Jean YarbroughKing of the Zombies (1941)

A plane flying to the Bahamas gets blown off course and crashes on the island of the mysterious Dr. Sangare. Jefferson Jackson (Mantan Moreland) tries to warn his fellow survivors that the island's haunted but they all soon learn there's more going on than they initially supposed...
Find out more about this movie on its IMDB page.

There are versions of the movie in XviD (DivX), Theora (Ogg Vorbis), PSP (450 MB MPEG4) and iPod (451 MB MPEG4). Please leave a review if you download one of those versions letting me know how they did or didn't work for you.

This item is part of the collection: Sci-Fi / Horror

Director: Jean Yarbrough
Producer: Lindsley Parsons
Production Company: Monogram Pictures
Audio/Visual: sound, b&w
Language: english
Keywords: zombies; voodoo; Mantan Moreland; horror

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Downloaded 10,625 times Average Rating:

Reviewer: dracula lugosi - - July 7, 2008
Subject: psp version works and looks fine

good funny movies yet bad

Reviewer: RevRoach - - June 29, 2008
Subject: B-Trash

This is a bad movie.
I have downloaded 4 diff copys and own 2 dvds.
I was suckered into loving this B-Trash.
This has got to be one of the funnist films I've seen on the archives.
If you watched "Borat" and said, "Oh, No! He didn't just say that!" then you will understand my love of this film.
This film is/isn't like alot of films of its time. When it comes to race, it is downright rude, but most of those lines are said BY the black guy. And HE is funny as all hell.
Not a great film if your looking for art, but if you just want some light entertainment download this NOW!

Reviewer: beale - - June 29, 2008
Subject: Ogg Vorbis rocks

I downloaded the Ogg version and the MPEG1 for comparison. I couldn't tell a difference and the Ogg version takes lots less disk space. As to the movie, Mantan Moreland makes this film. His role is stereotypical for the day. It's interesting to observe films like this that reflect the attitudes and trends of the times. The story line is predictable, but there is much more to make it worth watching.

Reviewer: Shadows_Girl - - January 10, 2008
Subject: Before You Write a Review...

Try watching the movie. Bela Lugosi is not in this film (that's Henry Victor as Dr. Miklos Sangre) and that's only part of what the previous reviewer got wrong. The other thing is that the movie is a comedy-thriller (not a horror movie) with Mantan Moreland (the King of the Double-Take) doing what he did best---make people laugh. It's not a GREAT movie...but it doesn't suck, either. I'll give it three stars.

Reviewer: junya - - November 11, 2007
Subject: Downloading? Read this first!

Based on the unanimous favorable reviews, I downloaded this movie. But the only reason I sat through the entire movie was just to write this warning, to save others from my dreadful fate. If you must see this (homework assignment or something), at least you shouldn't feel as bamboozled as I did.

I'm not going to waste my time trying to come up with clever ways to describe how bad this movie is. Straight to the point: it sucks, it's lame, it's not even camp (except when the hero - "Mr. Bill" - emerges from a plane crash with his suit, tie, and breast-pocket hankie spotlessly intact).

Still want to watch this movie? Then watch the thumbnails - the movie is just as stagnant. It's misleading to call this a "movie": it refuses to budge. It's not just about zombies - it IS a zombie: empty, lifeless, soulless. Dig the first scene and you've seen the entire movie, which just loops the same crap like a nightmare: stiff acting, mindless dialog, bug-eyed darkie in the background. If that's all it takes to entertain you, this crud's for you.

Age of the movie is no excuse - the Marx Brothers classics were all made in 1929-1937. The year of "King of the Zombies" (1941) also produced "Citizen Kane", "The Maltese Falcon", Olsen and Johnson's Hellzapoppin' (with Hollywood's best jitterbug dance scene), and the year's top money-maker: Abbott and Costello's "Buck Privates". In fact, the movie feels like a pale precursor to "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein". Yarbrough, the director, went on to later direct a few Abbott and Costello flicks - the ones that flopped. "King of the Zombies" was as trashy in 1941 as it is today.

Do yourself a favor. If you're looking for a zombie B-movie that reveals the dark side of whiteness, check out the 1932 "White Zombie". It's got imagery, atmosphere, and profound lines like:

"Surely you don't think she's alive, in the hands of natives. Oh no! Better dead than that."

Best of all, it's got the world's most beloved junkie, Bela Lugosi, and His Highness is nearly as mack daddy pimp cool as in the original "Dracula".

OK - you've been warned.

Reviewer: constantgardner - - September 9, 2007
Subject: Must See - exceptional script for 1930's horror genre movie

I remember seeing bits and pieces of this movie in the 70's when I was a little girl on our television in NC. Now, living in FL around many from the Haitian culture, I often wondered what the name of that movie with the zombies was so I could see it again. I got it on a compilation of other movies and if you haven't seen it you should. Regardless of any interest in horror, it's not scary, but it is interesting, entertaining and funny. I can't believe it is from the 30's. The actors do a good job and you will be glad you watched it.

Reviewer: moxey - - January 12, 2007
Subject: Funny

Great little horror/comedy.Mantan Moreland is excellent.

Reviewer: smile728 - - January 11, 2007
Subject: King of the Zombies: "Horror movie" with humor

This movie really tickled my funny bone. It wasn't at all what I expected, and shortly into the film I found myself laughing out loud at some of the hilarious antics. It has its serious "what's gonna happen to them?" side, but I found myself really engrossed in this movie. I didn't know what the lines were going to be next: funny or frightening. A real treat. I watched the 256k mp4 on my Palm E2, and it looked and sounded great.

I look forward to DL'ing the mpeg2 and making a DVD to watch on our television.

Reviewer: jimelena - - December 13, 2006
Subject: Zombie King

You may be surprised, as I was, to find the zombies have a king.
Probably an honorary title, more of a figure head than an actual ruler.
Go ahead and watch it just for fun.

Reviewer: billbarstad - - December 5, 2006
Subject: good fine

An delightfully entertaining spooky and funny B-grade horror movie. Well, until the ending.

A plane crash lands on an Caribbean island where evil emanates from a mansion ridden with hidden passages. The planes' occupants take refuge there and barely escape with their lives from the clutches of the sinister owner. Voodoo, zombies and Nazis! Mantan Moreland, comedy sidekick in several Charlie Chan mysteries, has a larger role here and is in great form.

I downloaded the mpeg1 file. Very good video and audio.