WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

trimbolicelia Not bad mid-40's black-and-white thriller. A mental patient, thought to be dead comes back from wherever, after having some weird procedure performed on him that keeps him alive as long as he consumes continuous amounts of blood. When he can't make a withdrawal at a blood bank, no problem, he just kills someone, drains them, and embalms them. Why the embalming I don't know. Ian Keith as the blood consumer is certainly creepy. Near the beginning of the film a local tower clock bongs incessantly and gives a gloomy air. A young doctor and his nurse girlfriend give some light-hearted moments. The film is under one hour so the story moves right along. I obtained a DVD-R and though the quality is not the greatest it is watchable. I wish a re-mastered version would be released very soon. I recommend this film, a nice time passer on a Saturday afternoon.

dougdoepke Well crafted little horror jaunt. Seems long dead Murks (Keith) won't stay dead, but he does need blood to keep frightening us viewers. I guess he must have had a zombie dad and a vampire mom, or some such. Anyhow he gets his needed red stuff from a doctor's office, which is fine until he stupidly throttles his supplier. Now he gets his stuff on the hoof, and our heroes Dr. Terry (Livingston) and Nurse Susan (Gray) better figure things out before he depopulates the studio of its supporting players.I love that opening sequence, a really funny got'cha when the sheet's pulled back. Republic may have been at the bottom of the Hollywood studios, but it was at the top of the poverty row outfits, PRC, etc. So it's not surprising this horror quickie would be a little slicker than most. Happily, director Ford manages both atmosphere and pacing. The outdoor sets may be 3-feet deep, but they're still creepy. And catch the many snappy lines from our winsome Nurse Susan, especially when she and the doc are creeping through the forrest. Now, Keith really has the malevolent glower of a fiend, but his mugging at times borders on the ludicrous. I guess he needed a few more lessons from Karloff. Good also to see Livingston get off a horse (The Three Mesquiteers) and into a medical smock, of all things. All in all, the 57- minutes remains a cut above other quickies, without being anything special.

tl12 OK, I admit it. I love 30's and 40's B horror films. They generally have great atmosphere and wonderful characters. Are both the atmosphere and the characters over-the-top? Yeah, most of the time, but that is part of the charm. You don't watch these movies looking for great cinema. You watch them for the perpetually foggy streets. What city or what country makes no difference, 9 times out of 10 there will be fog. You watch them for the crazed characters. You watch them for the dripping-with-venom dialog. You also have the wonderful look that black and white creates. Things are stark and heavily shadowed.You watch these films simply because you love the time and the genre. Not for great writing and most times not for great performances. You either love these period B films or not. Had I lived during the era you would have never gotten me out of the theater.

Michael O'Keefe VALLEY of the ZOMBIES is not exactly a horror film and in spite of the title there are no wandering "undead". A fifty-six minute mystery from Republic Pictures is what we get. Interesting, too. A well known surgeon, Dr. Rufus Maynard(Charles Trowbridge)discovers there is a large number of pints of blood missing from his lab. A former mental patient, believed to be six feet under, Ormand Murks(Ian Keith),pays a surprise visit to tell the good doctor where the blood is going and why. Not very long after Maynard's nurse Susan Drake(Lorna Gray)and Maynard's business partner Dr. Evans(Robert Livingston)come back to the office to find the doc dead. Enter Detective Blair(Thomas Jackson)and Susan and Dr. Evans are suspects of murder. After 24 hrs of detention at the local poky, the couple are freed and go about trying to solve the mysterious death of Maynard and clearing their names. Perfect atmosphere and pace. Plus there is a bit of humor amid the gloomy story. Nothing scary; just fun to watch. Other players: Earle Hodgins, Charles Cane and LeRoy Mason.