Voodoo Unto Others

 

 (themoviedb.org)

THE DISEMBODIED-1957-Dr. Carl Metz (John Wengraf) lives in the jungle with his younger, unhappy, bitchy native wife Tonda (Allison Hayes). Behind his back, she performs a type of voodoo to get rid of him. Enter two white men, Tom (Paul Burke) and Norm (Joe Marston), photo journalists with a wounded friend Joe (Robert Christopher). Tonda takes them to her husband but he can't save Joe. When they hear drums, the men decide to investigate despite the warnings from their native guide Gogi (Paul Thompson). They discover Tonda dancing erotically. She's the voodoo queen who uses servant Suba (Dean Fredericks: later the star of THE PHANTOM PLANET (1961)), a chicken and a doll to cure their friend Joe. Next day Suba is found with his heart cut out. Later Tonda tells Tom she's afraid of her husband and they embrace but a seemingly bewitched Joe attacks Tom. He says “kill the white man”. Tonda blames her husband but from the look on her face, she's probably lying. Tom confronts Metz at gunpoint and tells him to cure Joe. Tom is stopped but Metz suspects his wife. When Joe disappears, Metz warns Tom to leave. Tonda declares her love for Tom but he rejects her. He and Norm and Gogi plan to leave but they find Gogi dead, their jeep disabled and their guns missing. After Tonda stabs her husband and it's clear he's dying, Tom tries to trick Tonda into saving his life. It backfires but when Tonda is killed everything works out. 

This is just some standard jungle voodoo love triangle on a very low budget. Of course it's always nice to see Allison Hayes on any budget. This was director Walter Grauman's first job. He later went into TV (One of his early efforts was a color version of “Frankenstein” in 1957 with ex-boxer Primo Carnera as the monster!) and occasionally made a feature film (like LADY IN A CAGE (1964)). He also made some seldom seen entries into ABC's “Movie Of The Week” like THE OLD MAN WHO CRIED WOLF and CROWHAVEN FARM (both 1970).

Thanks for reading!

Thor!

 

 (imdb)

ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE-1987- After his father is killed by some punks when he was little, Tony Washington (Jon Mikl Thor) is a nice muscle-bound softball coach who lives with his mom, but he's run down and killed by some new punks. His mom hires a voodoo woman to exact revenge. Tony comes back as a ghoul and kills his killers. Things really take a downturn when stupid police captain Tom Churchman (Adam West) shows up to investigate and examine his cigar. Turns out he was involved in the murder of Tony's father.

Terrible talky trash from Canada with West giving a bad performance. 

Before this director John Bravman made porno movies under a pseudonym. Screenwriter John Fasano (who plays Tony's father) directed ROCK AND ROLL NIGHTMARE the same year which also featured Heavy Metal singer/body builder Jon Mikl Thor. 

I once saw Thor perform at a comic convention where he also bent metal with his teeth and blew up a hot water bottle until it burst! ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE was also the feature film debut for actress Tia Carrere.

"Ace of Spades" by Motorhead is played over the opening credits. 

Thanks for reading!

Eat It

 

 (imdb)

I EAT YOUR SKIN-1971-After a voodoo ceremony where a woman is decapitated, a publisher named Fairchild (Dan Stapleton) goes to "Voodoo Island" with his wise cracking wife Coral (Betty Wyatt Linton) and an arrogant womanizing playboy writer Tom Harris (William Joyce). After an encounter with a bug-eyed zombie, they meet Bentley (Walter Coy), the overseer of a plantation. Later they meet Doctor Biladeau (Robert Stanton) who is working on a cure for cancer and his daughter Jeannie (Heather Hewitt) who Harris tries to put the moves on. The doctor tells them about a local plant that the natives use "like we use alcohol". After dinner when Harris and Jeannie get romantic, they are attacked by some zombies who try to kidnap Jeannie but Harris thwarts them. 

There's another wild voodoo dance ritual and after Harris and Jeannie have sex, they find a shack full of deformed comatose zombies. Later they discover her dad turning people into zombies with radiation bombarded snake venom. It turns out the forgotten about Bentley is behind it all trying to create enough zombies to rule the world. 

Low budget horror that really isn't as bad as its reputation. Writer/director Del Tenney had made HORROR OF PARTY BEACH and CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE in the '60's.

Thanks for reading!

