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"White Zombie," the first feature-length zombie film, directed by Victor Halperin and starring Bela Lugosi, is released

"White Zombie," the first feature-length zombie film, directed by Victor Halperin and starring Bela Lugosi, is released in the US

White Zombie is a 1932 pre-Code horror movie produced independently by Edward Halperin and directed by Victor Halperin. The screenplay by Garnett Weston, based on The Magic Island, a non-fiction travel book by William Seabrook, is about a young woman's transformation into a zombie by a voodoo master. Bela Lugosi features as the zombie master Legendre, with Madge Bellamy appearing as one of his victims. Other cast members include Joseph Cawthorn, Robert W. Frazer, John Harron, Brandon Hurst, and George Burr MacAnnan.

Large portions of White Zombie were filmed on the Universal Studios lot, borrowing many props and scenery from other horror movies of the era. The movie premiered in New York to negative reception, with reviewers criticizing the movie's implausible story and weak acting.

Historical Significance

White Zombie is a 1932 pre-Code horror movie produced independently by Edward Halperin and directed by Victor Halperin.

Key People

Bela Lugosi

actor

Hungarian actor

Events Before

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  2. New Zealand's worst natural disaster, the Hawke's Bay earthquake, kills 256 and injures thousands, devastating Napier an

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  5. "The Star-Spangled Banner" officially becomes the US national anthem by congressional resolution; lyrics by Francis Scot

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Events After

  1. "Cavalcade" based on the play by Noël Coward, directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Diana Wynyard and Clive Brook premier

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  2. Cricket's Bodyline Tour: Australian batsman Bert Oldfield suffers a fractured skull after being struck by a ball bowled

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  3. The name "Pakistan" is coined by Choudhry Rahmat Ali and gradually accepted by Muslims in the Indian subcontinent, who u

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  4. President Paul von Hindenburg appoints Adolf Hitler as Reich Chancellor of Germany who forms a government with Franz von

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  5. Nazi Germany's parliament building, the Reichstag, is destroyed by fire, possibly set by the Nazis, who blame and execut

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More from the 1930s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on July 28, 1932?
White Zombie is a 1932 pre-Code horror movie produced independently by Edward Halperin and directed by Victor Halperin. The screenplay by Garnett Weston, based on The Magic Island, a non-fiction travel book by William Seabrook, is about a young woman's transformation into a zombie by a voodoo master. Bela Lugosi features as the zombie master Legendre, with Madge Bellamy appearing as one of his victims.
Why is "White Zombie," the first feature-length zombie film, directed by Victor Halp... significant?
White Zombie is a 1932 pre-Code horror movie produced independently by Edward Halperin and directed by Victor Halperin.
Who was involved in "White Zombie," the first feature-length zombie film, directed by Victor Halp...?
Key figures include Bela Lugosi (actor).

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