Voodoo is a subject that's been pretty under-used in horror films over the years and while this debut by writer/director Robert Pratten doesn't dig deep under the skin of the "religion" he does come-up with enough strong nightmare images and quietly spooky scenes to make this work.

Doug Cockle plays a business analyst who has to relocate to London with wife Sara Stewart and his small daughter as part of his job. From here the plot goes in two directions as things start to go horribly wrong after they hire a nanny (Vonda Barnes) who becomes obssessed with her male employer (she even goes to the extreme of carving his name in her leg with a fork) and Stewart is possessed by an evil spirit when they uncover a voodoo grave down in the cellar.

Despite the fact that this is a bit leisurely paced at times this is one of the better horror films to come out this year and is recommended to genre fans looking for a movie that's more concerned with solid characterizations and an appealling story than piling on effects and blood.

That's not to say it's an entirely bloodless exercise but the main reason this turns out as good as it did is mostly thanks to a good build-up to the effectively chaotic finale (there's plenty of striking moments of suspense in the last fifteen minutes) and decent acting by the mostly unknown cast.

Visit Heretic Films to order. (Chris Hartley, 9/26/04)

Directed By: Robert Pratten.
Written By: Robert Pratten.

Starring: Doug Cockle, Sara Stewart, Vonda Barnes, Trisha Mortimer.

Picture Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen.

Picture Quality: There's a few specks here and there and at times it feels a bit soft, but this is certainly a solid transfer with which I have few complaints.

Extras: Not a bad batch here with a trailer, ten deleted scenes, an interesting "making of" featurette, an interview with voodoo priest/author Ross Heaven, and a commentary track with director Pratten.