The Dead One

Yeah, I get that the pace of this movie is almost glacial at times, while some, if not most of the actors are amateurish ( although John McKay was solid enough ), that the narrative is simplistically straightforward and that director Barry Mahon is well known for his cheezy and/ or sleazy cinematic catalog. Nonetheless, this film has a certain character driven, vintage charm that can't be explained in film books. I think that we're all getting acclimated to zombie movies sodden with so much in-your-face special effects that our senses have been dulled to the point of being transformed into the undead ourselves. The characters here, presented as newlyweds are believable and empathetic, qualities that often go neglected in modern film making. The exterior cinematography is strong, featuring bold colors of classic Louisiana imagery. " The Dead One " begins with a taste of NOLA culture via a couple of entertaining jazz bands and a hypnotic dance number featuring Darlene Myrick. I wondered if Linda Ormond, who played the new wife, was related to the Ormond Brothers that created the classic swamp flick " The Exotic Ones " aka " The Monster and the Stripper " from the same era. The titular walker here seems like a cross between a heavy metal front man and a waiter at a high end restaurant, but at least he was refreshing in his lack of raggedy attire and excessive guttural groaning. The undead dude is slow moving and quiet like a zombie oughta be, although at some points admittedly you're like reel it in already. Strongly composed interior shots express an authenticity of a rural southern milieu that may be no more than a memory now, and all-in-all makes for a genuine atmosphere that seems custom tailored for the seamy swampy Nawlins area undead genre. Maybe I'm operating on nostalgia or my southern roots, or call it a guilty pleasure, and don't necessarily take my largely favorable review as a heavy recommendation, but in the words of The Cramps, " Well I don't know about art but I know what I like I'll be a surfin' in a swamp on a Saturday night ".

The Dead One (1961)

* (out of 4)

Johnny (John McKay) and his new wife Linda (Linda Carlton) travel to a property that now belongs to him but once there he notices that a voodoo priestess is bringing a man back from the dead to kill for her.

Barry Mahon was a filmmaker who dealt with a variety of subjects but the majority of his pictures were in the sexplotiation genre. He created some pretty bad movies and some rather bizarre ones but this one here is pretty darn boring from the opening scene to the closing one. With that said, it's interesting to see what he attempted to do with such an early zombie movie and one that most people haven't seen or haven't even heard of.

The film was eventually released to DVD under the "new" title of BLOOD OF THE ZOMBIE and the zombie is about the only reason to watch the picture. It's interesting seeing another zombie movie made before NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD so this one here has more in common with WHITE ZOMBIE and I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE. Once again we've got someone using voodoo to bring the dead back to life in order to do her killing.

Everything about this movie shows it's "C" grade. Everything from the performances to the direction to the way the story is told. There's really not too much that happens in the 68 minute running time and usually all of the scenes are padded to the point where you might start laughing. Just check out the scene where the zombie is climbing up a flight of steps and moving incredibly slow. How anyone would get caught by this thing is just hilarious.

So says the leading man and he should know! Then again he keeps saying similar statements throughout this film, even when voodoo evidence is staring him in the face. But he isn't the sharpest tool in the box, after marrying his lovely new bride, he brings her back to the family's ancestral home and what does he do on their honeymoon? Shows her around the old slaves quarters and the burial crypts...Romantic fool or what?

This zombie film falls into the old style, where the creatures stumble around while following the will of another. Unlike the brain eating ones from 'Night of the living dead' film and onwards. At least this one here is natty dressed in a suit and bow-tie, always good to look your best when your long dead.

Reading between the lines, it looks like the producers of this film must have got some financial backing from the New Orleans tourist board as the first half hour takes in the jazz clubs and exotic dance bars of the city.

A very slight story here in itself, the new groom's cousin wants the family business for herself and enlists her dead brother through voodoo to get rid of him and his friends. Only one person is killed, the annoying exotic dancer they picked up on the way and due to her appalling acting, I wasn't that sad to see her go! After gatecrashing the voodoo ceremony and throwing the beaten drum out the window and giving his cousin a good slap, our hero saves the day. Sudden sunlight finally does for the zombie brother, seems a lack of drum beat and sunlight are things that finish off these creatures. Here's me thinking it was a good bullet in the old noggin.

At least the short running time is one thing in this film's favour but very little else. Still, I can now add to my fellow reviewer here, that there are now three (count 'em) people who have seen this film.

Or in the immortal words of New Orleans jazz club owner puts it before launching into a piano solo, "What's happening, dad?"

Er...not a lot actually....

Writer/Director/Producer Barry Mahon, who gave us Santa and the Three Bears, started out with cheesy flicks like this one, also known as Blood of the Zombie.

Despite the low grade script by Mahon, and the Grade Z acting, this was a fascinating zombie picture, set appropriately in New Orleans.

John MacKay may be investigating fellow cops on "Law & Order" but this baby is in his early career. His wife, Linda Ormond, was probably too ashamed to make another movie, as was the zombie, Uncle Jonas (Clyde Kelly), who was the perfect zombie. he had the clothes and the walk and the movement down pat. He should be in the Zombie Hall of Fame, if there is one.

Good for a laugh and a look at the career work of Barry Mahon, an interesting character.

I did it again, i mean, watching a movie from the 60's. And again it came clear to me why i am not into movies coming from the fifties and the sixties. I can watch the old classics even flicks from the silent era without a problem but the era as stated is really nothing for me. It's the time they are trying to start with effects but they are so silly. This flicks was once a lost one and it popped up but never full uncut. This is the first full uncut release to see so I did but what should be the difference between cut and uncut here, I don't know. The movie clocks in just over one hour and still some scene's are way too long. When they shown some jazz clubs they show the musicians, but too long. I'm not wanted to see the jazz, I want to see horror...But it's the importance of this flick why you should have it. it's one of the early zombie flicks just before Night Of The Living Dead. I know, there are older ones but here it's more zombie than the early zombies flicks were it's all about voodoo. Here voodoo is also important but you see the zombie coming out of the grave. The zombie itself looks scary for the time being, but the storyline isn't that strong, it takes a while before things get started but the movie really has some followers due the history and as said, the importance in the story of zombie flicks.