London Voodoo

I often wonder when I read other sour reviews of excellent films posted on this site, what is going on through the confined and jaded thinking of some folk! 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!

London Voodoo is plainly the worst low budget horror I have ever seen... and I've seen almost all of 'em!

I can't even think of enough bad words to describe it. Whoever made this film should be ashamed of themselves. Why would you put as much effort, time and money into producing such a pointless and boring piece of cinema? The film has nothing to hold the attention of fans of *any* genre let alone horror.

I've seen more interesting things crawling along the baseboards in camp restrooms. Good grief... I'm simply lost for words at how bad this is. Choose anything but this to fill up your time... anything!

One of the worst films I've seen (but not the worst so I'll give it that.)

It's clear that someone spent a lot of time and effort making this film but I must admit it just didn't do it for me. The various camera experiments didn't really pay off, it's still got that kind of daytime drama feel to it, (great for daytime dramas, not so good for films) and the less said about the painful slow motion scene the better.

A couple of the plot lines were more than a little ridiculous and generally the story was fairly poor. The script was only rescued by the comedy builders with their refreshingly bawdy banter. (There were other parts of this film that amused me but I don't think they were meant to.)

If you want a good Voodoo film then try Skeleton Key, it's a bit glossy Hollywood but it's better than this.

I caught this film at the NY Independent Film Fest in LA and, not knowing much about the film I took a gamble on the excellent poster (not the one shown here but the voodoo doll one). Wow! Did the gamble pay off! This movie has it all - superb acting, directing and script. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. What this film lacks in blood it makes up in depth of characterisation and story layers - the old lady's suicide pact with her dead husband, the psycopathic nanny, the insensitive businessman etc. etc. It'll keep you guessing until the end. It's been a week now since I saw this movie and I can't stop talking about it. If you're into slashers or zombie movies then this isn't likely to be for you but if you like European supernatural thrillers - GO SEE IT!

Dark Star

Lincoln and Sara move into a new home in London and his wife's behavior begins to grow erratic. After opening a grave in their basement, she becomes more sexual, more violent, and begins to forget things. A nanny is brought in to help around the house, but only adds to the tension. Eventually, Lincoln finds him in a fight for his wife's soul with a spirit of a voodoo priestess.

The film works on different levels mainly because it keeps you guessing and never completely gives away all the answers. As you watch the scenes unfold, you wonder if the Sara is possessed, just going crazy like her mother had, or that the crazy nanny is out to get her. In the end, it is a weird combo of all of the above, which makes the storytelling top notch.

Each character is very detailed with their own share of problems. The husband is overloaded at work, deals with a jerky boss, and is put on a tight deadline that challenges his sleep schedule. The wife suffers from a loss of identity and is bored with her new life as a homemaker. The babysitter is plain nutty and comes off as caring and sadistic at the same time.

Overall, I think the film is symbolic of a couple growing apart and their marriage crumbling. Her changes are similar to what any woman would go through if forced to sit in a house all day especially when competing with another, more younger woman. The husband struggling to save the soul of his wife is really an attempt to save their marriage. He must repent and they start anew.

Released by Heretic Films in 2004, it clocks in at 99 minutes. While it was shot on video, the story doesn't suffer from it. Also, the Winner of the 2004 Fearless Tales Genre Fest and Boston Int. Film Fest. Composer Steven Severin adds much atmosphere to the already creepy scenes with his pulsating background music.

The SFX was great with a few good bloody scenes such as a scalping, a nose bitten half off, slit wrists, and a man fatally hit by a car. There is also weird imagery such as a pissing in a pot scene, lipstick drawn over an eye, and honey dripping off of fishhooks. The most trippy scene though was when Lincoln goes through his "cleansing" in the nude and is swatted with sticks and dances around in a daze with the voodoo followers. There is great insight given here on the religion of voodoo and its history in the UK.

DVD Extras: 10 Deleted Scenes, the trailer, Making of Documentary, and Interview with Voodoo Priest, which covers some of the voodoo lore.

Bottom Line: Top shelf voodoo film with a good story to boot. Highly recommended for fans of The Skeleton Key.

Rating: 7.5/10 by Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com