RKO Radio Pictures released I Walked With a Zombie on 30 April 1943. RKO premiered it on 8 April in Cleveland. And they showed it on the 21st in New York. But RKO released it nationally on the 30th.
It’s one of those great gothic horror films when Hollywood wasn’t quite sure if they weren’t romances.
It tells the story of Betsy, a nurse who moves to the Caribbean where she is to care for a woman who suffers from a vague spinal injury that makes her sleepwalk through life. But shockingly, it turns out she is really a zombie!
Why I Walked With a Zombie Is Great
Actually, the story doesn’t much matter. The film sets a dark mood and the character interactions are excellent. Jacques Tourneur made it shortly after Cat People, and the film has much in common with it.
It is amazing to see how much is done on a limited budget. Almost everything is shot on small, cheap sets. But with a combination of beautiful shots, clever blocking, and effective camera work along with excellent acting, it never seems limited.
I Walked With a Zombie also clocks in just under 70 minutes. I’ve come to believe that this is the perfect length for a feature film. It allows the stories to be told briskly without pointless complications of an over-long second act.
It also allows you to watch two films a night!
Is It Psychotronic?
I love this film. But whenever I see one like this I question whether we ought to consider it psychotronic. It is true that it is low budget, but it is a Hollywood B-picture. Everyone involved in it is a professional. There’s nothing lurid about it. And it most definitely isn’t going after the teen audience.
The one way that it is psychotronic is that it’s old. And almost any film after a certain point becomes relegated to viewing specialists. And I Walked With a Zombie definitely deserves to be discussed here because that’s ultimately what this site is about: trying to get people to watch films that we like.
Other 30 April Anniversaries
Filmmakers:
- David Manners (1900-1998): Actor known for notable roles in Universal horror films like Dracula and The Mummy.
- Al Lewis (1923-2006): Best known for The Munsters, he worked in a lot of interesting things; fun fact: Yvonne De Carlo, who played his daughter on the show, was actually 8 months older than he was.
- Cloris Leachman (1926-2021): Actor known for Young Frankenstein, Crazy Mama, and many more.
- Burt Young (1930-2023): Character actor best known for the Rocky Films.
- Johnny Galecki (1975-): Huge TV star who was in Suicide Kings and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
- Kirsten Dunst (1982-): Child actor in Interview With a Vampire and Jumanji.
Films:
- Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943): Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce; directed by Roy William Neill, as usual.
- Vampire Circus (1972): Circus vampires get revenge on a town.
- Zarkorr! The Invader (1996): A young postal worker is called to battle a Godzilla-like monster.
- Idle Hands (1999): Slacker’s hand turns homicidal; with Seth Green.
- Godsend (2004): A couple clones their dead kid with predictably bad results; starring Robert De Niro and Greg Kinnear.
- Man-Thing (2005): Action film based on the Marvel title.
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010): Remake of the Wes Craven classic.
I Walked With a Zombie (1943) poster by William Rose via Wikimedia. It is in the public domain.