Greatest Movie Moments- I Walked With a Zombie

This one is in honor of Halloween. One of my favorite movie moments is from the 1943 RKO Pictures movie I Walked With a Zombie. Although it is not a horror movie, it was marketed as such when it was originally released in 1943. Producer Val Lewton and Director Jacques Tourneur created what is one of the most atmospheric and mystical films I have ever seen.

The plot concerns a young nurse named Betsey Connell(played by Frances Dee) who takes a job in the West Indies looking after the wife of Paul Holland(played by Tom Conway), the oldest son of a family that owns a sugar plantation in an unnamed Caribbean island. Paul's wife, Jessica(played by Christine Gordon), has suffered from a fever which has left her in a zombie like state. Everything is tried to bring her back to a normal state, including shock treatment. Nothing works. Eventually Betsey tries to bring her to the "home fort", where locals hold voodoo ceremonies, to see if they can help restore her to her "living"self.

We never really know, or find out, if Jessica's state is due to the fever she had or if she truly is a zombie. Many of the characters believe that the voodoo rituals do have power, while others feel that it is all superstition.

The movie ends in much the same way. We don't really know if Jessica is a zombie, or if she had a legitimate medical condition. We don't know if voodoo actually is a legitimate power, or if it worked because people want it to work.

There are many things which make this movie unique.

First of all, the movie was made on a very small budget, yet the production values and performances are all very good. The story is very well written and has well developed characters.

Although this is really not a horror movie, it does have some of the most moody and atmospheric moments that can be seen in a movie. There is very little background music. Silence is used to great effect and makes many of the scenes more suspenseful.

And one of the biggest strengths of the movie, especially given the time it was made, was that the black characters in the movie were treated with dignity and not in the stereotypical way that was common at that time.

Although not a horror movie, I Walked With a Zombie is far eerier than most horror movies, and tells a story that is probably scarier than 100 Jason's or Michael Meyers.

The scene that stands out as a classic to me is the walk to the "Home Fort". The young nurse Betsey brings Jessica Holland with her through the sugar cane fields one windy night. The only sound at first is the wind. As their walk brings them deeper into the sugar cane fields, you can hear the voodoo drums in the background, quiet at first and building as they get closer. They come across an animal skull in a circle of rocks . As they go further, a goat is seen hanging from a tree. They eventually come across a man standing guard in the sugar cane. He may be blind, or in a possessed state. He allows them to pass to the "home fort". The scene is so well photographed, and the sets so impressive, it's easy to forget that it was filmed on a soundstage.

There is nothing in the scene which tries to make you jump or tries to create a scare. There is no overblown music score. The scene takes its time and gives you a feeling of unease. It is genuinely eerie.