Bob and Eleanor Lindsay (Alfred Grant and Daisy Bufford) are newlyweds. They move into a house across from Dr. Helen Jackson (Laura Bowman). Dr. Jackson was at Bob and Eleanor’s wedding. While talking to Detective Nelson (Spencer Williams) and her lawyer Bradshaw (Earle Morris) she tells Bradshaw that she wants to prepare her will. Bradshaw does as he’s told and brings the will to the doctor.
Later Dr. Jackson visits Eleanor. Eleanor was an orphan that was raised by foster parents. Jackson tells Eleanor that she knew her parents who died in a tornado when Eleanor was ten months old. Doctor Jackson went to Africa shortly after that. She admits that she was in love with Eleanor’s father but she was much older than him and so he married Eleanor’s mother. She gives Eleanor a pendant that belonged to Eleanor’s father.
When Jackson returns home she finds her brother Zeno (Arthur Ray) in her house. He believes she brought back $20,000 worth of gold from Africa and never turned it in to the government. Little does Zeno know that one of the things Jackson brought back from Africa was a missing link monster she calls N’Gina (Zack Williams). Zeno makes a hasty retreat.
In her hidden laboratory Jackson makes a discovery that will benefit all mankind. N’Gina drinks it and goes on a rampage. Doctor Jackson ends up dead. It turns out that Eleanor is Jackson’s beneficiary. Bob is suspected in Jackson's death. He ends up acquitted and they move into Jackson’s house. Unfortunately N’Gina is also still in the house.
“Son of Ingagi” was released in 1940 and was directed by Richard C. Kahn. It is a monster horror film. The movie was written by Spencer Williams and was based on his short story “House of Horror”. There are two things of note about the movie. First, it is the first science fiction horror film to feature an all black cast. Second, it is the first film where the “mad scientist” is a woman. It also is free from the normal stereotypes of the lazy black man and the bug eyed scared black man.
Sadly for “Son of Ingagi” the title of the film makes it sound like it is a sequel to the 1930 film “Ingagi”. It’s not. I’m not sure why the filmmakers chose to adopt the title unless it was the fact that “Ingagi” earned $4 million at the box office.
The film itself is not very good. It’s slow and the acting is hit and miss. It’s more of an Old Dark House film than a straight up horror. The monster is actually decent and Laura Bowman as Doctor Jackson is also enjoyable. There are also some mysteries concerning Dr. Jackson’s relationship with Eleanor that are not totally explained. Nor is the reason that she has an ape-like monster in her basement. Even so, the film is by no means the worst I’ve seen and there are a few moments of humor that were actually funny. It’s also better than some of the Universal and Republic “B” movies that were made around the same time.
Spencer Williams, who plays Detective Nelson, was also wrote the screenplay. Williams was an actor, director, writer and music composer. He was inducted into the Song Writers’ Hall of Fame. He is most famous for portraying Andy in the television series “Amos and Andy”. The television series ran from 1951 to 1952.
“Son of Ingagi’s” status as the first science fiction/horror film with an all black cast is actually tenuous. At least one film, “The Conjure Woman” 1926, predates it. “Conjure Woman” was a silent film written, directed and produced by Oscar Micheaux. It is believed to be a lost film. “Son of Ingagi” is regarded as the earliest surviving all-black horror film.
The film was produced by white film producer Alfred N. Sack. His company, Sack Amusement Enterprises, was one of the few companies that produced what was called race films. These were films geared for black audiences and where the cast was all or mostly black. The film was directed by white director Richard Kahn. Kahn directed several race films. At the time, the only black filmmaker was the self-financed Oscar Micheaux.