In Haiti, a sweetheart couple from America are stopped from marrying by a desperate plantation owner who wants the girl for himself; he turns for help to the diabolic voodoo master who also runs the sugar cane mill (which is staffed by the living dead!). A zombie Gothic, reportedly the first of its kind; rather ridiculous on the whole, but still retaining some potency and fascination due to the atmospheric production design and cinematography. Solid direction from Victor Halperin (whose brother, Edward, served as producer) lends the scenario a woozy, dream-like feel. Bela Lugosi, looking a bit like Fu Manchu, gives a playful, sassy performance, and his zombie minions are a slow-stepping but spooky lot. There are some sexual proclivities which are steeped in the hypothetical, giving the story some unexpected subtext, as well as a general air of good humor and melodramatic adventure. ** from ****