Revenge of the Zombies Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Revenge of the Zombies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 31, 2025

Steve Sekely's "Revenge of the Zombies" (1943) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only supplemental feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary by critics Tom Weaver and Gary D. Rhodes. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The zombie maker

It appears that several actors who agreed to work with director Steve Sekely on Revenge of the Zombies were not on the same page with him. It is impossible to know whether it is because Sekely did not like the screenplay Edmond Kelso and Van Norcross handed to him and changed a lot once he stepped behind the camera, seriously confusing these actors, or struggled to communicate his ideas from the very beginning. However, in its current form, Revenge of the Zombies constantly tries to head in different directions, and, while it is obvious, no one seems to be noticing, which makes it easy to speculate that Sekely had done or was doing something that had caused substantial confusion. But as odd as it may sound, this is precisely the reason Revenge of the Zombies is an enjoyable genre film.

John Carradine plays Dr. Max Heinrich Von Altermann, a brilliant scientist with an evil mind. Somewhere in Louisiana, in his secret laboratory, Altermann has built the perfect, indestructible zombie and started multiplying it, hoping to create an invincible army that would help the Nazi regime conquer America and then the rest of the planet. Altermann’s latest zombie is his dead wife, Lila (Veda Ann Borg), whose mind, like all other zombie minds, has just been reset to receive orders from him. But before Altermann can pack his belongings and board a submarine that will take him back to Germany, where the Nazi regime’s new and invincible army is to be created, Lila’s brother, Scott Warrington (Mauritz Hugo), his good friend Larry Adams, (Robert Lowery), and their chauffeur, Jeff (Mantan Moreland), appear, determined to find out why she has died prematurely. Altermann, pretending to be heartbroken, welcomes them, but shortly after leading them to his wife’s coffin, she gets up and walks away into the nearby swamp. The guests are understandably shocked because they cannot rationalize what they have just seen. But so is Altermann because his dead wife repeatedly refuses to obey his orders.

Sekely’s direction tolerates contrasts that cannot possibly have been part of the original version of the screenplay that was handed to him. Here’s why:

Carradine, Hugo, and Lowery are acting in an old-fashioned horror film that replicates virtually all of the genre tricks that I Walked with a Zombie is remembered for and liked. This old-fashioned horror film just does not have the unique ambience of I Walked with a Zombie. However, Moreland is contributing to a witty comedy, making the scientist and his zombies look like utterly confused outcasts who would be ideal in a parody. Borg and several other secondary actors playing the remaining zombies are simply all over the place. Needless to say, there is a lot of amusing and hilarious content that makes Revenge of the Zombies an unexpectedly enjoyable misfire.

There are several imperfect but actually very effective twists, too. The best one features the local Sheriff (Bob Steele), who is a Nazi impostor, asked by the scientist to fake an investigation and present his dead wife’s brother with the truth about her premature death.

Revenge of the Zombies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Revenge of the Zombies arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

It is very easy to tell that Revenge of the Zombies has been remastered. If I had to guess, I would say that it was remastered in 2K. Its visuals have strong, very stable organic qualities, and on a large screen, all look very nice. However, some visuals have small surface imperfections, such as tiny blemishes, scratches, cuts, and even a few larger marks. They are never distracting, but modern digital tools easily would have eliminated them and made the entire film look quite impressive. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to excellent. There are a few small density fluctuations. However, in the areas where they emerge, the visuals are still very attractive. The grayscale is convincing. I think that darker areas look very good, though in a few places minor adjustments are possible. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is very good. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Revenge of the Zombies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio can sound a tad boxy and a bit flat at times. However, this is clearly an inherited limitation. Revenge of the Zombies was done with a very modest budget in 1943, so these types of fluctuations are to be expected. The more important detail I wish to mention is that the upper register sounds very healthy, which I think is more evidence that Revenge of the Zombies was properly remastered. I did not encounter any audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

Revenge of the Zombies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Tom Weaver and Gary D. Rhodes. Weaver shares a lot of interesting information about the emergence of the zombie film, the environment in which films like it were made, and the conception and production of Revenge of the Zombies. Later, Rhodes discusses the nazi presence in genre film and how they occasionally teamed up with zombies. Weaver also shares various interesting quotes from writings and publications.

Revenge of the Zombies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Whether unintentional or not, the chaos that materializes after the grieving guests meet the evil scientist is the very reason to see Revenge of the Zombies. Director Steve Sekely and multiple actors are quite simply not on the same page, while Mantan Moreland might have prepared for his part by reading an entirely different screenplay. I found the disconnect hilarious and had a wonderful time with Revenge of the Zombies. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from a slightly rough but very nice organic master. It has a lovely, exclusive new audio commentary by critics Tom Weaver and Gary D. Rhodes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.