HALLOWEEN FILM FROM JEAN ROLLIN: THE LIVING DEAD GIRL (1982)

Halloween Month continues with this review of one of the zombie movies of French Director Jean Rollin. Balladeer’s Blog’s reviews of Rollin’s films always point out that his works range from brilliant and artistic to just plain awful.

The Living Dead Girl is one of the director’s best in my opinion, but deals with extreme concepts and gore so I’m providing my courtesy WARNING for readers who don’t like such movies to refrain from clicking on “Continue reading.” 

THE LIVING DEAD GIRL (LA MORTE VIVANTE) (1982) – French director Jean Rollin helmed this introspective, touching and at times even poignant rendition of a zombie film. If you’re not familiar with Rollin’s work he often starts with a prosaic premise but then flies off into strikingly original territory with it.   

La Morte Vivante starts off with the trope of toxic waste artificially preserving and ultimately reviving the corpse of heiress Catherine Valmont (Francoise Blanchard). 

The barrels of toxic waste have been illegally stored in the Valmont family’s catacombs over the course of two years without their knowledge and Catherine’s first action when restored to life is to dispatch the men dumping the waste in swift and bloody fashion. Another corpse in the catacombs with Catherine is also revived but was already so decomposed that the men had no problem destroying it. 

The living dead girl feeds on human flesh and drinks human blood and, though she starts off as a typically mindless and shambling example of the living dead the longer she is “alive” more and more of her humanity begins to come back to her. The Valmont mansion is empty and up for sale and soon Catherine racks up a few other kills and meals by way of prospective buyers and a horny couple who sneak into the place to have sex.

Eventually Helene (Marina Pierro), a friend of Catherine’s since childhood, encounters the zombified girl while reminiscing during a stroll through the mansion. Since this is a Rollin film there is a heavy insinuation of lesbian attraction, at least on Helene’s part, and Helene works with Catherine’s revived corpse, slowly jogging further memories and eventually coaching back Catherine’s ability to speak.

Helene is overjoyed at the thought that, with the world believing Catherine to be two years dead she can keep her all to herself with no pesky male admirers mucking up the chemistry. A living dead girl’s got to eat, however, and after Helene realizes the flesh and blood of dead animals just doesn’t do it for the increasingly sentient Catherine, she makes the cold-hearted decision to lure human beings to the mansion for Catherine to feed upon.

As Helene’s behavior becomes more and more monstrous Catherine’s becomes more and more human and as she finds her conscience returning she suffers immense remorse at what she and her friend are doing. This dichotomy is expertly handled by Rollin, contrasting Catherine’s torment and increasing reluctance to feed on others with Helene’s growing ruthlessness and willingness to do anything to keep her would-be lover “alive” and functioning.

Meanwhile a female photographer who happened to snap photos of the shambling Catherine shortly after her resurrection begins investigating the situation when all the villagers tell her the woman in the photo has been dead for two years. This investigation sets in motion the tragic, bloody circumstances of the movie’s nightmarish climax.

If Anne Rice had ever written a zombie story it might have played out like this very memorable horror film.

FOR SEVEN ZOMBIE FILMS THAT ARE FAIRLY UNIQUE CLICK HERE.