Black Moon (1934)

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I didn't know what to expect with this film but it turned out to be a rather creepy and sinister story. A woman who was raised on the West Indies island of San Christopher longs to return as an adult to confront the demons of her past, as her parents were both killed by natives on the island. Her husband and uncle who live on the island both warn against the idea, but Juanita Lane (Dorothy Burgess) sets off for San Christopher with her daughter (Cora Sue Collins) and attendant Gail Hamilton (Fay Wray) in tow.The most troublesome aspect of the story to me had to do with Juanita's casting aside of her husband and daughter as she gets caught up in the voodoo rituals of San Christopher, to the extent that the island villagers elevate her status to one of a high priestess. In a scene where a male high priest is about to sacrifice a native black woman, Juanita's husband Steve (Jack Holt) intervenes by shooting the man, but to finish the ceremony, Juanita picks up the machete and completes the sacrifice! The fact that the scene wasn't graphically shown in no way lessens the impact of the imagery.A similar scene gets to play out in the latter part of the story, but this time it's Juanita's daughter who becomes the object of the island sacrifice. The script probably should have done a better job of defining the motivation for such a horrific idea, all the viewer is left with is the impression that Juanita must be terribly insane. As the cacophony of native drums mesmerizes Juanita with their hypnotic effect, Steve Lane arrives just in time to shoot his own wife to save his daughter's life. The most unbelievable aspect in both instances was the lack of reaction by the chanting villagers. You would think they'd be the slightest bit upset by the interruption of their ritual celebration.Though I've seen Jack Holt previously in a couple of B Westerns, this was my first look at him in a leading role. He's not very charismatic in this portrayal, and he doesn't appear to have much chemistry with wife Juanita or his assistant Gail. Though it's more than apparent that Miss Hamilton carries a torch for the older man, it never really appears that Steve Lane is on the same wavelength, even if the story's resolution has all the main participants returning home as a newly reorganized family. You just had to wonder how they were going to put this horrible event behind them.

Native drums beating non-stop along a watery paradise? Am I in Haiti, the obviously fictional San Columbia or near Bethesda Fountain in Central Park? To protect the allegedly innocent, the writers chose #2, San Columbia, where the native drums are calling out to Dorothy Burgess, a discontent wife and mother living in New York. She is waiting for her husband Jack Holt to leave on a business trip so she can take her daughter Cora Sue Collins down to her birthplace of San Columbia where odd things are happening. Holt convinces his love-lorn secretary Fay Wray to accompany his wife and daughter there much against her will, and almost immediately after getting settled in, Wray has sent a wire to Holt to get down there immediately to investigate the strange occurrences going on. Collins' nanny is murdered in a bizarre manner after a confrontation with the spooky Madame Sul-Te-Wan (a veteran of these types of roles) and Holt is informed by friendly black schooner captain Clarence Muse that human sacrifices are being planned. Well, Dorothy Burgess, you ain't in Kansas anymore, and the witches here are even odder than the ones in Oz.This isn't classic horror in the "Dracula" or "Frankenstein" mold, more psychological horror as the audience's tensions are made tense with the subtle goings-on that build up to an odd ritual where Holt learns the horrific truth and must make a drastic decision in order to save both his wife and daughter. Certainly better than some of those poverty row zombie movies (with the exception of the classic "White Zombie" that didn't type-cast black extras as voodoo worshipers), this might not be for all audiences as it does give a one dimensional view of the island people who have no hesitation in killing off the white intruders to their homeland. Muse plays a very likable character who is strangely unemotional at the thought of his girlfriend being sacrificed (which leads to a very haunting scene), but he's certainly loyal to Holt, Wray and poor little Cora Sue Collins when the natives attack. At one point, Holt does even say, "The natives are restless", which is alternately disturbing and funny.The horror here comes mainly from what you believe is set to happen rather than what you see happen. There's no vampire swooping down on a victim, a monster attacking unsuspecting victims, or a mad scientist laughing in psychotic delight as he prepares to skewer his next victim on a pendulum. It is beautifully filmed and hauntingly presented, with a conclusion that is quite disturbing. It's obvious that there's no saving the hero's wife and that scream queen Wray will help save the day. In a sense it also reminded me of "The Cat People" with its ghostly atmosphere so dark and haunting, and thus is also quite ahead of its time.

This is NOT a particularly deep film nor will it impress film snobs. After all, it's about voodoo and human sacrifice! However, in a very low-brow sort of way, it is entertaining....and a bit dumb.The film begins with Dorothy Burgess banging away on tribal drums in her home in America. She is an amazing drummer, as her arm motions and the drum sounds aren't the least bit in sync--making her very special indeed (or it makes this a sloppy B-film). It seems that this lady is a bit nutty and longs to return to the Caribbean island where she'd lived years ago. However, her husband (Jack Holt) is apprehensive--especially when her family on the island is telling her NOT to come there. But, despite the warnings, this goofy acting lady goes to the island--and immediately resumes her involvement with a local voodoo cult! It turns out she is actually well-connected with these natives and everyone around her thinks she is nuts. However, she is far, far more disturbed than everyone thought, as this strange religion practices human sacrifice--and Burgess is more than willing to comply with their orders--leading to a really cool finale.In addition to Burgess and Holt, Fay Wray was also a star in this film---though she really didn't seem to have much to do. Her part was ill-defined and rather unnecessary. As for Holt, he was more wooden than usual. In fact, none of the performances were that good. But, because the film was so cheesy and silly, it did keep my interest.

I'm not sure, but Black Moon may be the first horror film to be set in the West Indies and focus on voodoo. Of course, it would be the Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur film I Walked With a Zombie that would go on to become the best known early example; but Black Moon is still a worthy effort. The plot focuses on a woman born in the West Indies. She left at the age of two when her parents were sacrificed in a voodoo ritual, but apparently she is under some curse and decides to return to the island. She takes along her husband, nanny, daughter and his secretary and upon returning to the island, is elevated to the level of a God by the locals; which leads to danger for her family. The film was obviously made on a low budget as it all looks very cheap throughout. This improves once the film reaches the West Indies as the location shoots take some of the focus off the cheap looking sets seen earlier on in the film. The film is very slow burning and takes a while to get going, but once it does it's constantly interesting. Director Roy William Neill (who would of course go on to become best known for his Sherlock Holmes films) does well at implementing the atmosphere needed to ensure that the film is successful. It has to be said that there isn't a great deal of tension in the early parts of the film; but this is made up for by the ending which is strong. Overall, I wouldn't quite say that this film is a classic; but it will certainly be of interest for fans of thirties horror.