I Walked With a Zombie
1943, NR, 69 min.
Directed by Jacques Tourneur, Narrated by , Voices by , Starring Frances Dee, Tom Conway.

A nurse comes to the Caribbean to take care of a rich man’s sick wife. But it turns out the woman’s not sick but the victim of a voodoo spell. I Walked With a Zombie is one of the triumphs of the Val Lewton unit at RKO. Zombie (along with such films as Cat People and The Leopard Man, all of which were directed by Jacques Tourneur), is a great example of the Lewton style, which emphasized foreboding and dread over viewed horror. Atmosphere is created through shadows, sounds, and dialogue. I Walked With a Zombie is also an intriguing variation on the Jane Eyre story, staged with undead corpses rather than Victorian maidens.

This article appears in February 11 • 2000.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

Marjorie Baumgarten is a film critic and contributing writer at The Austin Chronicle, where she has worked in many capacities since the paper's founding in 1981. She served as the Chronicle's Film Reviews editor for 25 years.