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IMDbPro

Drums o' Voodoo

  • 19341934
  • 1h 10m
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
33
YOUR RATING
Laura Bowman and Theresa Harris in Drums o' Voodoo (1934)
  • Drama
In a small Southern town, Baptist preacher Amos Berry and a local voodoo priestess, Auntie Hagar, get together to thwart the aims of a pimp who has come to town to recruit a beautiful young ... Read allIn a small Southern town, Baptist preacher Amos Berry and a local voodoo priestess, Auntie Hagar, get together to thwart the aims of a pimp who has come to town to recruit a beautiful young girl, Myrtle Simpson. In addition, Auntie Hagar's grandson is aiming to marry the young gi... Read allIn a small Southern town, Baptist preacher Amos Berry and a local voodoo priestess, Auntie Hagar, get together to thwart the aims of a pimp who has come to town to recruit a beautiful young girl, Myrtle Simpson. In addition, Auntie Hagar's grandson is aiming to marry the young girl, which Auntie Hagar is also determined to stop.
IMDb RATING
4.5/10
33
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Arthur Hoerl
  • Writer
    • Augustus Smith(play "Louisiana")
  • Stars
    • Laura Bowman
    • Augustus Smith
    • Morris McKenny
Top credits
  • Director
    • Arthur Hoerl
  • Writer
    • Augustus Smith(play "Louisiana")
  • Stars
    • Laura Bowman
    • Augustus Smith
    • Morris McKenny
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

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    Top cast

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    Laura Bowman
    • Auntie Hagaras Auntie Hagar
    Augustus Smith
    • Elder Amos Berryas Elder Amos Berry
    • (as Gus Smith)
    Morris McKenny
    • Thomas Cattas Thomas Catt
    Lionel Monagas
    • Ebenezeras Ebenezer
    Edna Barr
    • Myrtle Simpsonas Myrtle Simpson
    Alberta Perkins
    • Sister Agnes Knightas Sister Agnes Knight
    A.B. DeComathiere
    • Deacon Dunstonas Deacon Dunston
    Fred Bonny
    • Zero - Church Memberas Zero - Church Member
    Sam Baker
    James Davis
    • Brother Zumeeas Brother Zumee
    Theresa Harris
    Theresa Harris
    Paul Johnson
    • August - Church Memberas August - Church Member
    Pedro Lopez
    • Larconas Larcon
    Bennie Small
    • Bou Boucheas Bou Bouche
    Trixie Smith
    • Sister Margueriteas Sister Marguerite
    Cherokee Thornton
    Jimmie Cook
    • Voodoo Danceras Voodoo Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    DeWitt Davis
    • Voodoo Danceras Voodoo Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Arthur Hoerl
    • Writer
      • Augustus Smith(play "Louisiana") (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Author Bryan Senn, in his book "A Year in Fear", identifies this as the first film adapted from the work of an African American playwright, and as the first "blaxploitation horror movie" in film history.

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    2/10
    Very enjoyable...but bad.
    Back in the 1920s-50s, many movie theaters in America were segregated. So, black patrons either weren't allowed into the places or they were forced to sit up i the balcony. As a result of this, many enterprising black entrepreneurs opened up black-only theaters as well as movie production companies. The problem was economic power...the production companies had very little money and couldn't afford better equipment and staff. As a result, most of these race films are, at best, second-rate. A few of these today are still very watchable...but you need to excuse the amateur acting and production values.

    "Drums o' Voodoo" is one of these race movies. And, like many of the film, they were shown and re-shown over the years...and often the titles were changed to try to hide that the movies were not the latest products. It's also known as "Louisiana" as well as "She Devil". And, in the process, the films were often trimmed. The Alpha Video DVD apparently only runs 48 minutes. The YouTube copy I saw ran 52 and IMDB lists the run time as 70 minutes.

    Auntie Hagar (Laura Bowman) is the local voodoo priestess in this Southern community. And, like voodoo typically is, it's a combination of traditional Christianity and African folk religion. Hagar and the Preacher have like interests...to keep the local community safe from evil. And, in this case, the evil is a pimp who has come to town to corrupt folks...in particular Myrtle, a woman whose mother came to an early death. And, according to Hagar, Myrtle will suffer the same fate if she isn't careful. That's also why she recommends her grandson NOT marry Myrtle. She also says the pimp will be blinded unless he leaves town! But the grandson as well as the pimp don't believe in voodoo and you wonder if the old woman's prediction will come true or not.

    "Drums o' Voodoo" is a pretty bad film...and pretty silly. The acting is often poor and the dialog ain't so hot, either! But it also is quite entertaining because of its weird plot AND Laura Bowman's over-the-top performance. She's quite enjoyable as the priestess! But regardless, it's also a fascinating portrait into 1930s Black America...sort of like a time capsule...albeit a bad one!
    helpful•3
    0
    • planktonrules
    • Aug 25, 2020

    Details

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    • Release date
      • May 11, 1934 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Louisiana
    • Filming locations
      • Atlas Sound Studios, Long Island City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Sack Amusement Enterprises
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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