The Dead One

Over thirty years ago in his eternally cherishable 'Keep Watching the Skies!' the late Bill Warren raised the fascinating and still unresolved question of the possible existence south of the Mason-Dixon line of a cottage industry producing sci-fi and horror films made and distributed only in the American South on a states' rights basis, "rarely if ever surfacing in other parts of the country, even on television". On page 867 of the revised edition of his book, 'The Dead One' - made by a company called 'Mardi Gras Productions'- is one of four titles Warren mentions by name that achieved this leap.

Remarkably glossily photographed by Mark Dennes on location in and around New Orleans in Eastmancolor and 'Ultrascope', it looks good but the tinny sound betrays its low budget; and it moves as slowly as the late cousin Jonas.

After an interminable tour of nightlife in New Orleans as it was in 1960, the action then takes until well after the halfway mark for mad cousin Monica to use voodoo drums to raise her late brother Jonas from the dead. Cousin Jonas - as an earlier reviewer observed - resembles Alice Cooper in black tie. The film's title lays its cards on the table about having just the one zombie (unlike Herschel Gordon Lewis's boastfully titled 'Two Thousand Maniacs!') who anticipates the zombies - whose sheer numbers were what made them such a formidable threat - in 'Night of the Living Dead' (not to mention Cooper's own appearance in John Carpenter's 'Prince of Darkness').

Monica Davis as the malevolent Monica gives both the worst and the most compelling performance in the film - well complemented by Margaret Johnston's vengeful old harpy in 'The Night of the Eagle' (screened under its US release title, 'Burn, Witch, Burn'), with which this was paired in a double bill in Seattle in May 1962

The cops as usual are useless - arriving late and then shooting the wrong person - but as one of them laconically observes, "How would you have explained this if we hadn't gotten here in time to see it?".

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 ".

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.

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.

This film (also known as "Blood of the Zombie" ) is one of those movies that could have been much better if the acting had been at least average. But it wasn't and the results speak for itself. Essentially, "John Carlton" (John McKay) is a young man who by getting married inherits a plantation as stipulated in a will. So he and his bride, "Linda Carlton" (Linda Ormand) drive into the Louisiana countryside to legally claim it. The problem is that his cousin, "Monica" (Monica Davis) has no intention of giving it up even though John Carlton offers her half of it. Realizing that the plantation will be all hers if something happens to the bride, Monica resorts to voodoo and raises a zombie to kill Linda. Anyway, rather than giving the entire story away I'll just say that this movie had a good location and decent storyline. John McKay turned in an adequate performance as did Linda Ormand and the nightclub dancer "Bella Bella" (Darlene Myrick) to a lesser degree. But what really killed this film was the acting of Monica Davis who sounded as if she was reading her lines for the very first time. In short, this film is worth a look only if you're an extreme fan of zombie films. Otherwise, just skip it.