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Illustration of Legendre's zombies
Original AI-made illustration based on the descriptions in the sources. Not an official design.
File No. 064 of 446

Legendre's zombies

FilmUndeadSorcery1900 to 1967

The zombies of White Zombie are mind-controlled bodies kept as labour and guards by Bela Lugosi's voodoo master, Legendre. The film drew on William Seabrook's The Magic Island and is treated as the archetype for later zombie films. It is generally considered the first feature-length zombie film.12

Battle it
First appeared
1932
Released 1932
Source work
White Zombie (1932)
Victor Halperin
Made in
USA
What causes it
Sorcery
A voodoo master in Haiti uses a potion and his own will to turn victims into soulless servants.
How you become one
The victim is dosed with Legendre's potion, appears to die, is entombed and is then revived under his control.
Intelligence
Mindless
Weak spots
  • knocking out or killing the controller breaks his hold

When did it first appear?

Ancient worldMiddle Ages1500 to 18991900 to 19671968 to 19992000 to 20092010 to today1932

Released 1932

field notes

What the sources say

1

Considered the first feature-length zombie film12

2

The zombies labour in a sugar mill and guard their master's castle; shooting does not stop them12

3

When the master is knocked unconscious his zombies walk off a cliff12

4

Shot in eleven days in March 1932 for about 50,000 dollars, on sets left over from Dracula and Frankenstein12

5

Jack Pierce created Bela Lugosi's look for the role12

6

The playwright of the Broadway play Zombie sued the filmmakers and lost12

Sources

  1. White Zombie (film) - Wikipedia
  2. The Magic Island - Wikipedia

Every fact on this page comes from these sources, written in our own words. Spotted a mistake? Tell us at [email protected].

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Same era: 1900 to 1967

The resurrected dead of Plan 9Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)CarrefourI Walked with a Zombie (1943)Cornish zombies of The Plague of the ZombiesThe Plague of the Zombies (1966)Plague victims of The Last Man on EarthThe Last Man on Earth (1964)Corpses of Invisible InvadersInvisible Invaders (1959)Dr. Sangre's zombiesKing of the Zombies (1941)
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