Not really even a zombie movie. And not in the White Zombie vein of 'this was before Night of the Living Dead and we don't recognize these things as zombies...' there's just no zombies here at all. (Nor is there a valley, incidentally.) The closest you get is Ormund Mercks (Ian Keith). He's technically dead, I guess, but walks/talks/generally operates like a normal, living person. He needs blood to survive - I'd guess he drinks it, but it's never explicitly mentioned. So I guess if "zombie" is a catchall for "scary dead guy," then Mercks counts.
Anyways, Mercks is at the hospital looking for blood. It doesn't hurt that the doctor who institutionalized him prior to his death is there also - so he can get a little revenge at the same time he gets his fix. Mercks doesn't *want* to kill the doctor, but it just so happens he's got the blood type he needs. And wouldn't you know it? The hospital blood bank is out of it. So murder it is, courtesy of unseen strangulation.
Anyhow, the cops come across the body and instantly suspect Dr. Evans and his nurse/girlfriend Susan Drake - he's the doctor studying under the murdered Dr. Maynard, and they theorize that Evans could have killed him to steal his clientele. Despite having no evidence, the cops are strangely insistent that the pair is guilty, but let them go free in hopes that they slip up and incriminate themselves. But Evans figures their best bet is to clear their own names, so investigatin' they go. Eventually, they end up at the creepy old Mercks estate for the inevitable showdown with Ormund Mercks.
Valley of the Zombies is a pretty light and breezy film. It's really short (under an hour) and ends up being much more of a comedy than anything. Keith is pretty creepy as Mercks - he's an imposing figure and has got a good look. Great cape and hat too - it's no surprise that he's prominently featured on the promotional art. But the horror aspects of the film are strangely neutered - maybe it's the Code? But you never see any of the attacks, and it's the sort of film where Mercks would just as soon bonk someone on the head as kill them. Not that I was expecting gore or anything, but it's still surprisingly toothless.
Plus, after the initial attack the film pretty much abandons Mercks and focuses on Evans and Drake as they first are harassed by the cops and then try to clear their names. The couple does some of the back and forth good-hearted bickering that was typical of the time - it's a bit old-fashioned, but it works okay. And despite the cops being pretty huge dicks about the whole thing, the two of them are pretty blase about the situation - sassing back and joking with them and whatnot. I would have expected people would have been a bit more respectful to the police in the 40s, but it's not the case here.
Horror-wise? There's not much... like I said, the whole film just kind of sidesteps anything that would be considered tense or scary. One not really scary, but still crazy part was when Mercks goes after another doctor - he kills him (again, unseen), but they announce the guys name on the radio: Lucifer Garland. I never knew that was a thing! And since Valley of the Zombies seems more interested in being a comedy, even the big final showdown lacks any oomph. The stakes never feel that high - you can just tell from the overall tone of the film that nothing bad is going to happen.
There is a very odd chase leading to the climax though. Mercks steals a police car that (conveniently) has a broken radio that transmits all of the time. So while the other cops don't know where he is, they can make a guess based on the sounds they hear. Good thing he keeps driving by places that are readily identified by sound (the train tracks, a bell tower, etc.) I was hoping he'd drive by a chicken coop or a baseball game or something, but no dice. But still - it's one of the least exciting chases I've ever seen. Although I guess you can't be *all* that exciting when your driving scenes consist entirely of either stock footage or rear-projection.
Overall, there's nothing *wrong* with Valley of the Zombies - it's a bit slow and the title hypes you up a bit more that it should. But it's an inoffensive enough mid-40s jam. It's aged to the point where it's not even remotely scary, and it's occasionally funny (as long as you can get into the banter between the two leads). I would say it's a solid October watch if you're looking to check something out with a group of older, non-horror watching people. I'm looking at you, Grandpa!
I would I guess recommend this film.
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