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Death Curse Of Tartu
[Somehing Weird]
1966; color
Directed by William Grefe
Starring: Fred Pinero, Babette Sherrill, Mayra Gómez Kemp, Bill Marcus, Sherman Hayes, Gary Holtz, Maurice Stewart, Frank Weed & Doug Hobart
Sting Of Death
[Somehing Weird]
1965; color
Directed by William Grefe
Starring: Joe Morrison, Valerie Hawkins, John Vella, Jack Nagle, Sandy Lee Kane,
Deanna Lund, Lois Etelman, Blanche Devereaux, Doug Hobart & Robert Stanton
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A fine double feature of low budget Floridiana horror from the mid-'60s. First up is Curse Of Tartu, which revisits the time honored tradition of violating a tomb and paying a woefully heavy price for doing so. A group of archaeological students led by their professor and his wife go deep into the Everglades on an expedition and unknowingly stumble onto the burial grounds of Tartu, a feared Native American witch doctor who died 400 years ago. According to the lone Indian guide in the film (who's also too scared by the legend to stay at their campsite), Tartu was so powerful he vowed to return in the form of a wild animal and kill whoever violated the grounds of his tomb. The guide relates to the professor how, years ago, two hunters were killed by a tiger. "But there are no tigers in Florida," the professor says. And the guide responds, "It was Tartu." Ignoring the warnings - as is to be expected - the party makes their way to the campsite and almost immediately bad things start to happen. First a friend of the professor who had set up the camp and was supposed to be waiting for them is nowhere to be found. (They don't know it yet, but he's already been killed by Tartu, in the form of a giant snake.) As night falls, the four students go down to the water to "roast some marshmallows." (While this is in fact a euphemism for 'make out and dance to bad music,' they actually do roast marshmallows as well.) But their fun is soon cut short when two of them jump in the water and start splashing around, only to be attacked and killed by a shark. That's right, a shark. In fresh water. In a swamp. Clearly, Tartu has again come a-callin'. And thus begins the whittling down of the remaining cast. As one of them goes trekking off to get help, he's killed by Tartu (via snake bite to the face). Next, the girl student is chased for what seems like an eternity by what must be the world's fastest alligator (Tartu again), who gnaws on her arm (a hilariously a fake rubber appendage) causing her to die. Finally, the professor and his wife get chased by a fully reanimated Tartu in his human form and, eventually, end the curse (with the aid of some conveniently situated quicksand) and stumble off into the sunset together.
Next up is the even better, and even more improbable (if that's possible) Sting Of Death. In a fast-paced 80-some minutes we get science gone too far, college kids doing a dance called the jellyfish and later being killed by a swarm of real jellyfish (read: colored plastic bags) and, of course, spurned love and a desire for revenge on the world by a giant jellyfish-man. (AKA, a guy in a slimy wetsuit with a giant plastic bag over his head and streamers draped all over him to look like tentacles.) Needless to say, it's a winner! The bonus commentary by director of both films, Bill Grefe, is insightful and often hilarious; it definitely added to my enjoyment of both flicks.
—the Kommandant
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