The Walking Dead immediately appealed to me as I am very fond of Boris Karloff. While not one of his best films, it is rather too short and there are a couple of instances where the music overbears things a bit, it is still a very good film. Karloff himself is very commanding and poignant in his role, and Edmund Gwenn matches him beautifully. Michael Curtiz directs with a very slick and assured style, never allowing for the story to drag but not letting it rush ahead either. The expressionistic style of the cinematography adds much to the atmosphere especially in the horror elements of the story, while the score on the most part is used really well. There is also an intelligent script, and the story moves at an involving pace with the gangster elements intense and suspenseful and the horror elements scary and macabre. The idea itself may be hard to swallow initially, but it is actually dealt with plausibly and thoughtfully with not a shred of predictability.
All in all, a very good film especially for Karloff. 8/10 Bethany Cox
All in all, a very good film especially for Karloff. 8/10 Bethany Cox