Curse of the Voodoo

Starring:Bryant Haliday, Dennis Price, Lisa Daniely, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Mary Kerridge, John Witty, Jean Lodge, Beryl Cunningham, Danny Daniels, Dennis Alaba Peters, Tony Thawnton, Michael Nightingale, Louis Mahoney, Nigel Feyistan, Valli Newby, Andy Meyers, Jimmy Feldgate
Director: Lindsay Shonteff
Studio: Elite Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

No, but really ... DON'T!
"Hey baby, you want to take a walk on the wild side?"

Don't Go Near the Park
Starring: Meeno Peluce , Linnea Quigley , Aldo Ray , Tamara Taylor , and Lawrence D. Foldes
Director: Lawrence D. Foldes
Manufacturer: Dark Sky Films
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000CR76TY
Release Date: 2006-04-25

Description

This notorious sickie centers on two prehistoric cult members who abuse the secret of eternal youth… by cannibalizing children of their own circle! When their lurid exploits are discovered by the tribal Queen, they are damned to an eternity of old age, from which only random acts of gutmunching can bring the fleeting appearance of youth. Flash-forward to early 1980s Los Angeles, where the two lurk a sprawling park, lying in wait for the celestial happenstance under which they commit the ultimate atrocity in their only hope to recapture eternal youth: the sacrifice of a 16-year-old virgin, who happens to be of their own flesh and blood! Starring Aldo Ray (The Naked and the Dead, The Green Berets), Tamara Taylor, Meeno Pulce (Voyagers!, The Amityville Horror), and famed Scream Queen Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead, Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers) in an early performance.

Customer Reviews:

No, but really ... DON'T!.......2006-11-10

A few weeks ago, I read the reviews below, and thought, "Yeah, yeah, you guys just don't appreciate the act of savouring every rotten morsel of a wonderfully bad flick." Now, I look to those reviewers as my new gurus. I must learn to trust these wise Amazon connoisseurs of B-movie good-badness. They were so right! This film was beyond bad, not good-bad, but bad-bad ... no, BOMB-bad, a negative 11 on a scale of 1-10. There were three potentially hilarious things about it (they would have been hilarious had the rest of the flick not filled me with that helpless, numbing anger I feel when I'm on a really bad date). First, there is the fact that the daughter, Bondi (okay, so maybe there are four hilarious things), is never onscreen with the mother who hates her. Would it not make dramatic sense to give them at least one scene of dialogue together? (I suspect that their scenes were shot years apart ... maybe even 12,000 years apart.) Second, Bondi decides that it's cool to accept a ride from three young dudes in a van with painted windows. Um ... ? Third, and you've heard this before if you read the reviews below, that van went up in flames faster than the Hindenberg. The Hindenberg ... I think I'll end on that note.

"Hey baby, you want to take a walk on the wild side?".......2006-05-16

What's that? You've never heard of the psuedo cannibal horror film Don't Go Near the Park (1981) aka Sanctuary for Evil aka Curse of the Living Dead? Well, neither did I, and after watching it last night I now know why...because it stunk something awful...produced, co-written, and directed by Lawrence D. Foldes (Young Warriors, Nightforce), the film features an early appearance by scream queen Linnea Quigley (Savage Streets, Silent Night, Deadly Night, The Return of the Living Dead), along with Aldo Ray (The Green Berets, Psychic Killer, Biohazard). Also appearing is Tamara Taylor (Life Stinks), Meeno Peluce (The Amityville Horror), Chris Riley, Barbara Monker, and Crackers Phinn, who obviously angered a god in a previous life to be saddled with the name "Crackers".

As the film begins we're treated to a bit of text stating that `while the film you are about to see is fiction, it's based on actual occurrences which happened over the centuries'...yeah, whatever...seems some 12,000 years ago some prehistoric witchy woman placed an evil whammy on two cannibals named Gar (Phinn) and Tra (Monker) because of their penchant for eating the entrails of others in their quest for eternal youth. The curse entails them aging ten years for every year, but never actually dying, and thereby having to continually consume the entrails of others to stay young until such a time when the stars are in a certain alignment to which they then can perform some sort of sacrifice, freeing themselves (the amount of stupidity within the first ten minutes of this film is overwhelming). Fast forward 11,984 years and we see Gar, who's now named Mark, dressed like a low rent secret service agent, accosting some kid in a field and eating his guts. Shortly after he begins stalking a blonde (Quigley) he sees on the street and to make a long and pointless story short, the two get married and have a daughter, which they name Bondi (Taylor). Flash forward a number of years to Bondi's sixteenth birthday party...after a falling out between Bondi's parents (seems Mark dotes on his daughter and not on his wife at all), Bondi runs away, and gets picked up by three lecherous skeevs in a boogie van with red shag interior. After a bit of mauling on their part, the van crashes in a fiery blaze due to unseen forces, and all die except Bondi, who stumbles around in the woods eventually holing up in a dilapidated ranch occupied by a couple of runaways and a creepy old baboochka named Patty (who is, in reality, Tra, from the beginning of the movie). Things soon come to a head as Bondi, who's now `of age', is supposed to be a part of the ritual to lift the 12,000-year-old curse...I think...

What a mess...between the Neanderthal flashbacks and zombie dream sequences I think there was a glimmer of a plot somewhere in this movie, but I was hard pressed to find it...I did learn a number things while watching this film, though...

