O Feiticeiro de ZImba

Also known as "Curse of Simba". A bigoted hunter visiting Africa kills a lion in a territory where the animal is sacredly revered by a voodoo tribe. He becomes cursed and then heads back to England where he endures feverish symptoms and hallucinates that African tribesmen are stalking him everywhere he goes. After a promising first twenty minutes or so, nothing much happens and we're bogged down with the hunter's marital problems and his seeing things. The only cure for his delirium is for him to return to Africa and kill the witch doctor who cursed him. Unfortunately, we do not like this character nearly enough to empathize with his predicament at all. The final shot of the film - for anyone who makes it that far - is pretty chilling. *1/2 out of ****

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Lindsay Shonteff. Produced by RIchard Gordon. Original British title: Curse of Simba. Released in America by Allied Artists. Screenplay by Brian Clemens; Photography by Gerald Gibbs; Edited by Barrie Vince; Music by Brian Fahey. Starring: Bryant Halliday, Dennis Price, Lisa Daniely, Mary Kerridge, Ronald Leigh Hunt, Jean Lodge, Louis Mahoney, Valli Newby, Beryl Cunningham and Mike Nightingale.

Voodoo curse torments a white hunter who killed a lion in an area of lion-worshiping natives. It dominates his life back in London until he returns to Africa to kill his curser. Fine music, female pulchritude and excellent, suspenseful photography help punch up the weak story. An English forest is used to simulate the African bush, giving these scenes a most unroutine look in comparison to the stock safari saga. Lack of chills or supernatural atmosphere causes the film to be far inferior to Shonteff's memorable next effort: "The Devil Doll".

This dull follow-up to producer Richard Gordon and director Lindsay Shonteff's DEVIL DOLL stars Bryant Haliday as a big game hunter in modern day Africa who bags a lion on Simbasa territory and is cursed by the tribe, who revere lions as gods. Although Haliday flees to London, he is wracked by unexplained fevers and is dogged (or is he?) by spectral Simbasa warriors who run him down on Hempstead Heath and peek in through his seedy hotel window. It's all pretty unexciting stuff; although the film begins and ends in the Dark Continent, the lion's share of the story takes place indoors - apart from a couple of exteriors and one ill-advised attempt at a "Lewton walk," where Haliday hears the growling of game cats while walking back to his hotel one night (this might have had some effect had not Shonteff overlaid Brian Fahey's bombastic score atop it, killing the atmosphere). 1965 matinee audiences must have been driven mad by this unrelentingly dull voodoo drama; seen now after the passage of thirty years, its racist underbelly destroys any possibility of enjoying the film on a kitsch level. British character actor Dennis Price brings class to the production, but he's wasted as Haliday's sage advisor.

I was expecting a good horror film with Dennis Price.Instead it was a disappointing low budget drama with Dennis Price appearing from time to time,looking absolutely dreadful.An unknown leading man is of no assistance.

Curse of the Voodoo (AKA Voodoo Blood Death) stars Bryant Haliday as hard-drinking big-game hunter Mike Stacey, who kills a lion in Simbaza territory, thus incurring a curse that slowly causes him to go mad. The only way for Mike to break the curse is to kill the man who placed it on him.

Having set up the basic premise, this dull film does very little of interest, with Mike - having returned to London - spending most of his time half-cut or hallucinating, while his estranged wife Janet (Lisa Daniely) looks concerned. Mike sees scary Simbaza tribesmen lurking around every corner, and is even chased across Hampstead Heath by a couple of them, but Lindsay Shonteff's lacklustre direction achieves very little in the way of suspense or excitement.

To pad out the run-time, we get a prolonged dance routine in a nightclub, Beryl Cunningham gyrating enthusiastically to some jungle rhythms, and we get to see Mike's doctor (Ronald Leigh-Hunt) meticulously arranging his medical bag, which kills some more time. There's also a spot of gratuitous skin from gorgeous Valli Newby as a lonely young woman who invites Mike back to her flat for some no-strings-attached nookie (however, while the lovely lady strips down to her undies, Mike passes out on her bed - the drunken fool!).

The pace is slow, and the script is dull. Dennis Price appears from time to time as Stacey's pal Major Lomas, adding some class to proceedings, but the film is largely a waste of time, with our thoroughly unlikable lion-killing 'hero' turning to murder to free himself of his curse.

3.5/10, rounded up to 4 for IMDb.