There are things about this film, I saw this for the first time when I was 11 or 12, that stick with me. This film seems to me, if I were living in 1943 and were to walk into the theatre to see it, to be so out there for that time. I can't imagine another film like it being seen then. I know the Tourneur - Lewton films have that dreamy quality, but there's something odd and special about this one.
I know from some friends of mine and their kids, if they see "Zombie" in the title, they're ready for action. Even a "Night of the Living Dead" type of zombie is too slow for their ADD - MTV sensibilities. Some might find this slow and dull, but not me. I loved this island, I love the people in the story, I love this story, the complex love triangle, the dread, the sacrifice these characters are willing to take for each other.
This movie led me to find one of my favorite filmmakers, Maya Deren because of her book, "Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti" through that I discovered her brilliant films. Through her films I discovered Gore Vidal, Curtis Harrington, Stan Brakhage, Anaïs Nin, Kenneth Anger, Donald Cammell, Marjorie Cameron, Aleister Crowley, Jack Parsons…
Funny the paths certain films can lead you down. Sometimes these films walk with you through life. They are the zombies, frozen in time, unchanging, yet they can make changes in you.
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