1. If you're the spawn of a 12,000 plus year old evil entity, you're more likely to get a goony, mystical amulet for your sixteen birthday rather than a car.
2. Ford boogie vans from the 1970s explode spectacularly when they crash, indicating perhaps they run on a nitroglycerine based fuel.
3. Never accept a ride from three, skeevy guys in a late model Ford Boogie van with a red shag interior.
4. If you rent a room to someone, it's perfectly acceptable to rummage through their belongings when they're out.
5. Linnea Quigley doesn't seem to mind appearing nekkid in a movie even though said nekkidness has absolutely nothing to do with the actual story.
6. People from 12,000 years ago sported similar hairstyles to those popular in the early 1980s, along with having a remarkable grasp of the English language.
7. Aldo Ray could use the term `psychoactive' within a sentence (that's not to say he knew what it meant).
8. If you're making a cheapie horror film, you can save a lot of money and pad out the running time by showing a lengthy sequence more than once.

Perhaps the worst aspect of this film, besides the aimlessly meandering plot, was the disjointed dialog. Whoever wrote the script obviously had some experience with the English language, but certainly not enough to understand how normal people converse with each other, and this isn't helped any by the terribly shoddy acting, inept direction, and an inappropriate, and often annoying, musical score. Characters of seeming relevance appear and disappear, and some are never even properly identified (Quigley is in about a third of the film, but we never learn her character's name). There's a number of `What the hell?' moments throughout the film, but the most memorable was near the end as Gar and Tra, during a heated disagreement, begin shooting laser beams from their eyeballs...up until this point there was little indication they had any real special powers other than eating guts, so this was straight out of left field. Aldo Ray is in the movie for all of ten minutes or so, and the only point to his character, as far as I could tell, was to dump exposition into our laps. You see, he was a writer (I think), and he was researching the strange goings on over the years (apparently the stuff that happened some 12,000 years ago occurred in the area where the ranch is located, the same ranch the runaways now call home). There are about three or four gory sequences, ones that will make the uninitiated squeamish, but probably won't appeal a whole lot to the hardcore gore hound. We do see guts being torn open, but the actual feasting on entrails is more or less alluded to in terms of how it was shot (we usually see someone pretending to chew on something hidden in their hands). The make up isn't that great and the special effects less than special, but it did feel like there was some effort in this area, hampered obviously by a meager budget. There were a couple of funny moments in the film (I'm unsure if they were intentional or not), the funniest being the twist ending, which involved the runaways, after getting kicked out of the ranch, deciding to celebrate their homelessness by heading to a nearby playground. As far as what follows, well, you'll just have to see for yourself...(I'd recommend having a good amount of booze on hand, as it will make the movie go down a whole lot easier)

I have to give Dark Sky Films a lot of credit, as they tend to put a whole lot of effort into their releases whether the film warrants it or not (Don't Go Near the Park falls into the latter category, in my opinion)...the picture quality, presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), looks sharp, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio comes through cleanly. There are a number of extras including a commentary track with writer/producer/director Lawrence D. Foldes and actress Linnea Quigley, extended and deleted scenes, a featurette titled Grue!! Gore Outtakes, a photo gallery, English and Spanish theatrical trailers for the film, a television spot, and English subtitles.

Cookieman108

Average customer rating:

Underrated Hammer chiller
An intriguing near-miss
Based on a novel
Joan Fontaine and the Coven of the Kooky
Excellent Hammer movie without Peter Cushing

The Witches
Starring: Joan Fontaine , Kay Walsh , Alec McCowen , Ann Bell , and Ingrid Boulting
Director: Cyril Frankel
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305808171
Release Date: 2000-07-25

Customer Reviews:

Underrated Hammer chiller.......2006-10-08

I enjoyed this immensely, although it tends to get panned even by Hammer horror fans. Once the daft opening was over, I found it suitably chilling. The trio of central performances - namely Joan Fontaine, Alec McCowen and Kay Walsh - are great, and it really benefits from Richard Rodney Bennett's typically expert score. It prefigures The Wicker Man in its tale of an outsider coming to a village wrapped up in occultic religion, and also has a hint of The Birds, which I'm sure can't be coincidental - Fontaine sports a hairstyle and costume strikingly similar to those of Tippi Hedren in some scenes!

An intriguing near-miss.......2006-04-23

The Witches aka The Devil's Own is an interesting but ultimately unsuccessful attempt by Hammer to make a serious(ish) movie about witchcraft. Nigel Kneale's screenplay displays some of his customary intelligence, but here he seems hindered by working not from an original story but by adapting Norah Loft's novel. A deathly pale Joan Fontaine is the schoolteacher recovering from a nervous breakdown who takes a job in an outwardly idyllic English village only to gradually suspect that there are darker forces at work - although this could just be in her own imagination. Of course, we know that she's clearly bonkers after her horrible offscreen experience at the hands of witchdoctors in Africa (well, a soundstage in Bray) while the credits were running, but we also know that just because she's had one turn of the screw too many doesn't mean there aren't real witches at work...

It's good at the unpleasant undercurrents in ostensibly beautiful small country towns and also looks at the attraction witchcraft has for women of a certain age (it's a power thing, apparently, with magic as a substitute for waning sexual power). Unfortunately, it goes downhill pretty fast once the cat is, quite literally, out of the bag and the last reel orgy plays more like a bad amateur modern dance performance that goes on forever than a terrifying pagan ritual (the silly costume doesn't help, although it's probably the only 60s film to feature faecophiliacs at play if that's your thing).

Based on a novel.......2005-07-21

This movie is based on a novel, which goes by the titles "The Devil's Own", "The Little Wax Doll", and "Catch as Catch Can", depending on your geographical location and book edition.

The author is Norah Lofts, writing under the psuedonym Peter Curtis for "The Devil's Own", a wonderful author of English historical fiction. Her novels are fairly inexpensive and easy to find. Give the book a try!

