The Disembodied
Director: Walter
Grauman
Year: 1957
Rating: 6.0
Deep deep in the jungle of a Hollywood set, the
beat beat beat of the tom tom echo's through the night. It is just another
Voodoo Night and the Voodoo Princess is shaking up a storm with a few back-up
dancers. She is in her best leopard skirt and black push up bra. For the
human sacrifice. This is a pretty crazy B film that could have been advertised
as Noir in the Jungle. The Witch Always Rings Twice. The good thing about
this is you have no idea where it is headed for most of the film. Just somewhere
unexpected.
It opens with the future 50 Foot Woman (Allison
Hayes) trying to choke her husband to death. Through voodoo. Tonda is upstairs
in their little isolated house in the jungle slowly squeezing the neck of
a doll and watching her husband choke below. Smiling. A marriage in trouble.
The husband Dr. Metz (John Wengraf) with his slight German accent makes you
wonder if he was working with Mengele at one point. He is insanely jealous
of his much younger wife, but there is no white man within miles. Then the
drums signal that three white men are coming. Her eyes light up. Metz orders
their servant Suba (Dean Fredericks) to kill them.
But Tonda stops him and greets the men wearing
a lovely cheongsam and immediately targets Maxwell (Paul Burke) with her
female sexuality and a plan. To kill her husband. Let's get this fool to
kill him. Not sure why. Voodoo sounds simpler. Being a healthy male, he is
soon bewitched and having long kisses with her. To hell with a husband. She
uses voodoo to save one of his men. By killing another. And then controlling
him. Just kill my husband and I am yours. This is sort of nutty fun. A shapely
femme fatale who practices voodoo and has a great wardrobe.
