Voodoo Man (1944)

"Black & White Trash Delight"

"She's not here! She must be somewhere else!" Rejoice as Fabulous Films brings to UK Blu-ray and DVD one of the infamous 'Monogram Nine' - nine films Bela Lugosi made for the ultra low-budget outfit Monogram Pictures in the 1940s.

George Zucco, in tank top and tie (when he's not in his full voodoo gear), runs a remote petrol station. When solitary young lady drivers stop by asking for directions he sends them, via a fake diversion sign, to the house of Dr Richard Marlowe (Lugosi). Marlowe is trying to resurrect his wife who died 22 years ago using 'exotic voodoo rituals'. 

So far they haven't worked, leading to four zombie women in the cellar and a baffled local police force of two. When Stella Saunders (Louise Currie) goes missing it's up to our screenwriter hero Ralph (Tod Andrews here acting under the name Michael Ames) to solve the mystery and prevent his own wife-to-be from falling into the evil Dr Marlowe's clutches.

VOODOO MAN only lasts an hour and was directed by William Beaudine, unflatteringly and possibly unfairly referred to by the Medved brothers as 'One Shot' because of his tendency to film everything in one take. One can sense a certain breathless urgency to get the film finished in time here, with occasional flubbed lines and missed cues all being retained. 

But it's not the mistakes in VOODOO MAN that make it the enjoyable piece of cinema that it very much is. It's a script filled with lines like "Fetch my dead wife!" and "She deserves a good paddling!" combined with enthusiastic performances from Lugosi, Zucco, and John Carradine (giving us an essay in sleazy dysfunctionalism that must surely have influenced David Hess) that are the reasons to watch this. 

Oh yes, VOODOO MAN feels like an Ed Wood picture if Wood had actually been a competent director. The story is ridiculous and the sets are flaky, but there's a vigour to the enterprise combined with a cheery amateur dramatics (or even school play) feel that makes the whole thing utterly charming. 

Probably best watched at about 3am when weird stuff like this suddenly takes on a magic all its own, Fabulous Films' presentation is probably the best VOODOO MAN could look. I hope we get at least another couple of the Monogram Nine given this kind of excellent presentation. The disc contains no extras, but now I really want releases of at least THE INVISIBLE GHOST and RETURN OF THE APE MAN. 

William Beaudine's VOODOO MAN is out on DVD & Blu-ray from Fabulous Films on Monday 24th June 2019