Joan Fontaine and the Coven of the Kooky.......2004-04-09

In her last appearance on the silver screen, Joan Fontaine, who won an Academy Award for her performance in Suspicion (1941), stars in this Hammer Studios release of The Witches (1967). While the material here is certainly not of the caliber of some of the previous films she's appeared in, it is fun to watch. Maybe I have some lurid fascination of seeing once great stars reduced to appearing in roles they probably would have never considered in their prime.

Joan plays Gwen Mayfield, a teacher who has just been accepted to assume a position as head teacher of a private school in a small English village. The film starts off with Gwen teaching at a mission school in Africa, and, after an incident with a native witch doctor that caused Gwen to have a nervous breakdown, she has now returned to England to put the pieces of her life back together.

After formally meeting with her employers, Alan and Stephanie Bax, played by Alec McCowen and Kay Walsh respectively, the well-to-do resident benefactors of the town who are also brother and sister, Gwen settles into her new surroundings. The situation seems idyllic, a nice, quiet position in a small town where little happens, but, as the saying goes, still waters sometimes run deep. The oddness begins when two of her pre-teen students, a boy and a very weird girl, exhibit closeness to each other, one borne of a budding romance. This causes consternation among some of the townspeople, and soon the boy falls ill of a mysterious coma. Apparently there was more than just a passing concern about what might happen if the relationship between these two continued, specifically in respect to the girl.

Rumors of witchery begin to reach Gwen, and the deeper she probes, the more ominous the proceedings. As the notion of witchery becomes more and more viable, the idea that there may be more than one witch, a coven, operating within the town, involving various members of the small village. Gwen soon finds herself at odds with unseen forces, and suffers a relapse, forcing her to be institutionalized. She has also lost her memory of everything that's transpired after leaving Africa. She does regain her memory, bits at a time, and the horror begins to return as she understands what is about to transpire, and rushes back to the town in an attempt to save the girl from an unknown fate, and ultimately learn that witchery is not limited to third world peoples but is alive and well here in this small, English village.

Joan Fontaine does a great job here, still exhibiting the sheen of a Hollywood star, even if some of that sheen has dulled since her prime. I have to say, even pushing 50 she still looked pretty good, despite the oddish, bowl bouffant she sported through most of the film. Fontaine's older sister, Olivia de Havilland, didn't fare as well, career wise, in my opinion, starring in dubious films like Lady in a Cage (1964), and Irwin Allen 70's disaster pics like Airport '77 (1977) and The Swarm (1978). The creepy factor develops nicely as the film progresses, and as the mystery deepens about who's involved in the coven and what their purpose is, but this is soon replaced by a goofy factor as we see the coven in action, performing a ritual, half-nekkid dance of sorts in a decrepit, abandoned church, eating greasy dirt as their leader spouts incomprehensible mumbo-jumbo while clad in colorful robes and donning a crown with birthday candles adorning the top. I kept waiting for someone to make a wish and blow out the candles, but the others were to busy bumping and grinding to their chanting, and, as I said before, masticating the mud.

Anchor Bay Entertainment releases a great print, in wide screen anamorphic format. Special features include a theatrical trailer, television promotional spots and a World of Hammer episode titled Wicked Women. Also included in the DVD case on the flipside of the card listing the chapter stops is a reproduction of promotional material used for the film. I really find much enjoyment in these little touches, as it seems to indicate thought was actually put into the release, and a sense that one's getting their money's worth, even though this release seems a bit pricey.

Cookieman108

Excellent Hammer movie without Peter Cushing.......2003-08-19

Joan Fontaine is a teacher who was traumatized by a frightening voodoo ritual while in Africa. Years later, she accepts a job at a small private school and then strange things start to occur.

Description

No other religion is as misunderstood, vilified, or viewed with as much hatred and racism. The common impression is that Voodoo is a garbled mix of black magic, witchcraft and zombies! But the truth is that Voodoo is one of the greatest achievements of people of African descent. Travel to Africa to uncover the origins of this vibrant, enigmatic practice. Voodoo roots are in the ancient religions of Yorubaland, Dahomey and Kongo. Infused with a major dose of Roman Catholicism, and tempered by the arduous experiences of the slaves, it is widely practiced in Haiti, Cuba, the West Indies, Brazil, and the U.S. Get an intimate look at its colorful celebrations, deep-rooted beliefs and modern practice at the Le Peristyle Haitian Sanctuary, one of the world centers of Voodoo. And explore the misconceptions and reality of Voodoo with Wade Davis, author of The Serpent and The Rainbow.

Average customer rating:

BARBARA PAYTON CAMP CLASSIC !
Well, Barbara Payton's a hooker...I mean a looker
Yawn Of The Gorilla
Me Gorilla, You Blonde Bombshell
Another good flick by the great Kurt Siodmak!!

Bride of the Gorilla
Starring: Barbara Payton , Lon Chaney Jr. , Raymond Burr , Tom Conway , and Paul Cavanagh
Director: Curt Siodmak
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Trapped

ASIN: B00008AOV3
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Customer Reviews:

