Actually a very funny and pleasant movie, with a Dixie setting where the quick and the living dead seem to coexist even by daylight, also with at least a couple of subplots (a puzzle: the zombie wife's will, and of course the cause of her death; and an espionage subplot also, announced by the march of the zombies at the beginning), immensely helped by a good director, Sekely, and three exciting performances, from people who had all the requisites of movie stars: Carradine (who plays a scientist, a physician, not insane but evil), Moreland and Veda Ann Borg (who gave a bit of dignity even to an ingrate role), but the main plot being a zombie tale, done as comedy and also as SF, our chance to visit a not too dazzling but nonetheless intriguing laboratory; in fact I liked it even better than 'Lady in the Death House', and here the storyline seems fast without being rush (though in the later movie that wasn't an error, since the very nature of the subject, the race against a deadline, imposed it, requested it). But Sekely was one of the masters of the genre; here, filming for Monogram. The sense of humor is genuine, and the style, light, in another unpretentious movie. There are a lot of things I enjoy here.The visitors don't seem to realize that some of the servants, in fact Lazarus, are living dead. The lovable black chauffeur gets to see other zombies at work, digging dispassionately, as becoming, in the 1st half of the movie. But the script was good, with most of the dialog being appropriate and well written. So, comedy, zombies, mystery, espionage, SF; and just to make a point: 'Revenge …' isn't a zombie drama with humorous relief, but a comedy, it is a comedy that happens to be about zombies, which is another thing altogether. Now in other words: these aren't zombies from a horror movie, but zombies from a SF (and one overtly political, proceeding with the march of the zombies and following with the espionage subplot). The will's mystery is, anyway, dropped; the mean used to murder the wife is explained, perhaps also the need to do it (as the scientist was getting ready for his getaway), but we can only presume that the widower's pretense of not knowing the dispositions in the will was indeed to gull or disorient his guests.Thank you for reading, if you did.

There is not much to say about this one except that it is probably the worst of the early spate of zombie movies (I may get to watch another one, REVOLT OF THE ZOMBIES [1936], before the month is out). For all star John Carradine's intention of building an army in the service of the Third Reich with them, they are not seen to do much at all!; James Baskett (Uncle Remus from SONG OF THE SOUTH [1946]!) plays their leader, who also serves as Carradine's manservant. Black comic Mantan Moreland reprises his 'fraidy cat' chauffeur role from KING OF THE ZOMBIES (1941), as does the exotically named Madame Sul-Te-Wan as Carradine's housekeeper. Unfortunately for Carradine, his supreme achievement – the zombification of his wife – brings him all sorts of trouble: not only do her relatives turn up at his remote abode/lab to inquire into her sudden death (which means he has to fake a funeral service!) but she actually proves disobedient and indignant, eventually 'persuading' her fellow zombies to rise against their master!! Also involved is cowboy star Bob Steele (still best-known for his bit in Howard Hawks' THE BIG SLEEP [1946]) who plays a U.S. secret agent posing as a Nazi posing as a Sheriff! Thankfully, director Sekely would have much better luck with his next genre effort, THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962).

John Carradine, in one of his occasional starring roles from the 1940's, plays a mad doctor working in the Louisiana swamps on a method of creating zombies for the Nazi cause. In order to perfect his method he's gone so far as to turn his wife into one. Things get complicated when his wife's brother shows up with a detective nd doctor in tow. Worse still is the fact that his zombie bride seems to have a mind of her own.This is a mostly good horror mystery espionage thriller. For most of the films brief running time the film is a clever at and mouse game between the doctor and his guests. The trouble is that in the final fifteen minutes the film goes through so many gyrations of the plot that you'll swear that someone left a reel or two out the film. Its twist upon twist upon nonsensical turn. Its fine in the B movie way the film is constructed, but at the same time it considerably lessens what should have been a better film.Over all this is an amusing film (some nice comedy is provided by the great Mantan Moreland). Its definitely worth checking out if you run across it or can pick it up, as I did in the the bargain bin.

Poor John Carradine. He made a fatal mistake in thinking that he could turn his wife into a zombie and that she would obey his every command. Even dead, the wife is always right.Carradine starred as Dr. Max Heinrich von Altermann, a NAZI scientist that was trying to develop an army that would not have to eat and would be impervious to bullets for Hitler's army. He should have stuck to men and not tried to use his wife to prove his success. It proved his undoing.The film also featured the famous Mantan Moreland who, when he wasn't sniffing after the lovely Sybil Lewis, was engaging in the oft criticized stereotypical behavior that he was famous for, including the famous line "feet don't fail me now."