Directing

Victor Halperin

Born August 24, 1895 · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Died May 17, 1983 · aged 87

Victor Halperin was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter active during the early to mid-20th century. He is best known for directing White Zombie (1932), considered the first feature-length zombie film. Halperin's work often delved into horror and supernatural themes, contributing to the genre's development during its formative years.

Known For

Party GirlParty Girl · 1930
Party Girl
3.81930
MovieDrama
Jay Rountree, a young, rising businessman and a son of a wealthy manufacturer gets caught up in a web involving an escort service or 'party girls' and trapped into an unhappy marriage.
White ZombieWhite Zombie · 1932
White Zombie
6.01932
MovieHorror
A wealthy landowner living in Haiti convinces a sorcerer to lure the woman he has fallen for away from her fiancé. The madman later betrays their agreement by keeping the woman for himself…as a zombie.
Buried AliveBuried Alive · 1939
Buried Alive
5.11939
MovieCrimeDrama
A prison trustee rescues a despondent executioner from a bar-room brawl, and is blamed for the fight by a tabloid reporter who actually started it, and loses parole, becomes embittered, and gets blamed for murder of guard.
Bachelor BaitBachelor Bait · 1934
Bachelor Bait
6.51934
MovieRomanceComedy
After being fired from his job at the Marriage License Bureau, a clerk turns to matchmaking.
When a Girl LovesWhen a Girl Loves · 1924
When a Girl Loves
10.01924
MovieRomanceDrama
The revolution causes Sasha Boroff's wealthy family to lose its fortune; and her lover, Count Michael, is sentenced to death by Rogojin, the Boroffs' former coachman. Rogojin's sudden death saves Sasha from marriage to the despot, and the Boroffs escape to the United States, where Sasha marries Dr. Godfrey Luke to please her family. Later Sasha discovers that Michael survived, fled to the United States, and married Helen, an American. When Helen has a love affair with Dr. Luke, Michael challenges him to a duel. Sasha is wounded in the exchange of gunfire, the shock prostrates Michael, and Grishka cures him with a radio-vibration device. At the end, Sasha and Michael are still happily married to their respective American spouses.
Revolt of the ZombiesRevolt of the Zombies · 1936
Revolt of the Zombies
3.41936
MovieHorror
The story is set in Cambodia in the years following WWI. An evil count has come into possession of the secret methods by which men can be transformed into walking zombies and uses these unholy powers to create a race of slave laborers. An expedition is sent to the ruins of Angkor Wat, in hopes of ending the count's activities once and for all. Unfortunately, one of the members of the expedition has his own agenda.
Tea- With a Kick!Tea- With a Kick! · 1923
Tea- With a Kick!
10.01923
MovieComedy
The tale of Bonnie Day, a rambunctious young lady who is rankled when she is expelled from college for serving tea in her room. She goes on to open up a tearoom in a fancy hotel, saving all the profits to pay the legal fees for her father who has been unjustly jailed. Mr. Day's rival has embroiled him in a crooked stock deal and made him appear to be the guilty party. Meanwhile, Bonnie is in the midst of a romantic dilemma; her Aunt Pearl wants her to wed Napoleon Dobbings, but Bonnie much prefers helpful young lawyer Art Binger.
Torture ShipTorture Ship · 1939
Torture Ship
3.81939
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
A mad scientist uses captured criminals as experiments for his study on "the criminal mind" aboard his private ship.

Filmography

Sort
When a Girl LovesWhen a Girl Loves · 1924
When a Girl Loves
10.01924
MovieRomanceDrama
The revolution causes Sasha Boroff's wealthy family to lose its fortune; and her lover, Count Michael, is sentenced to death by Rogojin, the Boroffs' former coachman. Rogojin's sudden death saves Sasha from marriage to the despot, and the Boroffs escape to the United States, where Sasha marries Dr. Godfrey Luke to please her family. Later Sasha discovers that Michael survived, fled to the United States, and married Helen, an American. When Helen has a love affair with Dr. Luke, Michael challenges him to a duel. Sasha is wounded in the exchange of gunfire, the shock prostrates Michael, and Grishka cures him with a radio-vibration device. At the end, Sasha and Michael are still happily married to their respective American spouses.

Director