BARBARA PAYTON CAMP CLASSIC !.......2007-06-07

I'm not sure what it was, but when I first saw this film on TV in the early 1960's I was prepared to like it. At that time I was hooked on steamy studio jungle sets & lots of stock footage. All the local TV stations were playing Tarzan, Jungle Jim and Bomba movies in some sort of JUNGLE LARRY(?)THEATER type program. It was great & all the kids loved it!
Now BRIDE OF THE GORILLA comes along with much of the same mix but with a more adult/slanted agenda. Yes, the familar stock footage was there, the fear of a gorilla monster, a witch/voodoo woman, Lon Chaney Jr. and a deadly curse made this absolute viewing, but...this B-horror/thriller had something else going for it: BARBARA PAYTON!
Even as a kid I knew she was much much more.., than Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane/ June Cleaver of Tarzan fame)!
BRIDE OF THE GORILLA is probably Payton's most memorible camp classic, and she's very good in it. She draws sympathy in a role that twists and curves from cheating wife to loving, devoted wife. Raymond Burr (pre Godzilla & Perry Mason), Tom Conway & Lon Jr. are also very good as is Siodmak's pacing & direction. He directed Chaney 10 yrs. eariler in THE WOLFMAN!
Alas, poor Barbara...
Her life tumbled downhill...I won't dwell on all the sleaze, you can look it up.
However, this is just one fun chiller/thriller, a few curses, a monster thrown in, some good acting and even a bit part by a young Woody Strode.
As for the whole gorilla thing...
I believe it was all in Barney's head, always have, always will.
The ALPHA dvd is pretty good. Quite clear with good audio. Very watchable. I was happy with it.
So for a good time in the jungle you really can't go wrong here.
Recommended to all lovers of fake jungle sets!

Well, Barbara Payton's a hooker...I mean a looker.......2006-04-19

Yet another film from the Tree Line Sci-Fi package. Being from 1951, it's too early to fit into my cinematic quest to see every weird film made in the twenty years before my birth, but I gave it a shot anyway. Here, your honor, is Perry Mason, transmogrified by a jungle witch into a gorilla as punishment for pushing the plantation owner they work for into the path of a posionous snake of some variety. Now I'll state for the record that the sequences of transformation are not very convincing, but the deceased's wife is stunningly beautiful, so much so that I stayed awake for the entire movie. Sorry to hear she ended up a toothless hooker. I'm going to make it a point to read her book, not for any intellectual purpose, but rather so I can bring it up in conversation to make me seem more cultured in Hollywood kitsch that I truly am. Beats wearing a scarf and a pink beret, holding a Cruella DeVille style cigarette holder and pretending to be a [...] Frenchman doesn't it? Oui Oui

Yawn Of The Gorilla.......2006-03-04

I have seen worse films than "Bride of the Gorilla," but few that seem to drag on longer. Raymond Burr actually does a decent job as Barney Chavez, a plantation manager who decides he wants the wife of the plantation owner for himself. In fact the acting is fairly decent all the way around (especially for this era and genre) but the plot bogs down in a very slow romance subplot for the majority of the middle thirty minutes of the film.

In essence Barney commits murder with a giant poisonous snake, and is subsequently cursed by a witch for his unsavory behavior. The practical upshot of this is that we get to see Raymond Burr transmogrify into a gorilla, though it is mostly seen in reflection shots (mirrors, lakes, etc.) Ultimately everyone gets their just rewards, and after what seems like 66 very long minutes, you can try to forget you wasted an hour of your life on this bore.

Bottom line: it really isn't that bad, it's just boring.

Me Gorilla, You Blonde Bombshell.......2006-01-23

I have been watching old episodes of "Perry Mason" recently, and I had forgotten the Raymond Burr played a heavy frequently in his early film career. In this movie Burr takes the shortcut to winning the affections of Barbara Payton. Unfortunately, Burr ends up paying the price for being an expeditious amore.

Barney Chavez (Burr) is a foreman on the South American plantation of Klaas Van Gelder (Paul Cavanaugh, a veteran star who also appeared in an episode of Perry Mason). Van Gelder has a sumptuous blonde wife, Dina (Payton, playing this role after her career began to disintegrate). Rather than a threesome, this movie has sort of a foursome since Dr. Viet (Tom Conway) also professes to have the hots for Dina. Of course, Dina's husband is quite devoted to her and, being much older than her, he is also quite jealous.

After an argument with Chavez, Mr. Van Gelder decides that Chavez has to go, and fires him. The pair has heated words a short time later. Chavez sees a poisonous snake on the ground nearby and deliberately throws Van Gelder near the snake with predictable results (I doubt there was a real snake that near Cavanaugh, the poor snake would have been petrified).

Unfortunately for Chavez, servant Al-Long (Gisela Werbisek, in her last role) saw the whole sordid snake activity, and she decides to take direct action rather than telling the police after they are summoned. Being a witch, she pulls out the rare, illegal plant and makes a potion of it that she tricks Chavez into drinking.

The police are summoned and Police Commissioner Taro (Lon Chaney, who is no stranger to weird events) appears. You would think that Lon Chaney would recognize a were-person when he sees one, and he does, sort of. As the movie unfolds Taro suspects a weird monster is roaming about killing critters, and he figures it is only a matter of time before the monster kills people.

There are the stereotypical scenes of Chavez as he nears changing into the creature, ending in his full-fledged appearance as (think the title is a clue?) a gorilla! I have to admit to wondering why the scriptwriter chose a gorilla, given they are not native to South America. However, some of the stock footage and the sound affects used to show the jungle appeared to be from off-continent as well, so perhaps the director assumed a bit of artistic license.

There are a few dramatic scenes in the jungle, and for a few brief moments it appears as though Chavez and Mrs. Chavez, because they quickly tied the knot, might actually leave the jungle. Of course, this movie would not have a nice moral ending unless Chavez gets his, so Al-Long keeps up the pressure until Chavez wants to swing from the trees on a regular basis.

This movie has a great cast, and had a lot of potential. As a monster movie, it follows too much in the path of such greats as "The Wolf Man" and others of the genre and brings little new to that genre. I was impressed that the director tried to play the movie more as a psychological thriller, but he was insufficiently focused on Chavez and too focused on Chavez's interactions with Dina to bring real believability to the movie. The result is that the movie never becomes a convincing horror movie or a convincing psychological thriller, and a viewer is left unsatisfied.

