Dear Zombie Master: Zombies of Mora Tau & White Zombie

by Pedro M
(High Point, North Carolina, USA)

Dear Zombie Master,

I enjoyed your Hammer article. Just as an add-on I would recommend the book ‘The Hammer Story’ (Hearn & Barnes) with the great picture of Christopher Lee on the cover. Never will there be a better Dracula.

I also have a question: Is the movie White Zombie the one that has a constant Haitian/African style drumming? I think the music was used to hypnotize or call the zombies. Is this the right movie? I believe it is in B&W.

Recently I got a VHS copy of 'Zombies of Mora Tau', a film I had seen as a kid and could never get out of my mind. It took me years to find because I didn't know the name. Those scenes of the zombies walking underwater were just amazing for that time period!

Thanks,
Pedro M

Pedro,

The drumming would either be in White Zombie or Revolt of the Zombies. Both were b/w and both were done by Halperin Studios. Revolt borrows a lot from White Zombie so it could be either. The easiest way to make sure which one you are looking for is that White Zombie had Bela Lugosi in it.

One of the over 200 films produced by Sam Katzman, Zombies of Mora Tau (aka The Dead That Walk) was a great addition to the pre-Romero zombie genre.

Good hunting and aim high,
The Zombie Master