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King of the Zombies (1941)

Horror | 67 minutes
2,48 28 votes

Genre: Horror / Comedy

Duration: 67 minuten

Country: United States

Directed by: Jean Yarbrough

Stars: Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury and Mantan Moreland

IMDb score: 5,2 (2.765)

Releasedate: 14 May 1941

King of the Zombies plot

"HUMAN SACRIFICES! SAVAGE TORTURE! VOODOO RITES!"

During World War II, a small reconnaissance plane is blown off course by a major storm. The crew must make an emergency landing on an island where a mad professor is conducting strange experiments. After their first night on the island, they are already convinced that the professor is doing something strange with ghosts and the living dead.

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Full Cast & Crew

Actors and actresses

James 'Mac' McCarthy

Barbara Winslow

Jefferson 'Jeff' Jackson

Dr. Miklos Sangre

Bill Summers

Alyce Sangre

Admiral Wainwright

Reviews & comments


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avatar van Zinema

Zinema (crew films)

  • 10270 messages
  • 7275 votes

Painful role divisions.

Mantan Moreland is one of those famous comic African-American actors from bygone times. Despite the painful role divisions (literally and figuratively) between black and white, he is one of the raisins in the otherwise tasteless porridge. It hardly becomes scary, because despite the serious character, the film feels rather unintentionally farcical and sometimes amateurish. The jokes often miss their mark these days, but the charm remains. So, it is rather stale. Yet the ravages of time have not destroyed everything in this more than seventy-year-old film.

Reasonable.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van Collins

Collins

  • 7282 messages
  • 4306 votes

The film is set during World War II, and two white men and their Black servant, Jeff, survive a crash-landing plane. On the Caribbean island where they land, they encounter the mysterious Dr. Victor Sangre, who engages in strange practices.

King of the Zombies is labeled a horror comedy. That's a bit of an exaggeration. The comic relief isn't in the story, nor is it in the characters. Except for one character, that is. The fearful Jeff plays the role of the funny, rambling coward. The funny fool who keeps having terrifying experiences but isn't believed. "If there's one thing I wouldn't want to be twice, zombies is both of them." I did manage to chuckle at times.

So, the comedy factor is certainly present. The horror factor is a different story. The titular zombies are indeed present, but they don't create any terror or menace. All they do is walk around with stiff movements and a fixed gaze. They pose no danger whatsoever. It's all a bit unsettling. Even the attempts to inject some suspense are futile. The only one who evokes a slightly sinister feeling is Dr. Sangre. With the emphasis on "a little."

King of the Zombies isn't boring to watch. The film doesn't achieve much more than that. It's enjoyable as a historical curiosity. Otherwise, it's not interesting.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original