I recommend this movie to aficionados of were-creatures, Lon Chaney, Raymond Burr, Woody Strode or Barbara Payton. Everyone else should probably avoid it.

Another good flick by the great Kurt Siodmak!!.......2005-04-16

This was actually a pretty enjoyable B movie. Lon Chaney is a bit out of place here and not given much to do. Raymond Burr gives a great over the top chauvenistic style performance delivering some super quotable lines. It sports a very nice script and great job on direction by Kurt Siodmak. I always felt he was among the best of the B movie directors of the 50's who always paid great attention to the smaller details that add to the realistic telling of absurd stories. Check out his film Magnetic Monster with Richard Carlson if you can find it. I wish they would have given Kurt larger budgets/projects throughout the 50's.

The Alpha DVD is relatively cheap, has great sound and a nice crisp clear transfer. Also includes the original trailer. Recommended for fans of 50's B grade fun.

Average customer rating:

"The hunter has become the hunted."
Good Mystery-Thriller
Excellent. Classic British Horror
Rod Allison
For Those Sleepless Nights

Curse of the Voodoo
Starring: Bryant Haliday , Dennis Price , Lisa Daniely , Ronald Leigh-Hunt , and Mary Kerridge
Director: Lindsay Shonteff
Manufacturer: Elite Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000IC1W
Release Date: 1999-05-04

Customer Reviews:

"The hunter has become the hunted.".......2006-06-30

While thumbing through my ever growing `to be watched' DVD pile last night I came across this English feature titled Curse of the Voodoo (1965) aka Curse of Simba...the strange this is I cannot recall how I came about this film, or what drove me to purchase the DVD...directed by Lindsay Shonteff (Devil Doll, The Million Eyes of Sumuru), the film stars Bryant Haliday, who's main claim to fame seems to be of the handful of movies he's appeared in (less than ten), two of them, Devil Doll (1964) and The Projected Man (1967), have been featured on the show Mystery Science Theater 3000 (perhaps that's what drew my initial interest in this film). Also appearing is Dennis Price (Kind Hearts and Coronets, Twins of Evil, Horror Hospital), Lisa Daniely (The Vicious Circle), Ronald Leigh-Hunt (The Liquidator), and Mary Kerridge (Anna Karenina).

As the movie opens we see some natives dancing about a fire, including a woman in a leopard print bathing suit. This is followed by some stock footage of Africa, along with some voice over laying down a bit of foundation for the story soon to follow. Soon after we see a smartly dressed man take a potshot at some stock footage of a lion. He hits his target, but not very well, forcing big game hunter and guide Mike Stacey (Haliday) to go in after the injured beast (apparently a wounded lion is too dangerous leave running about). Mike tracks the lion into Simbaza territory and takes it out (nice shot Bwana!), but not before the angry critter (he's a big `un all right) takes a swipe at his shoulder. An injured Mike returns with the skin and it's around this time we learn the Simbazi tribesmen actually worship lions, and anyone who kills one on their land shall suffer the penalty of...here it comes...death (actually, Mike was warned of this prior to his going after the critter, but he contemptuously disregarded it as a bunch of hooey). The tribe expresses their displeasure with Mike's actions by putting the whammy on him, but he shrugs it off...anyway Mike, who's got a real problem with the booze (yeah, he can't get enough!), and his wife Janet (Daniely) have been having marital problems, so much so she picked up and headed back to England with their son while Mike was in the bush, and in an effort to get them back, Mike (curse and all) follows. As Mike tries to patch things up with his estranged wife, he begins having visions, while awake and asleep, about loin cloth clad, spear wielding Simbazi tribesmen stalking him through the streets of London...a doctor believes he's got the D.T.'s (delirium tremors), and given the amount of booze Mike consumes on a daily basis it wouldn't be all that far-fetched, but we know differently. Janet, concerned for Mike's welfare (he's gradual wasting away as the curse is attacking his mind, body, and spirit) does some research and learns the only way to lift the curse is for Mike to return to Africa and confront the one responsible for his whammified state.

All in all Curse of the Voodoo is a tepid thriller produced on a minimal budget, one that might entertain if your expectations are kept fairly low. There's nothing outstandingly bad about the film, but then again there's nothing outstandingly good, either. Haliday, who must have had a really bad case of acne when he was younger given his pock marked face, just didn't seem to possess the qualities one would hope for in a lead male character, but then again, the story didn't really present him as character deserving of empathy, seeing as how he was contemptuous, cynical boozehound. There's one part in the movie where he's waiting on his wife in the bar of the hotel he's staying in, and when she doesn't appear (she never promised to come, and I didn't blame her), he ends up latching onto the first available barfly and following her home. Are these the actions of someone who's desperately trying to make amends with his wife? It wouldn't appear to be the case...and as far as the curse, well, he pretty much stepped into that steaming pile all on his own, despite warnings from his colleagues. All together it seemed more of a case of what comes around goes around, as they say...I will say his mother-in-law seemed like an unmerciful pain in the ash, but then again, listening to my married friends, this isn't an uncommon factor. As far as the other performers, they did well enough I suppose, the only one really worth mentioning being veteran actor Dennis Price as one of Mike's colleagues and good friend. He brought a little class to the feature, and I'm unsure why he wasn't cast in the lead as I have no doubt he could have handled it well, probably better than Haliday who came off very two dimensional. I did learn a number of things while watching this feature, including the following;

