King of the Zombies (1941)

On a spooky island, three stranded travelers find an evil doctor working with foreign spies and in control of zombies.

Director:

Jean Yarbrough

Writer:

Edmond Kelso (story)

Stars:

Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, Mantan Moreland

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dick Purcell	...	James 'Mac' McCarthy
Joan Woodbury	...	Barbara Winslow
Mantan Moreland	...	Jefferson 'Jeff' Jackson
Henry Victor	...	Dr. Miklos Sangre
John Archer	...	Bill Summers
Patricia Stacey	...	Alyce Sangre
Guy Usher	...	Admiral Arthur Wainwright
Marguerite Whitten	...	Samantha, the Maid
Leigh Whipper	...	Momba, the Butler
Madame Sul-Te-Wan	...	Tahama, the Cook and High Priestess
James Davis	...	Lazarus, a Zombie (as Jimmy Davis)
Laurence Criner	...	Dr. Couillie (as Lawrence Criner)

Storyline

During World War 2, a small plane off the south coast of America is low on fuel and blown off course by a storm. Guided by a faint radio signal, they crashland on an island. The passenger, his manservant and the pilot take refuge in a mansion owned by a doctor. The easily-spooked manservant soon becomes convinced the mansion is haunted by zombies and ghosts. Exploring, the 3 find a voodoo ritual in the cellar, where the doctor is trying to acquire war intelligence by transferring personalities into his zombies. But the interruption causes the zombies to turn on their creator.

---

Plot Keywords:

mansion | island | admiral | doctor | pilot | 

---

Taglines:

ARE YOU A ZOMBIE? If you can sit through this spine-tingling carnival of shrieks and howls without getting the thrill of a lifetime...you must belong to the living dead!

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Herr der Zombies - Insel der lebenden Toten

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of Dr. Victor Sangre was designed for Bela Lugosi. When he became unavailable, furious negotiations ensued to obtain Peter Lorre for the part, but a deal could not be reached. Veteran character actor Henry Victor was signed just prior to the date of filming.

---

Goofs

As the plane crash lands on the island, the wire holding it in the air can be seen.

---

Quotes

Bill Summers: It's the same drums we heard the other night. Voodoo drums! Come on, we've got to find him!
Jefferson 'Jeff' Jackson: Oh Mr. Billy, we found enough for one day!

---

Connections

Featured in Horrible Horror (1986)

User Reviews

Mantan Moreland is a hoot

This little gem of a movie is actually better than it should be considering it is a Monogram picture with a low budget and unfortunate racial stereotypes which were typical for the early 1940's.

Mantan Moreland is the star of this picture. He was a great comedic actor who was stereotyped into playing the dimwitted servant in most of his movies, but he really shines in this picture. I laughed out loud when he tells his boss that he had been "zombiefied". Every scene he is in he steals. This picture was billed as a horror movie, but it is actually a comedy. There is nothing remotely scary about the plot, which involves a German doctor who has taken over an island and is turning the natives into zombies while trying to get classified secrets from a captured American admiral through the use of hypnosis. I really enjoyed this movie despite the cheap sets, silly plot and racial stereotypes. If you want a good laugh on a Saturday afternoon, then pop some popcorn and sit back and enjoy Mantan Moreland. He more than makes up for this movie's deficiencies.