Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

lugonian VOODOO MAN (Monogram, 1944), directed by William Beaudine, stars Bela Lugosi in his ninth and final poverty-row horror story for the low-budget Monogram Studios. Not quite the classic or frightening as Lugosi's earlier WHITE ZOMBIE (United Artists, 1932), VOODOO MAN is similar in structure from other horror stories, even with some doses of unintentional humor, it lacks originality. Sometimes confused with Lugosi's earlier and near similar title of THE APE MAN (Monogram, 1943) also directed by Beaudine, at least the male co-star this time isn't a reporter but that of a screen writer assigned to create a script for a new horror movie. Seems like VOODOO MAN is it.Credited an original story and screenplay by Robert Charles, the plot opens with a blonde girl driving into a local gas station asking for directions to Twin Falls. Its owner, Nicholas (George Zucco) steers her four miles down Laurel Road where she is soon abducted by a couple of goofy goons, Toby (John Carradine) and Grego (Pat McGee). With three women having already disappeared without a trace, Ralph Dawson (Michael Ames), screenwriter for a movie studio, is assigned by his studio boss, S.K. (John Ince) to come up with a new idea for a horror story based on the current disappearance events he's read in a newspaper. Driving towards Twin Falls, Ralph's car runs out of gas miles from the nearest town. He is given a ride from Stella Saunders (Louise Currie), who happens to be driving into Twin Falls where she is to be maid of honor for her cousin's upcoming wedding. It so happens that Ralph is the groom her cousin Betty (Wanda McKay) is to marry. When Stella's car mysteriously stops by a detour sign, Ralph goes to get some help. During his absence, Betty is abducted by the two goons, taking Stella through an underground tunnel into the home of the bearded Doctor Richard Marlowe (Bela Lugosi). Marlowe's intentions is using beautiful young girls and their souls to help revive his zombie-state looking wife, Evelyn (Ellen Hall), who's been dead for 22 years, with Toby and Grego pounding on those bongo drums as Nicholas leads the voodoo rituals over a couple of skulls placed on the table.As offbeat as this sounds, VOODOO MAN has its moments. The dreary underscoring leads the story to a point of boredom, yet the plot manages to hold interest throughout its 62 minutes. In-jokes help with the plotting for anyone understanding its humor, such as the movie studio the screenwriter works for called Banner Motion Picture Company (in reference to this being Monogram's own Banner Production); the production head name initialed S.K., a reference to VOODOO MAN's producer, Sam Katzman. Ralph Littlefield, the rustic assistant gas station employee who walked his viewers and cast members through the inane plot for Lugosi's THE APE MAN (1943), is back - this time for comedy relief. And wait for whom the scriptwriter suggests to play the lead in his proposed horror movie! Others in the cast include: Henry Hall (The Sheriff); Sam White (Deputy Elmer); Mary Currier (Mrs. Benton); Terry Walker (Alice); Claire James (The Zombie) and Mici Gott (Marie, the Housekeeper).The opening segment for VOODOO MAN is reminiscent to Lon Chaney's 1925 silent melodrama, THE MONSTER (MGM) where drivers disappear while going through a dark road, and victims held hostage and used as experiments having their souls transferred to dead bodies. Lugosi's character does something similar here by wanting to transfer body to body, soul to soul, emotion to emotion from zombie girl to his dead wife to bring her back to life. As with his title role of DRACULA, Lugosi's Marlow hypnotizes his female victims and is addressed as "Master" by his assistants. It's been said that John Carradine claims this to be his worst movie. Who could blame him? He's seen better days working under John Ford's 20th Century-Fox productions, now reduced to playing a second fiddle dim-wit. It's interesting seeing both Lugosi and Carradine, actors best known for playing Count Dracula, appearing in the same movie. George Zucco, as usual, hams it up during his creepy scenes.While VOODOO MAN may be listed mostly as "camp" rather than a classic horror film, its one of those movies that's so bad that it's good. Unseen regularly on television since the 1980s, its availability on DVD (with Astor Pictures logo opening from reissue prints) should assure its rediscovery, especially for fans of Lugosi, Zucco and Carradine or admirers of truly "bad cinema" such as this one. (*1/2).

bensonmum2 Voodoo Man may not be a "good" movie, but if your a fan of classic horror, it's a must see. The draw here is Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, and John Carradine in the same movie. The plot goes something like this: Zucco runs a gas station and intentionally gives young women the wrong directions so Carradine can kidnap the women for use as guinea pigs in Lugosi's voodoo ceremonies. Lugosi is trying to bring his wife back from the dead using the women's essence or life-force. It's not great, but it's enjoyable enough hokum. Be warned, however, this is a low-budget Monogram film, directed by one-shot William Beaudine.A few things I enjoyed include: the voodoo ritual has to be seen to be believed with our three stars all getting into the act; Carradine leering at and stroking the hair of the kidnapped women; the glee in Zucco's eyes as he gives the women incorrect directions; the local sheriff who seems more put-out that he's missing his dinner than concerned about the rash of missing women; Carradine's ridiculous running style (a real hoot); and all the other nonsense. As I've said, this isn't great filmmaking, but it's fun.

gavin6942 Dr. Richard Marlowe (Bela Lugosi) uses a combination of voodoo rite and hypnotic suggestion to attempt to revivify his beautiful, but long-dead wife, by transferring the life essences of several hapless young girls he has kidnapped and imprisoned in the dungeon beneath his mansion.While the film's acting is generally not all that great, it is excusable because of the plot (which is decent for the time) and for the presence of Bela Lugosi and John Barrymore. Lugosi is more or less himself (his range is not all that amazing) but it works here.While this is by no means a lost classic, it is a film worth tracking down by fans of Barrymore or Lugosi or those who want to see more of what horror films were like in the low budget 1940s.

csteidler A car pulls into a lonely country gas station. Owner George Zucco oozes out to greet the driver, a young woman. "Stranger in this part of the country, aren't you?" he inquires. She should not ask him for directions!Yes, attractive young female motorists are disappearing, and it's not long before we learn that they are being misdirected onto a detour that will take them to a spooky mansion where Bela Lugosi is practicing—with Zucco's assistance—some very strange magic.Lugosi has most of the best lines in this goofy but entertaining quickie. For example, his introduction to his wife, who died 22 years ago: "She's dead…only in the sense that you understand that word." (Actually, she's dead in a way I do not understand, since she seems to walk okay but just doesn't have much to say.)John Carradine is hilarious as a sort of nutty henchman; he is in charge of the hypnotized captives and moves from spot to spot in a sort of hippity-hop trot instead of just walking. Henry Hall is also funny as the local sheriff: "Sheriff's job in this county used to be a cinch," he says. "Now it's a pain in the neck"—meaning, all of these missing motorist reports are really eating up his time. Wanda McKay and Tod Andrews are the attractive if rather bland young couple who are drawn into the mystery.Zucco spends most of his screen time in a sorcerer's robe decorated with stars and crescents; Lugosi has one that matches. They look…um…silly. But they appear to be having fun—and although this picture is no great shakes and contains no great frights, it is indeed fun.