Stupid Stuff

 

 (letterbox.com)

ILLUSION OF BIAS-2009-If you have 6 minutes to waste you might enjoy this strange overrated short about a girl and her nightmares. Good luck!

 (imdb)

CHLOE LOVE IS CALLING YOU-1934-Creaky old time capsule made on a shoestring budget about Mandy (Georgette Harvey), a Louisiana voodoo practitioner who seeks revenge on the Colonel (Francis Joyner) and the other white men who lynched her husband. Her light skinned daughter Chloe (Caucasian Olive Borden) longs not to be black and wants a better life. Luckily, she meets Wade (Reed Howes), a superior white guy who works for The Colonel. Jim, a black local, is in love with Chloe but she rejects him (Jim is played by future character actor Phil Ober, a white guy!). This thing is so misguided, racist and offensive you might want to see it just to believe it! Once thought to be lost, some genius found it….

Titular heroine Borden (said to be an actually distant relative of Lizzy) was once the highest paid actress in Hollywood after being discovered by Mack Sennett. Unfortunately, the coming of sound movies, a love triangle scandal and alcohol helped doom her career. She died destitute in LA's skid row at age 40. CHLOE was her last film. 

Leading man Howes was also a popular silent screen star but his career faded in the sound era and he played villains in many wes-terns in the '40's and '50's. He played a police inspector in Ed Wood's THE SINISTER URGE in1960 four years before his death at age 64. His last appearance was on an episode of TV's “Mr. Ed”.  

Thanks for reading! 

Killer Dolls

 

 (imdb)

MUNECOS INFERNALES-1961-Two medical doctors Armando (Ramon Gay) and Karina (Elvira Quintana) are invited to dinner by 4 men (and their families) who have recently returned from Haiti. While there not only did they see a forbidden ceremony but one of the eggheads stole a sacred idol for his personal collection. During a power outage he dies mysteriously. Later we learn a revenge seeking voodoo priest Zandor (Quintin Bulnes) is making scary miniature dolls of the victims (dwarf actors or kids in scary masks) sending them to do more killing. 

After completion of their tasks, he calls them back with a flute. Zandor also has a zombie servant who delivers the dolls to unsuspecting victims. The dolls are creepy but they are not all just mindless killers. At one point a doll wants to kill a child but he's stopped by a companion. 

Directed by Benito Alazraki (SANTO VS. THE ZOMBIES (1962) and written by Alfredo Salazar (DOCTOR OF DOOM (1963)). K. Gordon Murray presented it in the US under the title “Attack of the Doll People”.

Thanks for reading!

Do You Believe?

 

 (amazon.com)

BURN, WITCH, BURN! -1962-Norman Taylor (Peter Wyngarde), a college professor finds out his wife Tansy (Janet Blair) has been using voodoo she learned in Jamaica to make him successful. After he makes her burn all her charms and talismans, a female student accuses him of rape and a male student threatens him with a gun. After a weird episode at their home, Tansy is convinced Norman will die, so she decides to take his place. He frantically searches for her. She almost drowns herself but Norman saves her using the occult practices he doesn't believe in. Flora Carr (Margret Jackson), a vengeful college secretary seems to be behind it, using voodoo to destroy The Taylors because she feels her husband Lindsey (Colin Gordon) was passed over in flavor of Norman. The climax is good. 

Veteran sci-fi/horror writers Charles Beaumont & Richard Matheson (both worked on TV's The Twilight Zone) collaborated on the script (based on Fritz Leiber's “Conjure Wife”) for AIP's James Nicolson who later turned it over to their British affiliate Anglo-Amalgamated. They wanted Peter Cushing to star but he was busy. 

Director Sidney Hayers (CIRCUS OF HORRORS) does a competent job of holding everything together despite a low budget and provides some good scares. In the 1980's he came to the US and directed for TV. The Universal Pictures “Inner Sanctum” entry WEIRD WOMAN (1944) is also based on Leiber's story. Known in the UK as NIGHT OF THE EAGLE, the US version has a short prologue by Paul Frees.

 (wikipedia)

Thanks for reading!

PS: There was also a band in the early 2000's called "Burn Witch Burn" lead by "Dead Milken" lead singer Rodney Linderman. Their only release is great!