1. If you've ever hunting lions in Africa, specifically the Simbaza territory, and you bag one, it's probably best not to display the skin prominently within your nearby campsite as it will only further upset the natives, seeing as how they worship the creatures as gods and all.
2. The jungles of Africa share the exact, same foliage as the forests around London.
3. When using stock footage to establish the fact the characters in your movie are in Africa, utilize footage that features as many different jungle animals as possible as to really push the point that the characters are truly in Africa, and not on a damp, foggy English field.
4. Hotel managers disapprove of guests firing pistols into the doors of their rooms enough to call the police, but not so much as to ask the offending individual to leave (I suppose it's best not to antagonize the drunk with the gun anymore than you have to).
5. A drunk and a drunkard are two, completely different things.
6. When making a cheapie jungle flick, it's okay to include a whole lot of pointless scenes of women dancing about, excessively shaking their junk to pad out the running time.
7. African witchdoctors possess some mighty strong mojo.
8. When hunting the African witchdoctor who cursed you so that you may kill him and lift said curse, be sure to bring along more than five rounds of ammunition as they're not likely to provide an easy target (in fact, they're quite wily).
9. If you're making a movie and you're in a bind for financing, you can always turn to corporations for help (like Cinzano, for example), but know they will want something in return in terms of having their products or corporation logos displayed prominently throughout the film.

I did think the direction here pretty solid within the scenes, but I didn't care for the overall flow of the story. A small portion at the beginning involves the set up (the lion, the witchdoctor, and the curse), while the main bulk features the business of Mike in London, boozing himself silly, suffering tortuous visions, and eventually his health failing to the point of him being bedridden. Once Mike returns to Africa to track down the one who cursed him, the film is nearly over and this portion goes by very quickly, hardly worthy of the extensive build up that followed. Given the feature was shot in London I suppose the less time spent trying to pretend English forests were African Jungles the better, but still...I did like the authoritative and commanding musical score featured in the movie, but it wasn't necessarily appropriate for all the scenes.

This Elite Entertainment DVD release features a fullscreen (1.33:1) that looks pretty sharp, although I did notice some `ghosting' effects in some of the scenes. The audio comes through very well, and with no complaints. There aren't any extras included, but there is a scene index featuring six chapter stops.

Cookieman108

Good Mystery-Thriller.......2005-03-13

I got the chance to purchase this movie at a very reasonable price several years ago. I knew little of the film, except that it was an old black and white British thriller from 1964, I had never seen it. This one just didn't show up on the Saturday night "Creature Features" that I loved as a kid growing up in the late 60's and early 70's.
Now I was expecting a short semi-cheesy exploitation Horror film, perhaps similar to "The Woman Eater", a British black and white quickie about a living tree discovered by a mad scientist on an expedition who brings it back home to his labratory where he "feeds" it female victims.
I was way wrong in my expectations, and I wasn't aware at first that this was the same director (Lindsay Shonteff) who brought us the very eerie "Devil Doll" film.
So at first I was very dissapointed that this wasn't really a Horror movie at all. I watched it and then put it back on the shelf for a couple of years.
Something made me pull it down and watch it again. THEN I "got" it. This isn't supposed to be a Horror movie at all, despite the title. The closest thing i can compare this to is perhaps an extended episode of the original "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" or the "Alfred Hitchcock Hour" tv shows.
Now I love those shows. And if someone had prepared me that this film was like that I would have gone into it with proper expectations set. And i'm sure I would have enjoyed it the first time around.
One can watch this wondering if the things that our protagonist thinks he's seeing and hearing are really a result of the curse placed on him in Africa or perhaps the hallicinations of a fevered, sickly mind, since he is also ill after his African travels. At least that's how I percieved at least the middle section of this movie, and I like films that can work on more than one level.
Like I said, if only someone had prepared me for the type of film this was, chances are I would have gone into it with proper expectations and would have dug it the very first time.
If however, you are looking for something more in the Horror genre, from this same time period, this director's "Devil Doll" is much more of a true Horror film (also featuring Bryant Haliday the same main actor featured here). That film has some incredibly eerie moments that, at times, come near to an almost "Carnival Of Souls" vibe. So if this isn't your cup of tea you may still want to check that one out.
I'll give this one a solid 3 1/2 stars, but considering that the early reviewers of this film had different expectations and gave it such low ratings as a result, i'll raise it 4 stars.

Excellent. Classic British Horror.......2001-11-22

This is a very well made film. Beautiful black & white photography, good story, and finely acted. I really don't understand how someone could not like this film, unless they've been raised on the action-filled, special-effects laden schlock that comes out of Hollywood these days. I found nothing objectionable in the depiction of the natives, I found it no different from the depictions of other primitive cultures in films of the era. In short, as good or better than most of the Hammer films.

Rod Allison.......2001-01-20

A British hunter (Bryant Haliday) is on an African safari, when a less skilled hunting mate wounds a lion which then runs into the territory of a tribe that worships lions as a god. The hunter (Haliday) and his local African partner reluctantly chase down and kill the wounded lion.

The tribe puts a curse on him which follows him back to London, causing deteriorating health and hallucinations. He sees tribesmen - some in Western attire, some in loin cloths with spears - lurking around him in London. He can't convince anyone other than his estranged wife that it isn't due to insanity or his excesssive drinking. His African partner is held captive by the tribe and tormented.

Eventually, when his wife learns that the only way to break the curse is to return to Africa and kill the one who put it on him, he goes back to try to break the curse and rescue his partner.

Haliday puts in a strong performance as the anti-hero hunter, and the dark, psychological story has a lot of bite. Some viewers (and reviewers) are obviously put off by what they consider negative depictions of Arficans. Hollywood's current code of political correctness would never allow some of a film's African characters to be shown as superstitious, primitive, or the "bad guys," as this picture does.

To the contrary, I felt the picture reflected its creator's honest and informed assement of Africa, and the disregard for political correctness was not only refreshing, but a display of candor and open mindedness when compared to today's films.

