BLACK ZOO (1963) marks another pairing for B-movie producer Herman Cohen and star Michael Gough, following on from their HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM and KONGA. This time around the story is set in America, where Gough plays a zookeeper who specialises in all manner of big cats. His philosophy is to show his creatures the utmost kindness and care, but he doesn't treat people in quite the same way...
Although the film begins with an arresting murder, this turns out to be quite the plodder. The nature of the production means that the kills are typically kept off screen and are few and far between as it is. Gough delivers a delightful barnstorming performance as usual - truly an underrated presence in the genre - but the rest is pretty talky with only the occasional element of depth or interest.
