I often wonder what war-time audiences of the forties thought after leaving "...Zombie". Who could have been prepared for what lay behind the penny-dreadful title, surely one of the most poetic renderings of horror in genre history. Books have been written about its creator Val Lewton, and deservedly so. But what's on screen is traceable to the unerring pictorialism of director Jacques Tourneur, and his mastery of the fluid camera. Forget the plot and dialogue, too much of which is half-baked philosophizing, and the performances which, excepting Sir Lancelot's lovely sing-song, are largely secondary. Focus instead on the lyrical scenes that unfold like a shadowy dream as the camera pulls back to reveal the poetic beauty of atmosphere. This is the perfect antidote for viewers max'ed out on the over-FXed, overly literal staple of today. "Zombie" shows that Tourneur grasped what Lewton and Hitchcock already knew - that the greatest fright repository is your own imagination.

This is a clever take on Jayne Eyre by a great producer-director team Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur who made several films for a stick of gum in the early forties and obtained 90 per cent of their effects by allowing the viewers imagination to stand in for cgi which was still decades in the future. Tom Conway may have only had a voice and suavity in common with his brother George Sanders but he makes a half-decent fist of the Rochester role and it's a great chance to catch the elusive Frances Dee as the Jane Eyre figure. She married Joel McCrea in the early thirties and didn't work nearly enough post-nuptials despite being a talented actress and a looker with it. Decent B-picture.

Frances Dee (Betsy) is appointed as a nurse to care for Christine Gordon (Jessica) on a Caribbean island. Gordon has a mysterious condition. Can it be attributed to voodoo or more natural causes? Whatever the condition, it is weird! The rest of the cast include her plantation-owner husband Tom Conway (Paul), his half-brother James Ellison (Wesley), their mother Edith Barrett, and a community of voodoo worshippers. They all have their own theories as to what has happened to Jessica. So, can nurse Frances get to the truth? This film is way better than its title suggests. It's atmospheric, spooky, nicely shot and very unexpected as well as original in its setting. There are quite a few memorable set pieces in this fairly short film. In fact, it's all pretty memorable and keeps you watching. If you try to anticipate what is coming next, I guarantee you will get it wrong. I got things wrong every time I thought I knew what was going to happen. It's a very good film in that respect. So, just watch the story unfurl.The actors are fine – I wasn't too enamoured with James Ellison given that he had the top credit. I don't think he deserved it. I'd have put him around 4th on the cast list. There are also several story threads left open and not fully explained but it doesn't matter, it adds to the mystery. I recommend this one - a different kind of zombie in this film. It's scary and sad.

"Betsy Connell" (Frances Dee) is a nurse living in Canada who accepts a job taking care of the wife of a sugar plantation owner named "Paul Holland" (Tom Conway). The fact that it takes her to the tropical island of Saint Sebastion in the Caribbean is an added incentive. On the way there she meets Paul and he acts quite cold and distant to her. Subsequent meetings only reinforce this impression. However, his brother "Wesley Rand" (James Ellison) seems much more friendly. But her impression of him changes when she realizes that he has a drinking problem. She also learns that Paul Holland's wife is a sleepwalker. At least, that's what it looks like. Now, rather than reveal any more of the film and risk ruining it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that for a movie made during World War 2 this particular zombie film wasn't too bad. Naturally, like most movies of this type made prior to 1968 the catalyst for creating a zombie centers on voodoo rather than a virus or chemical agent. Additionally, the zombies of today are nothing like those back then. In any case, I enjoyed this movie for the most part with my biggest criticism being that it lacked the necessary time (only 69 minutes) to establish any real depth. Accordingly, I rate this movie as slightly above average.