Le roi des zombies

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 Why, don't you people know Prohibition has been repealed?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 movie was as much Whitten's as it was Morelands. She was beautiful. Had she been active during the 90s, with her talent and beauty, she could have ruled Hollywood. Moreland, given his delivery and timing, would give Murphy a run for his money. This movie is a comedy classic. Being dated as it is, and altogether politically incorrect by todays standards, it actually gave Whitten and Moreland a lot of space to show off their talents. It may seem backwards NOW but for that day and time it was really very progressive. The other actors, well ... The Doctor was cool, and I think was trying to play off Lugousi. The rest? Hey, some one has to play "third through the door".And they did OK. If nothing else they made Whitten and Moreland look even better. But they didn't really need that kinda help. ;-)

I agree with what was said of Mantan Moreland, because this really is his show. He was really good at what he did and could have been in many, many better movies. With that aside, this movie is a schlocky laugh riot, combining Moreland's intentional humor with everyone else's unintentional humor to make a horror-comedy classic. One of the greatest laughs is an unintentionally hilarious moment where the "Irish" guy gets into a fight with some less-than-alive assailants. The oh-so-diabolical Henry Victor character blames the attack on over-zealous guards, but the "Irish" guy aggressively comes back with, "Are ya sure it wasn't a zombie?!" I also love it when Victor is given lines like, "That's nonsense, zombies don't eat... meat." Aside from Victor, Moreland seems to be the only real actor out of all of them. Some of the intentional humor is hit-or-miss ("Look out, admiral, here we come"), but Moreland carries nearly every joke with comic flair. I don't consider "King of the Zombies" a total classic by any means (as schlock or otherwise), but it is fun and more than worth the four bucks I spent to buy it.

When a plane crashes on a remote South American island during a bad storm, the planes three occupants find themselves in a doctor's mansion where strange things appear to be going on. The pilot, a government guy and his manservant must get to the bottom of the zombies appearance on the island and the doctors' sinister plan involving them.

Jean (The Devil Bat) Yarbrough's direction is quick and sure in the funny, underappreciated gem from the early 1940's. The film moves along after a very snappy pace and never drags. Not high on production value, loved the cheesy model of the plane crash in the beginning, King has a very high energy level thanks to the hilarious antics of the always entertaining Mantan (Spider Baby) Moreland. Easily the highlight of the film Moreland's bug-eyed often off-color schtick made this rather routine film is loads of fun. Good fun for anyone who likes a classic voodoo zombie kind of film with an outstanding comedy performance.