For Those Sleepless Nights.......2000-07-17

If you sit through this b/w British horror film about a stupid voodoo curse all the way to the end, you must be a horror completist. It's absolutely worthless junk without even any camp value. If you can't fall asleep, slip this disc in and you'll be out in no time.

Average customer rating:

Three and a Half
Boring, weak plot, weak acting, the worst film ever I SWEAR
A for effort, but. . .
I'm in a Voodoo state of mind!
A Superb Directing Debut!

London Voodoo
Starring: Doug Cockle , Sara Stewart , Michael Nyqvist , Sven-Bertil Taube , and Trisha Mortimer
Director: Robert Pratten
Manufacturer: Heretic Films
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0002VBIL2
Release Date: 2004-08-14

Description

Special Features:

Making of Documentary
Interview with a Voodoo Priest
Director Commentary
10 Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound

Customer Reviews:

Three and a Half.......2006-07-14

Pratten is one to watch. I found this to be expertly directed. The suspenseful moments really jump out at the viewer, and the imagery and character development were top notch as well.

The acting got better as the film went on. It can't be easy playing a lady who weaves in and out of possession throughout the course of the film, but the lead lady did a fine and convincing job.

The writer seems to have done his research as the film seems to stress minute details that are rarely seen in the mainstream horror flicks.

If only the ending measured up to the rest. For a movie that kept me on edge throughout constantly throwing in new possibilities, the ending seemed corny, cliche, sappy, flat...

I encourage horror fans in the mood for something psychological and occult to check this out. A fine debut product from Pratten!

Boring, weak plot, weak acting, the worst film ever I SWEAR.......2006-03-26

This is the worst Voodoo film I have ever seen or even the worst horror movie of all time.
It starts like that, a man and his wife move to England because the husband has work there. The husband is very busy with his work and doesn't give his wife any attention. Then the wife finds 2 corps in the basement and she decides to kill her free time studying these corps (the husband has no problem with that) and then the usual happens, wife possessed by the soul of a voodoo queen, people trying to tell husband that his wife is possessed, husband doesn't believe, Wife starts to freak husband, husband believes and goes back to the people who wanted to help him then a small exorcism and boom the movie is over.
I don't know how this movie got all these high ratings. If you really want to see this movie rent it don't buy it

A for effort, but. . ........2005-09-08

This movie, writer/director Robert Pratten's first, is an interesting and worthwhile movie that I recommend with reservations. The premise is fairly basic: a yuppie American couple with a young daughter moves to London for the husband's career. Soon, the wife is possessed by an ancient, pissed off spirit, who wants to possess the husband with her lost lover. As far as that goes, there's little you haven't seen before: the workaholic husband who doesn't have time for his family, the pissed-off, lonely wife, the ending reconciliation you know is coming right from the beginning.

But this movie, unlike so many others, is fairly effective. Instead of cheap shocks, it builds and maintains suspense through character development, and doesn't cater to the teenaged MTV moviegoing crowd. The acting here is uneven -- all of the actors run the gamut from cringeworthy acting to some really convincing stuff. Doug Cockle, playing the husband, does his best Kevin Spacey and occasionally comes close to pulling it off. He also boldly shows more skin than his wife. Sara Stewart, his wife, smolders like a pornstar in some scenes, yet at other times is very effective, both as mother and possessed warrior. Vonda Barnes is generally decent as the au pair. Unfortunately, all these characters are pretty unlikeable from the getgo, so it's sometimes hard to develop much sympathy for them.

Still, despite its obviously very limited budget, its clichéd score, and its mostly utilitarian sets, this is an effective horror film, and quite a good debut for the director. It's not great, but there are some kernels of greatness in it. If you like good horror, definitely check it out; if you're in the mood for Hollywood thrills'n'chills, this is probably not what you're looking for.

I'm in a Voodoo state of mind!.......2005-07-02

I was lucky enough to catch the premiere of London Voodoo at the Fearless Tales Genre Fest in San Francisco this winter 2004 and was literally glued to the screen! For the first time since 1987's The Believers, and 1988's Serpent and the Rainbow, comes a stylish, authentic and urban tale of voodoo, possession, exorcism and redemption. London Voodoo is a film, much like Rosemary's Baby, in that it takes its time telling its story in order to reveal it's many hidden surprises.
Manahattanites Lincoln (Doug Cockle) and Sarah (Sarah Stewart) move to London with their baby and take up residency in a poshy reconverted old townhouse - not knowing that their new (but old) home, especially the basement, has a very serious past. Settling into their new lifestyle, Lincoln establishes his executive career with a popular high-end company in midtown. Meanwhile, Sarah and her baby are left alone in an environment that is not only foreign, but also extremely lonely -and director Robert Pratten does wonders with his leading lady by slowly revealing her American neurosis of the classic misplaced 'Yankee' in a new country.
With construction work going on throughout their new home, Sarah soon discovers a dark secret entombed in the basement. And this is where the film really takes off!
London Voodoo offers it all. Mystery and intrigue soon turn to paranoia and mounting terror. I'm not going to reveal any more of the storyline - you have to see this one for yourselves! The supporting cast, especially Trisha Mortimer, Sven-Bertil Taube and the vampy Vonda Barnes only add to the great atmosphere and subplots of the film. It's easy to see why director Robert Pratten won Best Director at the Fearless Tales Genre Fest. His attention to detail - especially his knowledge of the very intricate practices of voodoo, white and black magic and spells, is a lesson in itself.
And also noted is that his amazing ensemble' cast won the Best Acting accolades at the same festival- with kudos going to Cockle and Stewart.
Finally a creepy tale that relies on real actors - and not 'stars'. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but horror movies should always put characters first to pull you in before unleashing its fright upon the audience.
Much like the more polished fright flicks of the sixties such as Curtis Harrington's Games (1967), and even Freddie Francis' Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), London Voodoo is a cerebral and stylish foray into the horror/voodoo genre . chilling without showing much, therefore leaving a lot to the imagination - but trust me - you'll jump!

