For a classic horror fan with an affinity for the great icons of the past, I was positively thrilled to discover through an Internet user that VOODOO MAN was streaming public domain. The reason is that three horror stars of the 40s star in this same film..Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, and John Carradine. I'm not sure if they ever appeared in the same film again, but simple knowledge of seeing Carradine and Lugosi in scenes together had me giddy with excitement. The main plot concerns Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist obsessed with finding a way to bring his beloved wife back to life by using lovely women his henchmen kidnap(including George Zucco who runs a gas station, contacting Lugosi when a female driver passes through, Carradine as a loyal bumpkin who tells girls they're pretty before grabbing them along with Pat McKee)in "lifeforce" experiments. It's one of those poverty row low-budgeters Zucco and Lugosi were known to act in for far less than their worth(the idea that someone of Lugosi's stature was making such a low income is a crying shame, but alas..). The voodoo ceremony with Lugosi evoking "from mind to mind" as Zucco chants some sort of ritualistic jargon, with face paint, costume, and head dress, with Carradine beating on a drum has to be seen to be believed. Carradine is more or less a harmless idiot servant who fears beatings from his master and ogles the pretty girls held captive in a hypnotic trance by Lugosi. Lugosi isn't as completely evil as his usual roles would require for Monogram, only really committing his crimes so he can return his beloved to life. The cheap Monogram sets pale in comparison to those of Universal, but Lugosi's star power helps.
Tod Andrews is a reporter whose fiancé, Betty(Wanda McKay) could be in danger as Lugosi's Richard Marlowe believes she is a perfect "affinity" to reawaken his long dead wife, Evelyn(Ellen Hall). Louise Currie is Betty's cousin, Stella, herself kidnapped and put under a voodoo spell. VOODOO MAN may well be a laughingstock for those who find the premise wacky, but I think Lugosi fans will find it worth a look.
Tod Andrews is a reporter whose fiancé, Betty(Wanda McKay) could be in danger as Lugosi's Richard Marlowe believes she is a perfect "affinity" to reawaken his long dead wife, Evelyn(Ellen Hall). Louise Currie is Betty's cousin, Stella, herself kidnapped and put under a voodoo spell. VOODOO MAN may well be a laughingstock for those who find the premise wacky, but I think Lugosi fans will find it worth a look.