SON OF INGAGI (1940) Zack Williams, Laura Bowman & Alfred Grant | Horror, Black Cinema | B&W

Son of Ingagi is a 1940 American black horror monster movie directed by Richard C. Kahn. It was the first science fiction horror film to feature an all-black cast. It was written by Spencer Williams based on his own short story, House of Horror. Although the film's title appears to suggest that it is a sequel to the 1930 movie Ingagi, it is not. (The latter is an exploitation film in the guise of an ethnographic film in which purported African women are given over to gorillas as sex slaves.)

SYNOPSIS
"Son of Ingagi" follows the Lindsay family, who inherit the house of Dr. Helen Jackson, recently returned from Africa with a mysterious missing link monster named N'Gina and African gold. Dr. Jackson is murdered by N'Gina when the creature drinks a potion that sends him into a rage. Meanwhile, a strange old woman visits a newlywed couple with a secret about the bride's father.

After their wedding, Eleanor and Bob Lindsay find themselves entangled in Dr. Jackson's legacy. The doctor's brother, Zeno, suspects her of hiding African gold in her office. During the wedding celebration, an explosion occurs, leaving most guests investigating while Eleanor remains home and encounters Dr. Jackson, who reveals her past connection to Eleanor's father.

As the Lindsay's settle into the manor and discover food mysteriously disappearing, they are drawn into a web of intrigue involving Helen's will, suspicions of murder, and the haunting presence of N'Gina. Detective Nelson investigates the strange occurrences, and Zeno's greed leads to a deadly confrontation with the monster.

In a climactic struggle, Bob manages to trap N'Gina as the house burns, allowing the Lindsay's to escape unharmed with the recovered gold. Detective Nelson emerges from hiding with the gold, while Bob and Eleanor survive the ordeal.

CAST & CREW
Zack Williams (actor) as N'Gina
Laura Bowman as Dr. Jackson
Alfred Grant as Robert Lindsay
Daisy Bufford as Eleanor Lindsay
Arthur Ray as Zeno Jackson
Spencer Williams as Nelson
Earl J. Morris as Bradshaw
Jesse Graves as Chief of Detectives
The Toppers as themselves

Directed by: Richard C. Kahn
Written by: Spencer Williams
Produced by: Richard C. Kahn
Cinematography: Roland Price, Spencer Williams, Herman Schopp, Laura Bowman
Edited by: Dan Milner
Release Date: February 17, 1940
Running Time: 70 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English

Spencer Williams' screenplay for "Son of Ingagi" was adapted from his own story titled "House of Horror." Impressed by Williams' work, Alfred N. Sack of Sack Amusement Enterprises offered him the opportunity to write and direct a feature film, resulting in Williams' film "The Blood of Jesus" (1941). Meanwhile, "Son of Ingagi" was directed by Richard Kahn, a white American director, during a time when Oscar Micheaux was the only self-financed African American filmmaker.

Cynthia Erb, author of "Tracking King Kong: A Hollywood Icon in World Culture," suggests that the discrepancy between the film's monster and its title may have been for box office reasons, possibly to capitalize on the success of the exploitation film "Ingagi" (1930). Richard Gilliam of Allmovie and Erb note that N'Gina, the monster in "Son of Ingagi," likely drew influence from Boris Karloff's portrayal of Frankenstein, characterized by outbursts of violence and emotional depth, including signs of suffering and mournfulness.