Born in 1929, Peter Diamond trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before making his mark as an actor in the 1960s. He appears in The Pleasure Girls (1965), where he navigates the complexities of youthful desire and societal expectations. Diamond also takes on roles in The Plague of the Zombies (1966) and The Psychopath (1966), contributing to the eerie atmospheres that define these cult classics. His performances reflect a unique blend of charm and intensity, making him a memorable figure in the realm of exploitation cinema.
The Plague of the Zombies
In a Cornish village in August 1860, the inhabitants of the town are dying from a mysterious plague that seems to be spreading at an accelerated rate. Even the local doctor, Peter Tompson (Brook Williams), cannot combat the disease. Alarmed, Tompson sends for outside help from his friend Sir James Forbes (André Morell). Accompanying Sir James is his daughter Sylvia (Diane Clare). In an attempt to learn more about the disease, Sir James and Dr. Thompson disinter the corpses that were recently buried. To their surprise, the men find all the coffins empty. Conducting further investigations on the mystery lead the doctors to encounter zombies walking near an old, deserted tin mine on the estate of Squire Clive Hamilton (John Carson). Sir James is informed that the squire lived in Haiti for several years and practiced voodoo rituals, as well as black magic. This information leads him to research on the subject of the black arts. Later that evening, Squire Hamilton pays Sylvia a visit. Purposely, Hamilton manages to shatter a wine glass, and Sylvia happens to cut her finger on one of the sharp edges of the glass. Secretly, the Squire conceals a piece of the blood-stained glass into his coat pocket and departs. With a vestige of Sylvia's blood, Hamilton uses his voodoo magic to lure the heroine into venturing in the dark woods. She is led to the abandoned tin mine by an army of walking zombies for a voodoo ceremony that will transform her into one of the walking dead. It's revealed that Hamilton and his group did this in order to create workers to mine the tin and make money off of it. While Tompson follows Sylvia to the mines, Sir James investigates the Squire's house and finds some small figures in coffins the Squire uses for his voodoo. After a struggle with one of the Squire's henchmen the room is accidentally set ablaze, Sir James barely managing to escape after threatening a servant who notices the inferno for information on the mine. He races to the mines to join Tompson, while in the mansion the figures in the coffins catch fire, causing their zombie counterparts to do the same and go crazy. Using the distraction caused by the burning crazed zombies Sir James and the doctor rescue Sylvia and flee from the burning flames as they listen to the anguished screams of Hamilton and his zombies; thus the plague is ended. Sir James Forbes arrives in a remote Cornish village to identify a mysterious plague afflicting the population. Local squire Charles, a disciple of Haitian witchcraft, is using the voodoo magic to resurrect the dead to work in his decrepit and unsafe tin mines that are shunned by the local population. But his magic relies on human sacrifice and he unleashes his army of the undead on the unsuspecting village with horrific consequences.
