London Voodoo (2004)

One of the worst films I've seen (but not the worst so I'll give it that.) It's clear that someone spent a lot of time and effort making this film but I must admit it just didn't do it for me. The various camera experiments didn't really pay off, it's still got that kind of daytime drama feel to it, (great for daytime dramas, not so good for films) and the less said about the painful slow motion scene the better.A couple of the plot lines were more than a little ridiculous and generally the story was fairly poor. The script was only rescued by the comedy builders with their refreshingly bawdy banter. (There were other parts of this film that amused me but I don't think they were meant to.) If you want a good Voodoo film then try Skeleton Key, it's a bit glossy Hollywood but it's better than this.

`Modern Classic' was once an oft over-used term and thank goodness we don't hear it so often any more. However. If ever there was a film that so aptly fitted the title, it is surely Robert Pratten's London Voodoo.If most genre films of recent times are fast food - easily consumed, a fleeting moment of satisfaction and then just as quickly forgotten (often regurgitated?!) - London Voodoo is a banquet that starts, if a little precariously, with a mouth-watering entrée, builds to a sumptuous main course and climaxes with a glorious, delicious dessert. The film ends and you sit bloated in your seat unable to move for having overindulged. London Voodoo works on so many levels that I probably need to see the film again to appreciate all the detail invested in it. Every character is a real character. Every location feels like a real location.But is it a horror film? Well.yes, it is. It certainly belongs to that sub-genre known as `yuppie nightmare' - attractive young couple move into new house and life falls apart - but David Morrell tells us that horror > fear. On this measure I believe the film has traded fear for intrigue, suspense and wonderment. Probably those less accustomed to watching horror films than I might find the film scary but for this viewer, desensitised from years of blood and gore, I found myself more in amazement than fear. Amazed that someone would come forward to reclaim the horror film from the MTV/Cabin Fever generation and use the genre to deliver a message about family values.I am very grateful for Robert Pratten and his wife to have shared the film with the World Horror Con in Phoenix and I'm pleased to repay this gratitude with a review that I hope will encourage others to seek out and discover this film. If you like the films of Roman Polanksi, Peter Weir, Nick Roeg or Joseph Losey then you should check-out London Voodoo and discover a filmmaker that I hope will continue to make such important contributions to this genre that I love.I believe - and, pray - that this is a milestone film for 21st century horror.William

I caught this film at the NY Independent Film Fest in LA and, not knowing much about the film I took a gamble on the excellent poster (not the one shown here but the voodoo doll one). Wow! Did the gamble pay off! This movie has it all - superb acting, directing and script. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. What this film lacks in blood it makes up in depth of characterisation and story layers - the old lady's suicide pact with her dead husband, the psycopathic nanny, the insensitive businessman etc. etc. It'll keep you guessing until the end. It's been a week now since I saw this movie and I can't stop talking about it. If you're into slashers or zombie movies then this isn't likely to be for you but if you like European supernatural thrillers - GO SEE IT!Dark Star

Whilst Rob Pratten has to be commended for making a truly independent british horror film, the end result, like most British independent horror films is a mixed bag in which the film makers undeniable talent and ambition is compromised by a lack of resources and self restraint. Lifting several cliched ideas from The Omen and Amityville Horror, London Voodoo tells the tale of an unlikely American couple who move to London in an attempt to salvage their relationship, but whose fortunes take a turn for the worse when they discover that their new home is haunted by a voodoo spirit. Whilst you can see the commercial logic in writing american characters into the lead roles, the unknown, ex-pat actors that Pratten cast, both deliver uncharismatic leaden performances and their characters are written in such a heavy handed, unsympathetic way that unfortunately this debut effort falls at the first hurdle. Once you get over this initial disappointment, there are moments and contributions that suggest what could have been, particularly Trisha Mortimer as the 'love-keeper' who manages to breath life into Prattens inconsistant dialogue and Voda Barnes who although over-written is suitably sexy as the Au-Pair. Comic relief is provided by the two decorators and supporting afro-carribean cast add flavour to otherwise dull proceedings. Also worthy of note are the businessmen in the office scenes, which demonstrate that when Pratten is not trying to make a load of spookery convince, he's actually quite a good writer/director. Shot hand held on 16mm with basic lighting the film has the look of a television special, the locations are functional as opposed to aesthetic and the synthesised score home-spun and cliched. The best production values can be found in the voodoo paraphanalia which suggest authenticity and a great deal of research. At 98 minutes the film is too long and would benefit tremendously from a ten minute trim, particularly the scenes where various voodoo practioners stop the narrative dead to deliver pages of expository mumbo jumbo in an attempt to give some kind of spiritual context to the proceedings. I gave this film 4 out of 10, shows promise but must try harder.