Tom Conway double feature

One of the best things about living in the big city is that you can watch old movies in an actual theater, like the Gene Siskel Film Center. Since last night was Friday the 13th, they screened two low-budget horror classics, I Walked with a Zombie and The Seventh Victim. Both movies were produced by Val Lewton for RKO in 1943, and feature Tom Conway in progressively campy roles.

The Jacques Tourneur cult classic I Walked with a Zombie is about a level-headed nurse who goes to Antigua to care for a beautiful woman with a mysterious illness. It turns out everyone in Antigua looks faaabulous.


1. Paul and Betsy in their traveling suits; 2. Alma's islander wear and Betsy's efficient nurse's uniform with capacious pockets; 3. Paul, Betsy and Mrs. Rand tell Wesley that It's Time to Go Home (omg her handbag!!!); 4. Paul and Wes in their safari shirts. Stills via eBay.

The Seventh Victim is about a girl (Kim Hunter) searching for her missing sister (Jean Brooks), who has supposedly disappeared, although other characters seem to see her quite regularly. The movie is shot in super-noir-vision:

It turns out that Satanists also look faaabulous.