After a lost plane crashes on a small island in the Caribbean, it’s crew members: a pilot, his passenger and servant, find themselves at a spooky mansion owned by the ominous Dr. Sangre. While the three stranded travelers get cozy during their stay, the servant Jefferson begins to experience some strange behavior and claims that the island is inhabited by ghosts and zombies, while the other two, Bill and Mac couldn’t be more oblivious to the mansion’s nightly shenanigans.
"He's passed out drunk. Quick, get the Sharpies!"
King of the Zombies follows very similar story lines typical of the classic Voodoo zombie movies like White Zombie, Revolt of the Zombies, and I Walked with a Zombie. The similarities are usual, involving Voodoo black magic, a zombified female, and some sort of controlling master. Though in this case, we have a slight departure in that it’s filled with some great comic relief provided by Mantan Moreland who plays the servant Jefferson.
EVERYBODY CONGA!!!
And while the movie is certainly not politically correct by today’s standards, considering the racial stereotypes portrayed, it is given redemption by Mantan Moreland who is by far the best actor of the cast in my opinion, with all his humorous wisecracks and dialogue. If not for Moreland, the movie would have been a complete snoozer, given that the other two leading characters were your typical high trouser, fast talking, monotone sounding white boys.
The best part about being a zombie king isn't so much the mind control or the girls, but really the sweet head gear.
Also, Dr. Sangre, played by Henry Victor has a pretty stale performance for being the bad guy and just didn’t convey the evilness of a certain other Zombie King, Bela Lugosi. In fact, the role of Dr. Sangre was initially designed for Lugosi in the first place but unfortunately he was unavailable. At least the studio didn’t use archive footage of Lugosi’s hovering eyes like in Revolt of the Zombies.
Kilroy was here
I won’t get into any other details for this classic horror film since it would just feel repetitive for those who’ve watched other pre-Romero zombie movies of the 30s and 40s. Not that the movie sucks or anything, it is worth watching if you like old school style horror comedy like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein for instance. Again, I have to give mad props to Mr. Mantan Moreland whom really makes this film bearable and funny.
On the 50 Classic Horror Movies rating scale, I’d have to give King of the Zombies a flat “C” since it is better than Revolt of the Zombies with it’s comedic nature, yet still not able to hold a candle to the great White Zombie.
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