King of the Zombies

It is easy, too simple in fact, to dismiss this movie and the characterizations of men like Mantan Moreland and Stepin Fetchit as "racist". The later generation usually thinks of itself as more enlightened than the former. All the while Hip Hop videos and movies like "Fridays", "BAPS" and whatever Spike Lee is currently is at work on are hailed as masterpieces, all the while, doing the same sort of parody of current black culture that Moreland and Fetchit were doing with their generation. Do not forget that Mantan Moreland and Stepin Fetchit did a LOT of work doing these same routines and characters for black directors and black audiences and were hailed as comic geniuses within their own communities. Along with the current Politically Correct culture seems to be a lot of revisionist history and myopia.

That said, we see this movie for what it is, a brilliant comedy horror movie on a par with any of the "Abbott & Costello meet..." films. Mantan Moreland is excellent and steals every scene he is in, the other actors don't even have a ghost of a chance, as it were. The only person who comes close to matching him is the pretty Marguerite Whiddon as Samantha, the pretty, wisecracking kitchen helper.

Dr Sangre (Sangre..Spanish for Blood, get it?) is up to no good on his island in the middle of the Caribbean and it is up to the men of a crashed plane to figure it all out, IF they can survive what seems to be an island over-run with zombies! If you are looking for a 1960s or 1970s style juvenile gore-fest, look elsewhere, but if you are looking for some classic wartime horror-comedy, get some popcorn, turn off your PC brainwashing and enjoy!

Mantan Moreland really shines in this movie. He was a great character actor, and he had a LOT of screen time in King Of The Zombies. He wasn't a supporting character in King Of The Zombies; his part was equal among the main players and his name shared equal billing in the opening credits.

Forget what others say about racial stereotyping and enjoy his performance. The man worked with what he was given and took it to as much of a polished performance as possible. Blame Hollywood, not the actor, if you don't like his performance. His takes and reactions were superb. Smiley Burnette and Lou Costello did the same thing in "scary" situations, but Mantan Moreland had a flair for the comedy take that set him apart. He really was great on screen.

King Of The Zombies itself is not the best for a mystery/adventure movie from the time period, but it has the right feel for the time period if you like old movies. All the right elements are there for a fun movie. Why it doesn't really work better is a mystery. Don't expect too much and you will have a good time watching this one.

This film (along with "Dr. X" & "Night Monster") rank as my all-time fave Top Three! (I own over 1k films)!

Why? That "Master of Scared-Reaction Comedy", Mantan Moreland takes an (other-wise) dull film & adds a lot of "zip" into it! I think this was his finest role! He does MUCH to improve a cast who's acting (especially the two "heros") is as "wooden" as the zombies themselves!

My favorite line is when the "hero" & Mantan are walking through a dark secret passage, holding a torch. Voodoo drums begin to sound. "What's that?", says the Hero. "I dunno", answers Mantan, "...but it ain't GENE KRUPA!". A scream!

This film WILL offend the "Politically Correct" as "degrading Negro stereotypes", but these people have to realise that Morelan was a Comic GENIUS who also played these "scared reaction" comedy roles for BLACK directors, and the Black Movie-Going Community of the 30's and 40's.

You MUST SEE this film, if only for Mantan's marvellous comedy!

This movie is a gem. Even though some politically correct idiots criticize some of the 'stereotypical' black behavior, ignore them. This movie is funny and anything funny is good.

Mantan Moreland is the main reason to see this movie. He steals every scene and turns a slow, and ultra low budget horror movie into a laugh riot.

This movies has everything; laughs, zombies, hypnotism, a voodoo priestess and a German Spy. Plus, Mantan Moreland's one liners are hysterical.

"Being a zombie sure has its disadvantages".

Looking at voodoo priestess: Mantan : Who's Methusalah? I know a museum that would give a fortune just to get her under glass. What's cooking? Samantha : That's brew. Mantan : Brew? Home Brew in this day and age? Why, don't you people know Prohibition has been repealed? Samantha:How's it taste? Mantan : I don't know but it ain't Kosher.

Dr. Sangre : The living dead? Mantan : That's it. That's what they is, dead folks that's too lazy to lie down!

Whether this 1941 movie is politically correct in the 21st century is irrelevant. Plus, it is indicative of it's time. It's stupid for critics to try to censor or dismiss this movie merely because of political correctness. The movie is funny and funny is timeless and divine.

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.