Zombies of Mora Tau
Zombies of Mora Tau | |
---|---|
Directed by | Edward L. Cahn |
Screenplay by | Bernard Gordon (as Raymond T. Marcus) |
Story by | George H. Plympton (as George Plympton) |
Produced by | Sam Katzman |
Starring | Gregg Palmer Allison Hayes Autumn Russell |
Cinematography | Benjamin H. Kline |
Edited by | Jack Ogilvie |
Production company | Sam Katzman Productions |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 69 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Zombies of Mora Tau (also known as The Dead That Walk) is a 1957
Plot
A team of deep sea divers, led by wealthy American tycoon George Harrison (Ashley), attempt to salvage a fortune in diamonds from the wreckage of a ship that had sunk 60 years earlier off the coast of Africa. When the team arrives, they discover that the ship is cursed and the diamonds are protected by the ship's undead crew, now
Cast
- Gregg Palmer as Jeff Clark
- Allison Hayes as Mona Harrison
- Autumn Russell as Jan Peters
- Joel Ashley as George Harrison
- Morris Ankrum as Dr. Jonathan Eggert
- Marjorie Eaton as Grandmother Peters
- Gene Roth as Sam, the chauffeur
- Leonard P. Geer as Johnny (as Leonard Geer)
- Karl Davis as Zombie
- William Baskin as Zombie
Home media
A 2021 blu-ray release by Arrow Films in the U.K. and USA grouped the same four films together alongside a few new extras in a box set called Cold War Creatures: Four Films from Sam Katzman. The film includes a commentary track by author and film critic Kat Ellinger.
Reception
David Maine of PopMatters rated the film 6 out of 10 stars and described it as "pretty entertaining overall, and enlivened immeasurably by Ms. Eaton’s feisty grandma".[4] TV Guide rated it 2 out of 5 stars and called it "standard horror quality for grade-B films".[5] Writing in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, academic critic Peter Dendle said, "This awkward and talentless movie is nonetheless surprisingly prescient in zombie film history, anticipating a number of motifs that would reappear in later decades".[6] Zombiemania: 80 Movies to Die For author Arnold T. Blumberg wrote that the film is "a fun late-night creature feature, but it's prone to boring passages and a low-rent production quality that never allows it to break out of the B-movie mold", adding that the film is "almost single-handedly saved by the Maria Ouspenskaya/Celia Lovsky stylings of actress Marjorie Eaton, who lends the film an impressive conviction as well as a wry approach to her already sharp dialogue".[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Movie Reviews". 19 April 2018. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "The Giant Claw (1957) - Fred Sears - Releases - AllMovie". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ "DVD Savant Review: Icons of Horror Collection: Sam Katzman". www.dvdtalk.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- ^ Maine, David (2013-01-22). "Don't Open That Door! #27: 'Zombies of Mora Tau' (1957)". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ^ "Zombies of Mora Tau". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-9288-6.
- ISBN 9781845830038.
External links
- Zombies of Mora Tau at IMDb
- Zombies of Mora Tau at Rotten Tomatoes
- Review of film at Variety