Jean Yarbrough (1901–1975)

During World War Two, a trio of American's crash land their small plane on an unknown Caribbean island. They find refuge in the creepy mansion of Dr Sangre (Henry Victor) and are soon stumbling across voodoo rituals, personality transfer and intelligence gathering for the Nazis. "King of the Zombies" is a slight film directed with a plodding obviousness by Jean Yarbrough. The zombies are relegated to lumbering props with little horror and mystery attached to them here. There is plenty of show more racial stereotyping to cringe at, particularly man-servant Jeff, played with a sly, lippy relish by Mantan Moreland. Jeff conforms to the cowardly black man stereotype that was a cinematic staple of the time, leaving Moreland to run around shrieking and bugged-eyed in fright. There may, however, be more going on in Moreland's performance than first meets the eye. For a manservant he is incredibly mouthy and rude, talking to the white men very much as an equal. He is also the most astute of the trio of American's - it is he who initially understands the danger they are in and seeks to persuade his two white colleagues to flee. It is their arrogance and inability to take Jeff seriously that places their lives in danger. The character of Jeff is without doubt a racial stereotype but Mantan Moreland breathes a bit more subtlety and nuance into the character than is immediately apparent. show less

Clever dialogue and interesting actors, even in small roles, make this noir story of man who fakes his death to get $50,000 in insurance money (worth about $660,000 in 2022 dollars), his scheming wife, her boyfriend, his son, and an eccentric and also scheming private eye fun from start to finish. As the private detective, the little known Johnstone White provides the most memorable performance. June Vincent, as the scheming wife, has the appropriate mix of allure to go with her cold, cold show more heart. Well done all around. show less

"oldie" cowboy flick-- quality of tape is poor--too many uses

Un uomo ha creato un prodotto capace di rendere invisibili gli oggetti. Una banda di gangster intende rubargli la preziosa formula; la sorella dell'inventore, grazie ad un abile stratagemma, manda in fumo il piano criminoso. (fonte: Mymovies)