Voodoo Moon (2006)

I'm a huge Charisma Carpenter fan. This said, I was disappointed by this movie. Her charm did not come through, in fact NONE of the actors seemed to be doing much acting in this movie. I think the best performances came from Rik Young who played the evil Daniel, and Jeffrey Combs who seemed to have fun playing a good zombie, although his performance was terrible until the point where his character died, then he became downright hilarious, in a probably not really trying to be funny kind of way, I'm not sure if I was laughing at his character or with the actor playing the character.The sad thing is, I've seen most of these actors/actresses do great jobs in other shows/films, I would have to blame the director on this flop.Generally poorly explained happenings, flat acting, and terrible special effects. But Charisma is still beautiful.

Yet another ambitious film from Kevin Van Hook. The Cast is very talented, the production values are top notch, and yet it still falls into the average category. One main gripe I had, was the film had all these interesting characters', but you barely knew who they were, and what they are about. I wanted to see more about John Amos's character for example. He was a member of a vicious biker gang, and now he's a warrior in the battle of good vs evil. Beyond that, nothing is really developed. Jeffrey Combs is brilliant as always, unfortunately he doesn't have as much screen time. Maybe my memory is deceiving me, as I watched this a couple months ago, but I don't think they explain why Combs is a walking corpse. The evil killed everyone else he attacked in the early stages of the film, and they stay dead, and yet Combs for some unexplainable reason is able to keep on ticking after having his neck snapped. The good points are the cast, which although underdeveloped, is very talented, and shine with what little they have to work with. The special effects are all well above average, although some viewers may be disappointed with the lack of gore. Voodoo Moon is worth a look, as long as your expectations aren't to high. I just expected more from Charisma's first major film role.

This movie had a lot going for it but with so many plot holes it was very easy to get lost. I mean for all their powers they let the enemy walk right into the house? That just doesn't make any sense to me. There were other plot holes and only two of the back stories were even talked about.I still don't get why the one friend who was dead kept walking around and they weren't trying to kill him. Still the cast was pretty good but had some weak points. With the right budget and consistent acting this could have been a good TV movie. It was a very original tale but with a poor script and some bad acting it lost something in the translation.

"Voodoo Moon" is a big wasted opportunity.**SPOILERS**In Haiti, Cole, (Eric Mabius) is told that his skills in demon-hunting will be needed elsewhere in the world. His search takes him to Louisiana,, where artist sister Heather, (Charisma Carpenter) works. Hiding away, he calls for some friends, Frank Taggert, (Jeffrey Combs) Dutch, (John Amos) Ray, (Reynaldo Gallegos) Lola, (Jayne Heitmeyer) and Diana, (Kimberly Hawthorne) to help him out in his quest. As Cole gets stronger to fight the demon, it starts killing off his friends and those around him. Banding together with the surviving members of his friends to battle the demon.The Good News: There are some nice atmospheric moments spread throughout. The early sequence where they are wondering through the graveyard is quite eerie, and it really ratchets up what shouldn't have been so creepy. The final resolution of that scene is what makes it so great, as the payoff is a nice shock jump. It's the only one in the film, so it stands out even more. The premise is quite interesting. Having a man assemble people from his past to hunt down a demon is something new that is quite nice. The ending twenty minutes is quite ice and features enough action to get the viewers awake and end the film in somewhat of a happy note.The Bad News: Frankly, this one simply didn't have enough going for it. It has an interesting premise about a man gathering people he has helped in the past to fight a demon, but its wasted by a humorously inappropriate lot to battle the creature. It's not exactly a very threatening posse that's rounded up when you have a housewife, a mechanic, a biker, and two who aren't given occupations. I don't blame the guy for laughing at them, as it's a very non-threatening group. The aforementioned lack of jumps is also an issue in here. It simply makes the film all the less enticing when nothing keeps the attention going. That's a deadly combination when mixed with so little action in the middle section that it's almost criminal. The middle section is just pointless conversations to get us to know the characters and features no real action at all, and the dialog isn't anything that important. They never talk about the story, they never talk about the demon, and instead it is useless chatter that means nothing. It drags down the pace of the film to a near stand-still at that point, and it never fully recovers. The film had plenty of potential but never utilizes it.The Final Verdict: An interesting premise ruined by a lack of action or anything else. Might be worthy of viewing for some, but it might be a struggle to do so. Only recommended to the most discriminating of horror fans, while those that like a more upbeat pace will want to keep a fast forward button handy.Rated R: Graphic Violence, some Language, and Brief Nudity