watching him playing these devious, slimy, animated villains who work valiantly for their masters. Young and Carlisle are colorless, but the roles of loving couple caught in the middle of a war between the forces of good and evil have never demanded much for the actor and actress who portrayed them. There's nothing that original in this film(..and it is rather predictable), but it's rare that you get to see Zucco as a vampire and hero, so that gives DEAD MEN WALK an allure. Typical of the vampire genre, Lloyd can only awaken at night, fears the crucifix, and is susceptible to death by fire..also, his loyal servant, Zolarr, must watch over his casket during the day, proving that despite his supernatural powers, he's vulnerable. Interesting enough, Elwyn's main weakness is returning to torment Lloyd.