Leopard Men of Africa(1940)

Dr. Paul Hoefler, a prominent explorer, organizes an exhibition to track down a secret cannibalistic society in Africa known as the "Leopard Men." The members of this society wrap themselves in leopard skins and conceal their hands in gloves fitted with steel knives shaped like the claws of a leopard, which they use to tear out the throats of their victims. As an initiation rite, the mark of the beast is burned into the body of the initiate, and if he cries out, he is put to death. When this group of assassins comes to the attention of the British government, Hoefler organizes an expedition to photograph the rites of the Leopard Men in hopes of bringing them to trial. After boarding the Kenya and Uganda Railroad, Hoefler enters the interior of Africa. In Nairobi, he meets his faithful servant Ali, who accompanies Hoefler as he treks into Central Africa, the source of the Nile. At the Nile, they board a river steamer headed for the Congo, where a native chief tells Hoefler that the Leopard Men reside in Abyssinia in North Africa. As the expedition nears Abyssinia, a swarm of locusts descends upon the fields and jungle, destroying all vegetation. At a point above the Nile, the expedition finds the skins and claws of the Leopard Men. Hoefler then splits his forces, sending Ali to scout the area while he follows the tracks. In the depths of the jungle, Ali finds a village inhabited by King Kanuba and his tribe of Leopard Men. There Ali witnesses the tribe whips themselves into a frenzy in preparation for the slaughter of a human victim, the heart and liver of which they will present to the king. Returning to camp, Ali warns Hoefler of the impending murder. Hoefler and his men then infiltrate Kanuba's village, but they are chased away by the savage Leopard Men. Later that night, the Leopard Men proceed with their human sacrifice, leading Hoefler to describe the Africans as "savage."