Cinemafou A mysterious island, a mysterious doctor living in a mysterious old house with mysterious people. Three men in a plane crash land on this island and the mystery thickens. Dark, forbidding and ominous. And everyone in the cast of this dark tale plays it straight, except for Mantan Moreland.Often classified as a horror film, Mantan Moreland puts on a bravura performance, turning this dark and forbidding tale into pure satire. Yes, he is relegated to the scared of everything role just like Stepin Fetchit. This is 1941, after all. And this a low budget, cheesy production. But his comedic talents are brilliant and make this film worth watching which, if he were not in the film, would be a forgotten throwaway.I tend to like very old films, and this is a real antique. But age alone does not make it good. There was a good deal of trash produced in the old days, just like today. But when you have a gem like this, it is worth preserving and watching repeatedly after a suitable time. And I believe you can download this from the Internet Archive since it appears to have fallen into the public domain. Very funny and great fun. I give it an 8.

Rainey Dawn This is a really good comedy horror concerning zombies! It's worth watching if you enjoy the old fashioned style of comedy films.Racism? I don't think so because if the actors felt that way they would have NEVER accepted the acting roles. Why on earth would the actors deliberately subject themselves to a racist film role? I don't believe they would. The actors decided to play a role in a really funny comedy horror film NOT a role that would subject themselves to racism. I actually felt this movie helped to bring people together from all backgrounds.The movie itself is quite cute. Starting from a plane crash that developed into a mystery-comedy with the "horror" of zombies. I really enjoyed the film! The only problem with the movie is it didn't last long enough! This is a great afternoon flick! This movie would make agreat double feature with a film like "One Body Too Many (1944)" or maybe "Spooks Run Wild (1941)".8.5/10

binapiraeus "King of the Zombies" certainly is one of the most MAGNIFICENT horror spoofs ever made - although, or maybe BECAUSE it was made by 'poor little' Monogram Pictures. Monogram had always had a VERY fine crew of actors, directors and screenwriters to make the very best of whatever means of production they had; and one of their best steady cast members was Mantan Moreland, known today mostly for his role as 'Birmingham' in the Monogram Charlie Chan movies. But here he's not just the second assistant to the great detective and his sons, but kind of a semi-lead - and of course the very core of the comical part of the movie.And just like the Monogram Charlie Chan movies always managed very elegantly to hold the balance between crime mystery and comedy, so does "King of the Zombies" with horror and comedy. There's everything the horror film fan's heart desires: an isolated island, a mysterious mansion with dark vaults, a strange scientist, zombies - and the adequate musical score to send shivers down your spine; and on the other hand, there's Mantan Moreland, better than ever (and getting, of course, a lot more opportunity to show his magnificent comical talent, with his eyes popping with fright and his knees shaking, and at the same time wisecracking and flirting with fate as well as with the kitchen maid...This much-underrated movie surely deserves more attention and a much higher ranking among classic horror comedies; the atmosphere is haunting, but at the same time you find yourself in the middle of a creepy zombie tale, you can't help laughing with the jokes thrown in at the most improbable moments - FIRST-CLASS entertainment from a small but classy production company, and a sublime cast and crew!

artpf 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.There is another review on this site by an uninformed toe-head who says this movie was made for an urban black audience. He knows nothing. The film was originally supposed to star Bela Lugosi and then Peter Lorre, but neither were available. It was made explicitly to reach the same audience as Bob Hope's The Ghost Breakers! Does that sound like an urban black audience. What a jerk.The film is made very well, and even tho it's in the public domain, the prints of it are pristine which makes watching more enjoyable. It made money on release. Enough that a sequel was made. (Revenge of the Zombies.)