KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

InjunNose "Dead Men Walk" would not qualify as a great film in any universe, but with a bigger budget it might have been worth seeing more than once. George Zucco plays twin brothers, one a straight arrow and the other a black sheep who tinkers with the occult; the straight arrow kills his evil twin, who is resurrected as a vampire with the help of his bug-eyed servant (Dwight Frye). Predictable horror shenanigans ensue. If you've seen the dour, dignified Zucco in any of his more lavishly-budgeted pictures, like "Dr. Renault's Secret" or "The Mad Ghoul", then you know that he was perfectly capable of carrying a film...but "Dead Men Walk" refuses to be carried. It's shabby-looking, packed with the kind of tight shots favored by Poverty Row studios and which made their films look as if they'd been lensed in a single corner of someone's tiny house. The dialogue is conspicuously purple, even for a horror flick, and occasionally almost schizophrenic: in one breath a character solemnly reflects on "vampires lying in unholy repose, their teeth stained with the blood of the living", but drawls, "Shucks! I'm scared as the dickens!" in the next. (I'm not quoting directly from the film, but I'm not far off, either.) The acting is competent but utterly lacks conviction; even Dwight Frye is phoning it in. These folks were making a stinker and they knew it.

morrison-dylan-fan Reading Kim Newman's excellent Nightmare Movies book,I noticed Newman mention that the first Human Centipede shared similarities with "mad scientist" movies starring George Zucco.Taking a look at a box set that an IMDber had kindly sent me,I was delighted to find a Zucco title starring James Whale collaborator Dwight Frye,which led to me getting ready to see a dead man walk.The plot:Attending his brother Dr. Elwyn's funeral, Dr. Lloyd Clayton hears whispers from the towns people that Elwyn is not really dead,due to him having been involved in the occult.Joining the hushed discussions of the residence,Elwyn former assistant Zolarr suspects that Lloyd knows more about his brothers death than he is letting on.Unknown to the towns people and his brother,Elwyn had made secret plans with Zolarr which would allow Zolarr to bring him back from the dead as a vampire.Coming back from the dead,Elwyn decides to sink his fangs deep into his Lloyd's life.View on the film:Filmed in just 6 days,director Sam Newfield gives the movie some stylish touches,with the overlapping reappearance/disappearing image of Elwyn Clayton giving the title a ghostly atmosphere.Running at a trim 64 minutes,the screenplay by Fred Myton offers a charming mix of "mad scientist" and vampire bite.Openly mentioning Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,Myton does very well at setting up expectations for a Hyde tale,which are gradually twisted into a clear divide being made between Lloyd & Elwyn,with Lloyd being a man of reason,and Elwyn being a creature of the night.Slobbering over the screen, Dwight Frye gives a cheerful performance as Zolarr,with Frye's bug eyes popping out as he tip toes in the shadows to do his masters bidding.Taking on two roles in this flick, George Zucco gives a wonderful performance as the Clayton's,thanks to Zucco giving Lloyd some shots of upper-crust charm,which are counted by the red-eye madness of Elwyn,as the dead men drop.

slayrrr666 Dead Men Walk" is a solid, if unspectacular, vampire film.**SPOILERS**Following the death of his twin brother, Dr. Lloyd Clayton, (George Zucco) buries him amongst speculation that he was a raving madman by the townspeople. Caught snooping through his brother's affairs by his assistant Zolarr, (Dwight Frye) he is later seen in the cemetery resurrecting Dr. Elwyn Clayton, (George Zucco) who comes back as a murderous vampire. As a series of vicious murders begins plaguing the town, he discovers that his brother has indeed returned from the dead to stalk his daughter Gayle, (Mary Carlisle) and she is soon under his spell. Finding the source of his powers to be Black Magic, Lloyd and Gayle's beau, Dr. David Bently, (Nedrick Young) race to stop him before his plans of revenge are fulfilled.The Good News: This here wasn't that bad. When it tried to be, there was plenty of atmospheric shots that were just fabulous. The early shot, where the coffin is being removed from the graveyard, with the fog slowly closing in and covering the figures, leaving only the outlines to waft through the scene, is inspired and quite striking. The film also has some really spine-tingling moments, where the vampire materializes out of nowhere and appears in front of people, often times appearing through the background like a shadow, and they are handled flawlessly and come off even today. For such a short film, there's also the traditional scenes and ideas from past vampire films, including the initially skeptical fiancée, the helpless local cop, the mad woman who knows the truth, the irate and skeptical villagers, the hunchback acolyte, and a rampant mob seeking to deal harshly with the good doctor under the belief that he is the killer. While clichéd, these offer a sense of familiarity that the rest of the film fails to offer. The climactic fire to reduce everything to victorious, but tragic, ashes is an effective action set-piece, being an effective end to send the film out on a high point. While derivative, this wasn't exactly torturous.The Bad News: There really wasn't a whole lot to dislike in this one. Most of it comes the fact that the movie does not follow conventional vampire lore, as the brother becomes a vampire through the use of black magic rather than the more commonly associated means. While not bad, the fact that it does tamper with convention doesn't really give more of a vampire feel, making it seem more like a curse inflicted upon a normal person rather than a being that preys upon us. That also makes us fear the main vampire far less than in most cases, a serious detriment in such a short film. The only other main problem with the film is it's extreme predictability. The presence of so many vampire traditions and sequences means that it's just a matter of time before the next item on the checklist is marked off, giving this a really easy plot to follow through with the ending that can be seen coming from the opening minutes. While not a dangerous threat to the film, by making it so predictable is to really squeeze most of the fear and tension out of the film, leaving it to coast on the strength of it's set-pieces. That is not a good case for a film to do. But these are easily overlooked.The Final Verdict: With a few flaws that can be easily overlooked for some, this is actually one of the more solid B-films from the time-period. It's not earth-shattering, but if given a chance, it can provide some entertainment value, so give it a shot. It's short time may hinder most of it's problems.Today's Rating-PG: Mild Violence

Claudio Carvalho During the funeral mass of Elwyn (George Zucco), the local Kate (Fern Emmett) accuses him of evilness. Later, his brother Dr. Lloyd Clayton (George Zucco) and tutor of his niece Gayle Clayton (Mary Carlisle) tells her and her fiancé Dr. David Bently (Nedrick Young) that his brother has become obsessed by mysticism and black magic since he traveled to India. During the night, Elwyn comes to Dr. Lloyd Clayton's house and accuses Dr. Clayton of pushing him in a cliff to die. Further, he tells Dr. Clayton that he will revenge, slowly killing Gayle and transforming her in a vampire. Dr. Clayton does not believe in what he has seen and heard, but when Gayle gets mysteriously sick and Dr. Clayton becomes the prime suspect of David and the locals, he finally accepts that his brother is a vampire and tries to find his coffin to destroy him."Dead Man Walk" is a creepy low-budget vampire movie visibly inspired in "Dracula", with a good story and acting. The cinematography of the DVD that I watched is a kind of blurred in the scenes in the cemetery, maybe because of a lighting problem in the shot, but the story is told in a dark atmosphere and I liked this underrated film. George Zucco has great performance in his double role. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Mortos Que Andam" ("Dead That Walk")