Obeah!
DirectorF. Herrick Herrick
WriterRobert Carse[1]
StoryF. Herrick Herrick
Starring
CinematographyHarry W. Smith
EditingLeonard Weiss
StudioArcturus Pictures
ReleasedFebruary 1935
Runtime75 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Obeah![2] is a 1935 American horror film directed by F. Herrick Herrick and starring Jean Brooks and Phillips Lord. In the United Kingdom, the film was released under the title The Mystery Ship.[1] It is believed to be a lost film, as no copies of it are known to exist.[3]

Plot

A sailor, known as "The Adventurer," searching for a lost American explorer discovers him being held hostage on a remote island in the South Sea. The man is held captive by the island's natives, who have placed him under a voodoo spell known as "obeah." The Adventurer attempts to halt a death ritual but fails, and the explorer dies. The Adventurer is forced to flee the island, taking with him a native woman and the daughter of the dead explorer.

With the help of a map taken from the explorer, the three attempt to locate a chest of gold that has been sunk off the island shore. Meanwhile, the high priest of the island people casts a curse on the three, and a love triangle ensues between those on the ship.[a]

Cast

Production

The film was produced by the New York City-based production company Arcturus Pictures.[7] Based on a story by director F. Herrick Herrick,[8] the film's script was written by Robert Carse, the film's production began in June 1934[9] and lasted several weeks. The film was shot on location in Kingston, Jamaica.[10]

An additional article published in Film Daily claimed the film's shoot lasted a total of eleven months, shot on a worldwide cruise that stopped in over twenty countries.[5] Later trade reports reported the shoot had only lasted four months.[5] The ship's crew as well as various unknown performers appear in the film.[5] Scenes were filmed at Papine and Port Royal, alongside interior shots in downtown Kingston bars.[11]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ This plot summary is based entirely on a re-published article provided by the American Film Institute, extracted from The Film Daily (February 1935)[12]

References

  1. ^ Polack 2017, p. 49.
  2. ^ "Obeah! (1935)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  3. ^ Thomas, Hilda (7 April 2015). "Of Myth and Magic: Exploring Superstitions and Traditional Beliefs from Latin America and the Caribbean". Nearshore Americas. Archived 20 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  4. ^ "Obeah". American Film Institute. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  5. ^ Rhodes, Gary D. (2001). White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film. McFarland. p. 180. ISBN 978-0-786-42762-8.
  6. ^ Polack 2017, p. 48.
  7. ^ Polack 2017, p. 46.
  8. ^ Hanson, Patricia King (ed.) (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. Vol. 1. University of California Press. p. 329. ISBN 978-0-520-07908-3.
  9. ^ Polack 2017, p. 47.
  10. ^ Polack 2017, pp. 48–9.
  11. ^ Polack, Peter. Jamaica, the Land of Film, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017, p. 46–48.
  12. ^ "Obeah!". The Film Daily. 13 February 1935.

Works cited

  • Polack, Peter (2017). Jamaica, the Land of Film. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-443-87375-8.