Teenage Zombies (1959)

Starring Don Sullivan, Katherine Victor, Steve Conte, J.L.D. Morrison, Brianne Murphy
Directed by Jerry Warren
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Four teenagers visit an island they discover, only to be taken prisoner there by a scientist developing a chemical weapon that will turn America into a country of zombies.

Notorious director Jerry Warren delivered this low-budget thriller, which he also wrote (under a pen name) and produced.  It's actually one of his more coherent films, although it too could have used a more judicious film editor.  Sullivan, who I found to be an engaging young lead in The Giant Gila Monster, doesn't have as much to do here, but is still likable, as are the other youngsters in the cast.  What the film lacks are the zombies of the title, as except for a brief glimpse early on, we only see one, who's competently played by Chuck Niles, but that's it.  Victor is given one of her more dignified roles, and Warren tracks in some effective and familiar music, which IMDB credits as from past scores of Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter.  Still, while the film itself is easier to watch than a number of Warren's stinkers, I can't give it a high recommendation.  It's a fun diversion though for those in the mood.

The Incredible Petrified World (1957)

Starring John Carradine, Robert Clarke, Phyllis Coates, Allen Windsor, Sheila Noonan
Directed by Jerry Warren
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The maiden voyage of a diving bell ends in tragedy as the chain breaks, stranding its four passengers on the ocean floor, but they're able to make their way into an underground series of caverns.

One of the films of the notorious Jerry Warren, this picture's actually not too bad, despite the director's reputation for making haphazard films, often recutting foreign pictures and adding endless-seeming narration to explain the plots.  This effort's an original adventure as far as I know, although Warren cuts in plenty of stock footage, but held my interest despite its obvious flaws.  Although the film's not a highlight of any of its actors' careers, Coates fares worst, saddled with a witchy character whose fits of anger and jealousy don't seem to make any sense.