Voodoo Dawn

1990 film

Jeffrey Delman
Evan Dunsky
Thomas Rendon
John A. Russo

Produced bySteven D. MacklerStarring

Tony Todd
Gina Gershon
Raymond St. Jacques
Theresa Merritt

CinematographyJames McCalmontEdited byKeith ReamerMusic byLarry Juris

Production
company

Stillwell Productions

Release date

January 24, 1991 (1991-01-24)

Running time

83 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Voodoo Dawn is a 1991 American horror film directed by Steven Fierberg and starring Tony Todd, Raymond St. Jacques, Theresa Merritt and Gina Gershon. It was written by Jeffrey Delman, Evan Dunsky, Thomas Rendon and John A. Russo, and produced by Steven D. Mackler.

The film was adapted from the eponymous pulp horror novel by John A. Russo, known also as the screenwriter for Night of the Living Dead.

Premise

In the Deep South, a diabolical, machete-wielding voodoo priest (Tony Todd) is busily turning Haitian migrant farm workers into flesh-eating, zombie slaves. However, his plans are disrupted by the arrival of two college students searching for a missing colleague who turns out to have been one of the priest's earlier zombie experiments.

Cast

Tony Todd as Makoute
Raymond St. Jacques as Claude
Theresa Merritt as Madame Daslay
Gina Gershon as Tina
J. Grant Albrecht as Tony
Kirk Baily as Kevin
Billy 'Sly' Williams as Miles
Georgia Allen as Suzanne
Gloria Reuben as Girl on Boat

Production

Voodoo Dawn was shot in South Carolina.^[1]

Reception

Variety called it "an atmospheric supernatural thriller for genre fans".^[2] Nigel Honeybone of HorrorNews.Net wrote that it should be watched by horror fans based on the novelty value of having been written by Russo.^[3] Peter Dendle wrote in The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia, "Though acting and production value are solid, the script is outdated by about forty years and assumes we want to see more witch doctor than zombie."^[4]

References

^ Albright, Brian (2012). Regional Horror Films. McFarland & Company. p. 292. ISBN 9781476600420.
^ "February 5, 1991". Variety TV Reviews, 1991–1992. Taylor & Francis. 1994. ISBN 9780824037963.
^ Honeybone, Nigel (2011-09-07). "Film Review: Voodoo Dawn (1991)". HorrorNews.Net. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
^ Dendle, Peter (2001). The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia. McFarland & Company. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-7864-9288-6.