MovieChat Forums > I Walked with a Zombie (1943) Discussion > Zombie Vs. Seventh Victim...which is bet...

Zombie Vs. Seventh Victim...which is better??


I think Zombie easily takes it, but this reveals my
ever increasing respect for Seventh Victim. Robson obviously
never went on to make an "Out of the Past" of sorts, so
as far as auteur status, Tourneur wins as well. Zombie is
definitely one of the most atmospheric, unforgettable films
ever made. I fear so few people know about this film. It is
such a masterpiece.

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I've spent the last two weeks consuming the Lewton RKO pictures, and Zombie is very much my favorite, followed closely by Isle of the Dead - but I thought they were all pretty amazing.

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I never understand the point of threads like this. They are both terrific films in their own ways. Very different films, too. Why pit one against they other? Can't we like them both?


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Why can't we have a preference, between to good films?

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I love "Seventh Victim". It really touched me.
"Zombie" is very good too but I prefer "Seventh".
Love the mysterious atmosphere of the films.

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I prefer Zombie slightly over Victim but it's close. At the beginning of Victim one of the minor characters says "It takes courage to really live in the world." I love that, it sticks with you. Val Lewton was brilliant, no doubt about it. The guiding force behind all these great films.

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Just saw 'em both on a double bill. I Walked With a Zombie is amazing, even by today's standards--gorgeous, suspenseful, and full of great characters and dialogue. The Seventh Victim, by comparison, comes off as dated and silly. I still prefer it to much of today's horror, don't get me wrong, but it's just not up to the same caliber.

----
Finally I can stop suffering and write that symphony!

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Love them both, but I personally prefer the Seventh Victim. For me, it just has this overwhelming atmosphere of dread -- and that bleak ending. Wow.

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[deleted]

apples obviously. cleaner, taste better, make better juice... Shall I go on?

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I don't know about that. I prefer oranges myself, but Apples are good too.

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Both are good....but I liked I Walked With a Zombie better.

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I like Seventh Victim on account of the mood. The coven of "Crowley Cultists" reminded me of Rosemary's Baby. But there is a certain credibility to the plot. A mentally unbalanced young woman COULD get entangled in a cult. There is nothing inherently supernatural in the story.

Howsoever, ALL of Val Lewton's movies are gems! Well, maybe not the last two or three that he made but...

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[deleted]

I prefer ZOMBIE. I think THE SEVENTH VICTIM is too muddled.

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(slight) Spoiler

Both of these films as most readers of this thread would know are unusually good examples of what a Hollywood "B" movie from the 40s could be; this is mostly due to producer Val Lewton and Director Jacques Tourneur, both of whom have left evidence of extraordinary talent in the wake of their careers. My gut instinct reaction to the comparison is that 'Zombie' is a more entertaining film; however The 7th Victim (which I believe was not directed by Tourneur) has perhaps more realistically dark undertones and moments in its screenplay.

I was bemused upon my first viewing of ‘The Seventh Victim' to observe that Kim Hunter, who plays the female lead in the film looks exactly (I mean to a 'T') like a niece of mine. Ms. Hunter did not look the same way in other films I've seen her in but here she might as well be Christine, my niece whom I'm not particularly fond of - whenever I see this film I feel like I am watching Christine’s "nice" alter-ego; It’s most distracting and too funny to ‘see´ Hunter as my somewhat disagreeable niece acting with subdued logic, and most amazingly "manners" – if you knew Christine you’d understand and I mention it because the resemblance is uncanny – even some of the facial expressions are precise, but the thoughts and actions are polar opposites (Christine wouldn’t notice if her older sister went missing, let alone attempt to trace her.) I wonder how many people have had similar experiences – for me, it is a first.
The only thing I found hard to believe about the film is minor but I did take note of it: The idea that Jean Brooks was to appear as extremely beautiful; an intensely striking woman that no one would forget once having seen her. I heartily disagree mostly due to an unfortunate choice of a long black wig with straight bangs that makes her look like Bette Davis as Rosa Moline in Beyond the Forest (Warner Bros., 1949) and by that year Ms. Davis was well on her way to suitability for roles like Baby Jane Hudson. Ms. Brooks appeared far more eye-catching and composed in The Leopard Man!

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I Walked with a Zombie, for sure. I like The Seventh Victim, especially the very bleak atmosphere, but it felt like it had some gaps or lapses in logic or something (Gregory randomly falling in love with Mary and everyone somehow being able to tell even though he gave no sign of it), whereas I Walked with a Zombie was pretty solid all the way through. And it was a Jacques Tourneur, so the cinematography is stunning.

All in all, while The Seventh Victim is good, I Walked with a Zombie is a better and more haunting film (in fact, my favorite zombie film of all time.)

But Cat People is still my favorite Val Lewton.

Peter, is your social worker in that horse?

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I love them all. Curse of the Cat People is my very favorite though.

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