 (amazon.com)

Buchanan

THE CURSE OF THE SWAMP CREATURE-1966-More Larry Buchanan madness with John Agar as a geologist looking for oil in the swamps with a trio of crooks. They run into the crazy experiments of Dr. Trent (Tony Houston; also the screenwriter) who is trying to make a fish monster out of a man! He feeds his failures to some stock footage crocodiles. Meanwhile the locals practice voodoo (called “snake worship”). Except for Agar the acting in this is quite comical. Especially Huston, an amateur ham who would make Shatner seem like Olivier! (“My beautiful indestructible fish man”). Francine York is Mrs. Trent and Bill McGhee (Ben in DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT) is a dim-witted servant. Buchanan regular Bill Thurman is one of the crooks and the swamp creature.

Buchanan throws in some interesting camera angles but otherwise it's pretty boring. Agar also starred (with Houston) in Buchanan's ZONTAR: THE THING FROM VENUS the same year!

Thanks for reading!

Poe In Name Only

THE OBLONG BOX-1969-In Africa, Edward Markin (Alister Williamson) is cursed and his face disfigured. Later back in England he's held prisoner in his room by his brother Julian (Vincent Price). Through some voodoo Edward appears to die but plans a comeback. However Julian buries him alive and marries his younger fiancee' Elizabeth (Hilary Dwyer). Edward's rotten attorney Trench (Peter Arne) who was suppose to help, can't/won't. Edward is “rescued” by some grave robbers who deliver his body to Dr. Neuhartt (Christopher Lee). Edward blackmails the doc into harboring him. He plots revenge and kills wearing a velvet mask. He was cursed by an African tribe because he trampled a boy to death. But in actuality he's innocent. The big hype for this film was the first pairing of “horror masters” Price and Lee. The only time they meet is during Lee's death scene! Rupert Davies and Sally Geeson are also in it.

Price (and Rupert Davies & Hilary Dwyer) had been in Michael Reeves' WITCHFINDER GENERAL in 1968. Reeves was scheduled to do THE OBLONG BOX but he died (from a mixture of booze and pills) while working on the script. AIP hired Gordon Hessler to direct and he made many changes to the original script. The story isn't bad but considering this was the first time meeting between Lee and Price it doesn't have much of an impact especially considering Williamson has the most screen time! Hessler, Price and Lee “reunited” in 1970 for the bizarre SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN. 

Thanks for reading!

Blacula Returns

 

SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM-1973-In this pointless sequel Blacula (William Marshall) comes back to undead-ness through a voodoo ritual gone awry. Voodoo priestess Susan Fortier (Pam Grier) is suspected and the former prince beats up two pimps. Grier's former cop boyfriend Justin Carter (Don Mitchell) helps Sheriff Dunlop (Michael Conrad) investigate the “voodoo killings”. Blacula wants Susan to perform an exorcism and get rid of the “demon” inside him. While she performs the ritual, Carter and Dunlop get rid of Blacula's vampire buddies. A voodoo doll spells his end. It's not nearly as entertaining as the original and very drawn out with a lot of jive talking and mumbo jumbo.

 

Director Bob Kelljan, a former actor, had made both COUNT YORGA movies before this.

Hammer Zombies

THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES-1966-Hammer teamed up with 7 Arts to release this eerie horror film. While on vacation a curmudgeonly doctor Sir James Forbes (Andre Morrell) is summon to Cornwall by his ex-pupil Peter (Brook Williams) to check out the "strange malady" afflicting his wife Alice (Jacqueline Pearce from BLAKE'S SEVEN). After a not so nice welcome, Alice dies and Sir James' daughter Sylvia (Diane Clare who was in THE HAUNTING) is harassed by a group of fox hunters under the charge of Squire Hamilton (John Carson), a weird guy who talks like James Mason. He tries to act gentlemanly by she isn't buying it. While Sylvia is walking home sees a zombie like guy dump Alice's body down a hill. Meanwhile Sir James and Peter are arrested for grave robbing but they get off when the coffin they dug up is empty! Apparently Hamilton is the leader of a Voodoo blood cult that turns folks into zombies and makes them work in the local tin mine. Hamilton wants to zombify Sylvia. Guys in robes wearing masks that have "Daredevil" horns attack a vicar. Later pasty faced zombies rise from the grave but it seems to to a dream sequence. Somehow after nearly being buried alive Sir James saves his daughter and makes the zombies turn against their master and destroy his plans. The best scene is when Alice suddenly becomes a zombie and Sir James decapitates her with a shovel. Michael Ripper is very good as one of the constables who helps out.