A Superb Directing Debut!.......2004-12-16

Robert Pratten's terrific indie film, London Voodoo, is a subtle and intelligent adult horror film in the spirit of Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now. Voodoo has never seemed less a cliche. Terrific acting performances, creepy out-of-the-corner of-your-eye editing and camera work, and a chilling gothic score by Steve Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees fame all make London Voodoo a unique experience not to be missed by fans of intelligent horror. Bill Scheinman

Tales Of Voodoo Vol. 4 and 5 (2 pack) Temple of Hell/Cannibal Curse/A Dog Called... Vengeance/Scorpion Thunderbolt

Average customer rating:

Tales Of Voodoo Vol. 4 and 5 (2 pack) Temple of Hell/Cannibal Curse/A Dog Called... Vengeance/Scorpion Thunderbolt

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Description

Tales Of Voodoo volume 4 - Temple of Hell: An expert safe cracker gets tricked into stealing papers which lead to the most treasured artifact in the world. Great news unless you factor in the price for finding this gem is your eternal soul! Don't bother to pack as this trip is one way and it's very hot! Cannibal Curse: Just when you think you've seen and tasted it all. A young couple gets involved in the rituals and mayhem on an island they visit. Sacrifices, midget cannibals and mayhem follow. Who was their travel agent? A very rare flesh offering from Asia! Tales Of Voodoo volume 5 - A Dog Called... Vengeance: A fugitive prisoner (Jason Miller of the Exorcist) manages to make good in his escape by killing a sadistic prison guard, who with his last dying breath gives his attack dog a final command - KILL! There follows a duel to the death between man and beast in the South American jungle. Savage and cunning. Scorpion Thunderbolt: Murder slithers its way into Hong Kong as a giant snake seems to be on a rampage. But the lead case detective (Richard Harrison) realizes that it's a human taking a serpents form. It's the cops vs. the real Underworld!

Halloween 4-Pack (Inseminoid / Tower of Evil / Curse of the Voodoo / Horror Hospital)

Average customer rating:

MORE INFORMATION
CONTENTS OF HALLOWEEN 2002
Halloween fan...
yeah, ??????
?????

Halloween 4-Pack (Inseminoid / Tower of Evil / Curse of the Voodoo / Horror Hospital)

Manufacturer: Elite Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Chilling Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection
The Mario Bava Collection, Volume 1 (Black Sunday / Black Sabbath / The Girl Who Knew Too Much / Kill Baby Kill / Knives of the Avenger)
Fright
Kidnapped (A.K.A. Rabid Dogs)
The Pinky Violence Collection - Includes Audio CD (Criminal Woman: Killing Melody/ Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom/ Girl Boss Guerilla/ Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless To Confess)

ASIN: B00006IUHA
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Description

Includes the following titles Curse of the VooDoo Inseminoid Horror Hospital Tower of Evil

Customer Reviews:

MORE INFORMATION.......2004-06-17

FROM ELITE WEBSITE:

TOWER OF EVIL
The terror begins when a nude, crazed woman slaughters a sailor who visits Snape Island. She is taken back to civilization and an ancient relic is discovered. An expedition is mounted to solve the mystery of the island which leads to a series of psychosexual murders. Includes theatrical trailer.
Rated R / Color / Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 / Running Time: Approx. 89 min

INSEMINOID
All previous landings on the planet were either a fiasco or left men dead. A third attempt had so far found nothing but a lifeless world. Then they opened the underground chamber and discovered a sleeping life form that had been waiting, needing only a chance to breed before escaping into the universe. And to breed it needs the bodies of those who disturbed it. Includes theatrical trailer.
Rated R / Color / Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 / Running Time: Approx. 93 min.

HORROR HOSPITAL
Welcome to Brittlehouse Manor, a "health resort" where young people are cured of all their hang-ups in one stroke. One stroke, that is, of Doc Storm's scalpel. Doc Storm, a crippled, demented genius in a wheelchair, performs hideous brain surgery on his young patients - making them brainless zombies. Includes theatrical trailer.
Rated R / Color / Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 / Running Time: Approx. 91 min.

CURSE OF THE VOODOO
Big game hunter Mike Stacey leads a safari in the African jungle. After shooting and killing a lion, a tribe of lion worshippers places a curse on Stacey. The curse follows Mike back to London where it begins to take a terrible toll. Mike is told that only the death of the witchdoctor can lift the curse. So, he returns to the jungle in a desperate attempt to save his own life.
Unrated / B&W / Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 / Running Time: Approx. 77 min.

CONTENTS OF HALLOWEEN 2002.......2002-11-07

As per the distributor, Elite Entertainment, this DVD boxed set includes 4 classic horror movies: "Inseminoid", "Tower Of Evil", "Curse Of The Voodoo", and "Horror Hospital".

Halloween fan..........2002-11-05

I cecked a number of other web sites and supposedly this boxed set consists of Halloween, Halloween 2, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, and Halloween H20. Either way, it is still a great buy based on the price it is running for. The Halloween series is one of the best horror frachises ever! H4L

yeah, ??????.......2002-11-03

Yes, what is on these discs? Is it a history on Halloween the "Holiday"? the Movie series? Its effect on society? The newest of the series?

?????.......2002-10-30

Can anyone tell me what is contained within this four disc box set please?

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

My Wife Is an Actress

Apartment

Creature (REGION 1) (NTSC)

DVD: Great American Western Vol. 11

Riddick - Krieger der Finsternis