VOODOO MAN (Monogram, 1944), directed by William Beaudine, stars Bela Lugosi in his ninth and final poverty-row horror story for the low-budget Monogram Studios. Not quite the classic or frightening as Lugosi's earlier WHITE ZOMBIE (United Artists, 1932), VOODOO MAN is similar in structure from other horror stories, even with some doses of unintentional humor, it lacks originality. Sometimes confused with Lugosi's earlier and near similar title of THE APE MAN (Monogram, 1943) also directed by Beaudine, at least the male co-star this time isn't a reporter but that of a screen writer assigned to create a script for a new horror movie. Seems like VOODOO MAN is it.Credited an original story and screenplay by Robert Charles, the plot opens with a blonde girl driving into a local gas station asking for directions to Twin Falls. Its owner, Nicholas (George Zucco) steers her four miles down Laurel Road where she is soon abducted by a couple of goofy goons, Toby (John Carradine) and Grego (Pat McGee). With three women having already disappeared without a trace, Ralph Dawson (Michael Ames), screenwriter for a movie studio, is assigned by his studio boss, S.K. (John Ince) to come up with a new idea for a horror story based on the current disappearance events he's read in a newspaper. Driving towards Twin Falls, Ralph's car runs out of gas miles from the nearest town. He is given a ride from Stella Saunders (Louise Currie), who happens to be driving into Twin Falls where she is to be maid of honor for her cousin's upcoming wedding. It so happens that Ralph is the groom her cousin Betty (Wanda McKay) is to marry. When Stella's car mysteriously stops by a detour sign, Ralph goes to get some help. During his absence, Betty is abducted by the two goons, taking Stella through an underground tunnel into the home of the bearded Doctor Richard Marlowe (Bela Lugosi). Marlowe's intentions is using beautiful young girls and their souls to help revive his zombie-state looking wife, Evelyn (Ellen Hall), who's been dead for 22 years, with Toby and Grego pounding on those bongo drums as Nicholas leads the voodoo rituals over a couple of skulls placed on the table.As offbeat as this sounds, VOODOO MAN has its moments. The dreary underscoring leads the story to a point of boredom, yet the plot manages to hold interest throughout its 62 minutes. In-jokes help with the plotting for anyone understanding its humor, such as the movie studio the screenwriter works for called Banner Motion Picture Company (in reference to this being Monogram's own Banner Production); the production head name initialed S.K., a reference to VOODOO MAN's producer, Sam Katzman. Ralph Littlefield, the rustic assistant gas station employee who walked his viewers and cast members through the inane plot for Lugosi's THE APE MAN (1943), is back - this time for comedy relief. And wait for whom the scriptwriter suggests to play the lead in his proposed horror movie! Others in the cast include: Henry Hall (The Sheriff); Sam White (Deputy Elmer); Mary Currier (Mrs. Benton); Terry Walker (Alice); Claire James (The Zombie) and Mici Gott (Marie, the Housekeeper).The opening segment for VOODOO MAN is reminiscent to Lon Chaney's 1925 silent melodrama, THE MONSTER (MGM) where drivers disappear while going through a dark road, and victims held hostage and used as experiments having their souls transferred to dead bodies. Lugosi's character does something similar here by wanting to transfer body to body, soul to soul, emotion to emotion from zombie girl to his dead wife to bring her back to life. As with his title role of DRACULA, Lugosi's Marlow hypnotizes his female victims and is addressed as "Master" by his assistants. It's been said that John Carradine claims this to be his worst movie. Who could blame him? He's seen better days working under John Ford's 20th Century-Fox productions, now reduced to playing a second fiddle dim-wit. It's interesting seeing both Lugosi and Carradine, actors best known for playing Count Dracula, appearing in the same movie. George Zucco, as usual, hams it up during his creepy scenes.While VOODOO MAN may be listed mostly as "camp" rather than a classic horror film, its one of those movies that's so bad that it's good. Unseen regularly on television since the 1980s, its availability on DVD (with Astor Pictures logo opening from reissue prints) should assure its rediscovery, especially for fans of Lugosi, Zucco and Carradine or admirers of truly "bad cinema" such as this one. (*1/2).

Like many horror films of the time period, it's all in fun and Voodoo Man is no exception. It's entertaining, good for a few giggles and, as usual, enjoyable to watch Zucco, Lugosi and Carradine on screen.Here we have Bela Lugosi as Dr. Richard Marlowe, a mad scientist of sorts, that wants to bring his long dead wife back to life. Young women are captured, hypnotized, "zombified" and kept in Marlowe's dungeon, these women are part of the plan to bring back Mrs. Marlowe.George Zucco plays the evil high voodoo priest that mumbles mumbo-jumbo, while John Carradine is the strangest character of them all - a guy that doesn't have much upstairs.Overall a really fun movie - quite enjoyable way to spend an hour with 3 great legends of horror! 8.5/10

The movie kind of just drags on for a while. Stella Saunders (Louise Currie) is a passerby on a remote road when she is led to the house of Dr. Richard Marlowe (Bela Lugosi) who is using young women to reanimate his young, but dead wife. That's really abut it in the way of story. Other characters include sleepy policemen, a screenwriter, a creepy gas station attendant, and John Carradine. The big problem with the movie is that it just drags on, and it never really goes anywhere. Nothing gets done, the story is never really picked up upon, it's just really dull. As with most Lugosi movies, every now and then we get an extreme close up of his eyes. As with a lot of films like this, I can't really recommend it in any other way then the Rifftrax.

Monogram's "The Voodoo Man", which not only features George Zucco in his most demeaning, humiliating role as a voodoo priest (Ramboona never fails) but also has John Carradine as an imbecile and Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist of a sort. Bela turns in a pretty good performance as the demented doctor trying to instill life into his amazingly well preserved dead wife through the use of voodoo and some nubile Monogram starlets. Carradine is in there pitching in an embarrassing role. Zucco, as the voodoo priest, is required to wear an absurd costume and chant gibberish in most of his scenes. Being the old pro that he was, he manages to turn in a credible performance. If you are willing to look past the hokum, this isn't a bad way to pass an idle hour.