The zombie looms large in the collective creep consciousness – so many interpretations, so many thematic representations, so much hunger for brains. Director Jacques Tourneur’s film is both titled after and based on an article written by Inez Wallace after her experiences with sugar plantation workers in Haiti. But of the 1943 movie’s script, more influence was taken from gothic romance Jane Eyre, with producer Val Lewton asking for “West Indian version of Jane Eyre.” Witness the strange, haunting visions that at the time of its release provoked disgust and now, revisited and explored, strike up a thought provoking dialogue about exploitation cinema. – James Scott
Oct. 25 & 27
