Death Curse of Tartu

The "Something Weird" DVD edition of "Death Curse Of Tartu" is almost impossible to over recommend. Along with the second feature(Sting of Death) you get some truly hilarious commentary between director William Grefe and Frank Hendenlotter. Plus some great extras. The best "Something Weird" has to offer.

Death Curse of Tartu (1966)

** (out of 4)

A group of students and their teacher go out into the everglades for some archeology research. They are warned about the Indian burial ground being haunted but they decide to go anyways and soon enough they are being stalked by a curse from the Indian chief Tartu.

I have a strange history with this movie. When I was around eleven or so I used to watch the horror films on TNT's Monstervision. One night I had fallen asleep but woke up around three in the morning just as this film started. I watched in rather amazement because I had never quite seen anything like this. For years I tried to track down a copy of the movie but was unlucky. I had forgotten the title and for many years I simply thought it was a dream.

Well, I finally stumbled across the Something Weird Video double feature and viewing the film today I can see its various flaws but at the same time I think director William Grefe did a very good job considering the low-budget, the short shooting time and of course he at least brought out the setting in the Florida everglades. The setting is certainly a major plus here because the swamps just make for a great location and I also thought the story itself was quite good.

The most memorable thing here are the death scenes, which are all done by animals you'd find in the swamps. The way they're done isn't the most memorable but they're at least entertaining. The look of Tartu's mummy is also quite good but it's a shame it wasn't used more. The biggest problem with DEATH CURSE OF TARTU is its running time, which really drags at spots and the pacing is another issue. Still, for an exploitation picture this isn't too bad.

This is a semi-professional low-budget horror film that works surprisingly well. There's some really nice color photography (shot in the Florida Everglades), and although most of the action occurs outdoors in bright sunshine the director still manages to create a powerful atmosphere of lurking menace. This is partly accomplished by the simple (but effective) device of having Native American chanting audible on the soundtrack during almost the entire film; this really begins to work on the nerves after a while. (The film's characters claim the chanting is coming out of the ground.) And the mummified title character is a sight to behold.

In the Florida swamps there is an Indian burial ground that is protected by Tartu,a 100 year old dead"witch doctor".He will leave his tomb in the form of an animal of nature to kill defilers of the grounds.(Okay, being part Indian I can tell you that the term "witch doctor"didn't apply to us. Medicine Man thank you).

You just know that some white men are going to defile the grounds with an archeological dig.The point man and a professor, his wife and 4 cannon fodders, I mean students, dismiss an Indian's warning about the curse of Tartu.So they go deep into the swamp to the grounds.There the obnoxious students make out, dance to bad rock and swim in the swamp. Yeah, that is always a smart move.

Ol' Tartu gets mighty upset with the gang and starts to bump them off one by one.The creepiest kills are via snake(yuck). Who will survive the creepy ordeal?

Well besides the aforementioned witch doctor screw up there are other pitfalls with this movie. First, there are really not many sympathetic people in this movie.You actually hope a few of them die violently because they are stupid/whiny etc.Being a goober is a requirement in these movies but this is pushing it.While the snake kills were scary, a freshwater attack by shark is kind of goofy (although gory for its time).The music is irritating and distracting.

On the flip side there are great location shots. The swamp and its denizens are creepy. The wind out of nowhere is pretty creepy too.Tartu as a corpse is great as well.Not a bad movie, just average. Give it a look and give it a 5.

One of my favorite drive-in classics has to be a 1966 gem made in Florida, DEATH CURSE OF TARTU. Something Weird Video, the wonderful distribution company that revived such great LBJ-era thrills as SCREAM OF THE BUTTERFLY and THE CURIOUS DR. HUMPP for videocassette, has continued their grand tradition on DVD. They took the trouble to grab hold of an original 35mm negative and give it the best possible Digital transfer.

DEATH CURSE OF TARTU concerns a group of young, under-equipped archeologists venturing deep into the Florida everglades in search of Tartu's tomb. Tartu is a long dead Indian who protects his tomb by allowing his spirit to take the form of dangerous animals. It's sort of like a cross between THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and ANIMAL PLANET. Whenever Tartu's murderous spirit is nearby, the soundtrack is filled with chanting, yipping Indians. On the same disc is another Sunshine State shocker by the same director, William Grefe - STING OF DEATH