This is surprisingly well made. The direction features quite a bit of camera movement for a quickie, the photography boasts some moody shadows and interesting wide angle lens effects, the swamp graveyard set is cool, and above all it's well acted--with Moreland doing his thing but the rest of the cast giving their all. And the music score is also well done not too much music either--not the wall to wall stock music approach in this film.There is a lab/montage scene that is pretty elaborate and well done. There is another nice tidy montage to show time passing at a dinner party which has a funny pay off line and the last shot has an unusual pay off as well.Carradine fans will enjoy his bug eyed entrance into the film but for the most part he plays it pretty straight/sober and he has a kind of memorable exit from the film--not to give it away.The intentions I guess are mainly comic though it's not all that funny you almost wish they had just gone for serious horror yet it isn't campy for the most part and it's an all professional job.The script holds it back from becoming above average though it is above average in all departments for this low budget genre of the era. Even the sets though not memorable don't look impoverished and the lab has quite a bit of gear in it.The direction really impressed me with always making the most out of every situation--within the restricted scale of the movie.One interesting thing, and you know this right away, is Nazi scientist Carradine kills and zombifies his wife, she does occasionally speak and they do a kind of interesting hollow sound to her voice. I think this film may be the first of the Nazi dead army plot movies tough it's certainly not the best one.All said and done on a script level you pretty much get what you'd expect which isn't much but the movie almost won me over and fans of this era of genre films could do a lot better but you could do a lot worse as well.

Revenge of the Zombies (1943) ** (out of 4) Low budget shocker about a mad scientist (John Carradine) trying to bring the dead back to life so that they can help Hitler win WW2. All of the now politically incorrect material makes this film stand out from various other zombie films released around this time but the story is pretty lacking all the way around. Carradine sleepwalks through his role and the supporting cast doesn't fair any better with the exception of Mantan Moreland who plays one of the servants. Bob Steele plays a small role as well. The zombies are all pretty boring but thankfully the film only runs 61-minutes.

Poor John Carradine. He made a fatal mistake in thinking that he could turn his wife into a zombie and that she would obey his every command. Even dead, the wife is always right.Carradine starred as Dr. Max Heinrich von Altermann, a NAZI scientist that was trying to develop an army that would not have to eat and would be impervious to bullets for Hitler's army. He should have stuck to men and not tried to use his wife to prove his success. It proved his undoing.The film also featured the famous Mantan Moreland who, when he wasn't sniffing after the lovely Sybil Lewis, was engaging in the oft criticized stereotypical behavior that he was famous for, including the famous line "feet don't fail me now."

This movie is another example of the genius of Poverty Row studios, like Monogram, Republic, Mascot, etc. Who can argue with the kind of comedic mystery represented by Charlie Chan, The Purple Monster, The Tiger Woman, Radio Ranch, Rocket Man, and zombie movies like this.The plot has to do with a mad scientist who wants to create an army of zombie Storm Troopers to help the Nazi's conquer America. (Be sure to look for an early scene where the zombies are assembled and goose step in formation). I don't think we need to go any farther into the story. It is only important to realize that this is Saturday Matinee entertainment in it's purest form.It is one of the only forums where one can see the sinister elegance of a John Carradine, as well as the comic genius of a Mantan Moreland, all the while enjoying a virtual parade of second string pre-prime, and post-prime players. In this case we find Gale Storm (pre My Little Margie), and Bob Steele (post cowboy). A mute Veda Ann Borg, as the zombie wife, reminds us that her voice was as important as her acting. Speaking of Mantan Moreland; it is really too bad that PC guilt won't allow for the recognition he deserves.I urge anyone who is interested in a little Saturday entertainment to catch this little gem if you can. You won't be disappointed. If you like it, and I know you will, you might want to check out another called "The Whip Hand".