The Walking Dead (1936)

Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Boris Karloff, Ricardo Cortez, Edmund Gwenn

Synopsis:
A pianist falsely accused of murder and executed is resurrected by an experimental medical procedure.

Impressions:
In some ways, this is a better Frankenstein than the portrayal Boris Karloff is famous for. After all, in the book Frankenstein's monster was intelligent and capable of speech and did more than just groan and shamble about. The revived John Ellman slowly taps into his human intellect though hampered by the trauma of his death. I feel there was potential that was wasted on a fairly humdrum revenge story. While I like Karloff best as a full-bore villain with lots of menacing dialog, he was good here (and as I said, it's a better Frankenstein's monster than what he did in '31). I also liked Ricardo Cortez as the crooked defense attorney in the mob's pocket. If your curiosity is piqued, give it a shot, but be sure to temper your expectations first.

Rating:
50/50