Curse of the Voodoo (1965)

User Rating:

2.9/10   

Director:

Lindsay Shonteff

Writers:

Brian Clemens (writer)
Leigh Vance (writer)

Release Date:

22 August 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Blood Sacrifice of the Simbazi!

Plot:

In Africa, a hunter kills a great lion. The animal turns out to be sacred to a local tribe of voodoo worshipers...

Plot Keywords:

Lion | Voodoo | Independent Film

Cast

Bryant Haliday	...	Mike Stacey (as Bryant Halliday)
Dennis Price	...	Maj. Lomas
Lisa Daniely	...	Janet Stacey (as Lisa Danielly)
Ronald Leigh-Hunt	...	Doctor
Mary Kerridge	...	Janet's mother
John Witty	...	Police Inspector (as John Wittey)
Jean Lodge	...	Mrs. Lomas
Beryl Cunningham	...	Nightclub dancer
Danny Daniels	...	Simbaza
Dennis Alaba Peters	...	Saidi
Tony Thawnton	...	Radlett
Michael Nightingale	...	Hunter #2
Nigel Feyistan	...	Simbaza in London (as Nigel Feyisetan)
Louis Mahoney	...	African expert
Valli Newby	...	Nightclub pickup

Also Known As:

Curse of Simba
Lion Man
Voodoo Blood Death (USA)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A

Company:

Futurama Entertainment Corp.

Movie Connections:

Follows Devil Doll (1964)

Passable if undistinguished horror fare.

Mike Stacey (Bryant Haliday) is leading a safari in Africa when he makes the decision to kill a lion. This enrages a local tribe that worship lions. And their idea of revenge is to place a curse on the killer of the lion; the only way to lift the curse is to kill the witch doctor who placed it.

Interestingly, this is more of a mood piece than anything. It's not much of a horror film; it's never really scary. Even attempts at suspense are negated by the overbearing music score. But it still does a good job of illustrating Staceys' dilemma. He imagines hearing lions stalking him (in one sequence seeming to pay tribute to one of the most memorable sequences in "Cat People") and sees creepy looking tribesmen everywhere he goes. After a while, the fear that he might be going insane or at least losing his grip on reality emerges. People, including his estranged wife, are not inclined to be that sympathetic to him anyway, seeing as he has a fondness for drink.

As already mentioned, this does maintain a certain ominous mood and some atmosphere, but the film doesn't do much beyond that. In fact, the film wouldn't be as long as it is (84 minutes) if it didn't succumb to padding (the sequence with the dancer goes on for quite a bit). The sequences set in Africa definitely help; the scenery is nice and the wildlife scenes are entertaining to look at. In an amusing change of pace, the lead performance from Haliday isn't likely to gain much sympathy from the audience, either; he's not that likable a character. Dennis Price does a better job as the man who is basically his conscience. And the African characters have a certain presence. However, since they're treated in a one- dimensional fashion, the film comes off as rather racist.

Still, it's watchable enough. It just doesn't have enough truly standout moments.

6/10