Revolt Of The Zombies (1936)

Starring Dorothy Stone, Dean Jagger, Roy D'Arcy, Robert Noland, George Cleveland
Directed by Victor Halperin
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young archaeologist travels to the fabled city of Angkor in Cambodia to try and find the secret of turning men into zombies, and when he does, uses the power to take what he wants from others.

Another zombie film from the Halperins, who produced and directed the famed White Zombie, is a welcome find, but this movie falls far short of being a worthy followup to the Bela Lugosi classic.  Nevertheless, it's interesting viewing on several levels, for casting future Oscar-winner Jagger, for the insertion of the images of Bela Lugosi's eyes from the first film whenever Jagger has to possess someone, and for a story that tries to go in a different direction.  I thought Jagger imbued a bit of life into his nervous and unsure character, somewhat blandly written, who then becomes brash and confident with his zombies backing him up.  I also appreciated the scenery and sets, which try to recreate what must have been a largely unknown land on the screen, and the climax in which Jagger relinquishes his control makes for a fine and well-filmed denouement to the film.  However, Lugosi's presence is greatly missed, and I found myself wishing the filmmakers would have played up Roy D'Arcy's villain more to create more conflict in the story.  Still, I'm glad the Halperins returned to this well, and the picture does offer an evocative mood that I found worth remembering.