After his success in Tod Browning's "Dracula," Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi (1882-1956) refused the role of the monster in "Frankenstein" because he believed all the grunting required of him would be beneath his dignity as an actor. Ironically, however, Lugosi tended to accept any script offered to him in which there was plenty of dialog. The result was a string of low-grade Z pictures that were basically parodies of his great success as Count Dracula. "White Zombie," however, WAS an exception.

White Zombie is often described as being the first ever zombie movie. It is about a young couple who go to visit an acquaintance who lives in Haiti. Unfortunately the the girl is so attractive that she turns the head of a local Voodoo master, played by Bela Lugosi, who wants her for himself, so he turns her into a zombie. You can learn more about White Zombie at A Passion for Horror.