The Dead Don't Die
The Dead Don't Die
| 14 January 1975 (USA)
The Dead Don't Die Trailers

In the 1930s, a sailor trying to prove that his brother was wrongly executed for murder finds himself becoming drawn into the occult world.

Reviews
SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.
Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
MartinHafer "The Dead Don't Die" is set in the 1930s. When the film begins, Don Drake (George Hamilton) is visiting with his brother...just before the brother is to be executed for a murder he insists he didn't commit. He begs Don to investigate the killing and find the real murderer. As for Don, he was in the Navy and couldn't help until now...and he's committed to finding the truth. The trail leads to some weird places...and during his investigation he gets a glimpse of his dead brother walk about town! He chases him but the zombie-fied brother escapes. The trail leads to a zombie master named Varek---and Varek is intent on killing Don! What is going on here?!In many ways, this film is like a 1940s horror film--but in color and made for television. It has a super-creepy atmosphere, over the top characters and features a villain who was surprisingly easy to defeat at the end. Combine this with few nice supporting actors (Ray Milland, Joan Blondell and Ralph Meeker) and you've got a film that's stupid but very enjoyable! Worth seeing but don't try to think too much when you watch!
Bloodwank A solid step ahead for director Curtis Harrington and writer Robert Bloch from their collaboration on The Cat Creature, The Dead Don't Die is a delightfully unhinged and at times surprisingly chilling supernatural mystery, hearkening this time back to the 1930's but doing rather better in capturing the anything goes pulp serial atmosphere of that time. The story has Navy man on leave Don Drake on a mission to clear his brother's name, said brother having been executed for apparently killing his wife. On the trail he gets warned off by strange beauty Vera LaValle, and comes to find that something really rather bizarre is going on. Now although it's been more than a decade since I read Bloch's original story so I can't compare writing and adaptation, but Harrington expertly captures the surreal and melodramatic night- realm of great 20th century horror. Barely any scenes take place in daylight even when the timeline seems to indicate that they should, but the film makes all this night-time scrambling seem perfectly natural, as if the film takes place in some strange, half dreamt but grimly real region where light itself is unnatural and solutions or escape fleeting. Though the story ultimately comes down to traditional zombies stretched into a slightly ill conceived conspiracy, the general atmosphere and smattering of creepy details (like skin crawling dance marathon moments) brings the film into quality disturbing psychotronic territory. The generally great performances do a great deal as well of course, George Hamilton bringing things together as a rock solid, faithful and committed man steadily harrowed by strange circumstance, Reggie Nalder giving real heft to a traditional ghoul role, Ray Milland wearing his tired, worn and corrupt character with easy style and not a little sympathy, and Linda Cristal evocative as the haunted beauty of the film. The pace is somewhat measured and the set pieces (such as they are) evenly spaced, so those seeking swift gratification will surely be disappointed, and the sadly fairly poor quality of most copies of the film currently in circulation may well put off others, but for the dedicates of this kind of cinema, The Dead Don't Die is a definite winner. It's a great example of traditional zombie horror at a time when the Romero paradigm was close to taking over, the cast is classy and the scares still resonant despite the lack of any gruesome or outré shocks. All in all a solid 7/10 from me, highly recommended to fans of this sort of thing.
zocotroco03 This is a fun one. I remember being scared as hell. In an attempt to solve a murder mystery, George Hamilton finds himself in a town inhabited by zombies. He even has a love scene with one of them!! It would be cool to see a remake. There has never been a zombie movie movie quite like this one. Hope i find it on a video shelf some day.
LionClaw I remembered seeing this movie when it first aired (on NBC, I think), and I seemed to remember it being above average for a TV movie. So I found a copy of it for under $5 and watched it again, nearly 30 years later. Wow, what a difference time and experience make. The premise is an interesting one, and the film relies more on subtlety than shock value. But, man is it slow. I found myself losing interest in it a couple of times. This is a movie that screams to be remade.