Like a lot of Hammer films it takes time to get going but delivers some great scenes. The under rated (at least in America) Morrell is great in the lead role. Director John Gilling also made THE REPTILE the same year. Hammer teamed with 7 Arts to make THE WITCHES the same year too.

Thanks for reading!

Early Voodoo

BLACK MOON-1934-A woman (Dorothy Burgess) raised on a tropical island where she became involved with voodoo rituals decides to go back for a visit despite being happily married. Her husband (Jack Holt) can't go with her because of business (bad move) so he sends his secretary (Fay Wray, a year after KING KONG), who's secretly in love with her boss, to accompany her and their young daughter. Arriving on the island she's treated almost like a goddess by the natives and refuses to leave. When hubby arrives to take them all back things get worse. It appears the daughter is to become a human sacrifice!

Clarence Muse is also featured as a boat operator and although it's his usual racial stereotypical role his character does do a little more than just stand around taking orders.
T
his early pre-code voodoo film (Burgess wears a very revealing night gown in one scene) was directed by the underrated Roy William Neill who made THE BLACK ROOM with Karloff the next year.

Thanks for reading!

Skulls R Us

Before we leave the low budget realm of 1950's film making (it will be back! ) and the career of Edward L. Cahn let's take a look at the last HORROR film he ever made (this of course includes his last film, a version of Beauty and The Beast which is really a fantasy...). It's called The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake and it's a winner!


The Drake Family is under the curse of an ancient Ecuadorian tribe. In the 1800's Capt. Drake had a certain native village slaughtered. Since then every male in the Drake Family has died mysteriously on his 60th birthday and had his head cut off and stolen! Jonathan (Eduard Franz, later in Cahn's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) is the last of the line. After it's revealed at a funeral that his recently deceased brother has no head, a police lieutenent (Grant Richards, who usually played villians in director Cahn's films) investigates. He gets some help from Drake's daughter, Alison (Valerie French, who was in many TV shows in the '60's including The Prisoner episode "Living In Harmony") but soon we learn it is all the evil plot of Dr. Emil Zurich (Henry Daniell, former Dr. Moriarty to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes in the '40's), a specialist in shrunken heads. And he ought to know about heads. He's actually a tribal Indian with a white man's head sewn on his body!

But the real nightmare fuel here is Zurich's servant Zutai (Paul Wexler) a menacing long haired native who's mouth is sewn shut! He kind of looks like Frank Zappa combined with Todd Rundgren!

That's frightening!!

Oddly enough actor Wexler had a played a comic butler role in "The Bowery Boys Meet The Monsters" a few years before......

Anyway it's Zutai who does all the dirty work. He paralayzes his victims with a long poison needle then severs the head with a bamboo knife! Naturally this ritual is kept off screen and mostly just talked about but Cahn really builds up the atmosphere with the weird scenario of chopped off heads, skulls and voodoo dolls. Rather gruesome even in 1960. It moves at a nice clip and is never boring!

Got to love the shunken head!

"Four Skulls" was written by Orville Hampton who wrote many of the films Cahn directed, plus westerns, crazy stuff like "Riot On The Sunset Strip" and TV shows like "Perry Mason" and "Hawaii 5-0". Even "The Scooby Doo/Dynomutt Hour" (Hey! A guy has to eat, ya know!). His last work was on "Fantasy Island" in 1983 although he lived till 1997.

Of course Alfred Hitchcock made a fairly gruesome and eerie black and white film that very same year called PSYCHO!

Don't overlook this little masterpiece. See it with someone you love (or someone who loves good low budget horror movies!!!).

Thanks for reading!

RIP Claude Chabrol....

Zombies Rule Ok-Part 1

KING OF THE ZOMBIES-1941-Hokey horror fun from Monogram. The three man crew of a small plane crash lands on an island where the mad scientist Dr. Sangre (Henry Victor) is using voodoo and black magic to raise the dead. Actually he wants to transfer the mind of a US admiral into the body of his niece to obtain secret government information!

Dick Purcell (who’d play the lead in the Captain America serial 2 years later) and John Archer try to figure it all out. Mantan Moreland is Purcell’s (usually sacred) butler but despite the racial stereotype Moreland’s character is the only one who actually knows what’s really going on, has the funniest lines and helps save the day! Victor had played Hercules the strong man in FREAKS.

Thanks for reading!