{"id":30473,"date":"2019-02-14T11:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-02-14T16:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=30473"},"modified":"2019-02-14T11:00:07","modified_gmt":"2019-02-14T16:00:07","slug":"the-plague-of-the-zombies-1966-blu-ray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/14\/the-plague-of-the-zombies-1966-blu-ray\/","title":{"rendered":"The Plague of the Zombies (1966) [Blu-Ray]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Despite generally loving movies about the supernatural, and in spite of \u201cThe Plague of the Zombies\u201d being very much ahead of its time in its implementing of voodoo as a means of our villain enacting his devious plan, I was indifferent toward \u201cThe Plague of the Zombies.\u201d I can\u2019t say that I completely hated it, but while it packs in some tension and great mood set pieces, I wasn\u2019t too sad when it finally drew to a close.<\/p>\n

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Set in 1860, a mysterious plague has been spread and has killed a dozen in the Cornish village where character Peter Tompson (Brook Williams) began his medical practice a year prior. Stumped at the cause of the plague, the doctor is foiled in his effort to perform autopsies thanks to the evil Squire Clive Hamilton who keeps a tight hold on the village. As Peter begins to uncover the mystery of the victims and past victims of plague showing up as zombies after presumed dead, he teams up with his mentor, and his daughter Sylvia to find the cause, while also doing battle with the small town\u2019s xenophobia and ignorance.<\/p>\n

For the most part, John Gilling\u2019s film is well directed and garners some tight pacing, I just wish it had so much more atmosphere and inherent terror. Perhaps there\u2019s some that view the whole idea of turning corpses in to zombie henchmen creepy, but the whole mystery takes so long to uncover. I don\u2019t bore easily, but I found much of \u201cThe Plague of the Zombies\u201d pretty dull and the characters often one dimensional. It does at least garner some of the most iconic imagery of the Hammer Films era, including the sequence of a zombie henchman carrying a female victim in his arms.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s cut so well and looks like a commercial cliffhanger for a series that likely would have gone over well in its day. That\u2019s a compliment. There are also some shades of \u201cDracula,\u201d \u201cSherlock Holmes,\u201d Lucio Fulci, and even some moments indicating obvious influence over \u201cNight of the Living Dead\u201d which would come to theaters two years later. I also loathed the villain who is incredibly despicable, once we get down to the climax. In either case, as far as Old Victorian Gothic English horror films go, you could do a lot worse. But if given the option of \u201cThe Plague of the Zombies\u201d or something else in the Hammer Films library, I\u2019ll opt for anything<\/em> <\/strong>else.<\/p>\n

The Blu-Ray features two audio commentaries, one with film historian Steve Haberman, writer\/producer Ted Newsom, and filmmaker Constantine Nasr, and the other with author Troy Howarth. Both commentaries are fun and offer some great information. There\u2019s the twenty five minute \u201cThe World of Hammer\u201d episode \u201cMummies, Werewolves, & The Living Dead\u201d, as narrated by Oliver Reed.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s \u201cRaising the Dead: The Making of The Plague of the Zombies,\u201d an entertaining thirty six minute documentary about the film, with interviews with cast members like John Carson and Jacqueline Pearce, actor and writer Mark Gatiss, historian Marcus Hearn, authors Jonathan Rigby, Wayne Kinsey, music author Dave Huckvale, art director Don Migaye, and technical restoration manager Jon Mann. There\u2019s a four minute look at the \u201cRestoration Comparison,\u201d a pair of theatrical trailers, a double feature trailer paired with \u201cDracula: Prince of Darkness,\u201d and finally an animated still gallery with almost a hundred images like behind the scenes photos, posters, lobby cards, et al.<\/p>\n