Relatives are sent a letter, an invite to come to the Southern mansion, on the outskirts of Atlanta, of a voodoo priestess, who has died, expecting them to ward off an evil they do not know. Each person, the foxy attractive Lorena(Janee Michelle), smart-mouth, obnoxious Phillippe(Mike Evans of “The Jeffersons”), polite, mannered Christian Harriet(Xernona Clayton)and the unlikely “honky” of the group, an anthropology professor, who has studied voodoo, Dr. Andrew Cunningham(Victor French of “Highway to Heaven” and “Little House on the Prairie”), haven’t even met their ancestor. While it appears this group is gathering for a will reading, they are instead in for a battle against the creepy butler, Tomas(Jean Durand), secretly practicing voodoo rituals in a hidden room below the mansion using his abilities to endanger their lives. It’ll be up to the unlikely heroics of Cunningham, who definitely sticks out like a sore thumb in this mostly African-American cast, and his knowledge of voodoo, to stop Tomas who wishes to strengthen his powers by marrying Lorena, a mostly pure Christophe.
Voodoo horror outing even has a musical ritual performed by practitioners in that cavernous den below the mansion. There are skulls aplenty, which I admired, such as the face on the mountain where the mansion resides and on the door that greets visitors. Even Death pops up every once in a while to point towards potential victims. The climax even has Pauline Christophe(Mary J Todd McKenzie)rising from the grave, by order of Tomas which adds some fun to the proceedings. I think this kind of horror film, which gives over to the supernatural elements of the practiced religion, might make many viewers chuckle instead of fold into their seats. The cast is okay, nothing mind-blowing, but just the audacity to have a white hero is something to create interest for this kind of unusual horror effort. Not a bit violent, this was suppose to spook, not disgust. The setting, I loved a great deal.. the mansion is quite a stunning set. I thought the ending where Tomas and Cunningham square off in a sword fight was a bit hokey, though. I’m not sure whatever happened to the participants of the voodoo dance once Tomas accidentally slices a skull, ritualistically placed on a stick which holds Lorena hypnotically imprisoned. You have to gloss over flaws like that when a film allows liberties regarding the power of voodoo on innocents.
