KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

kevin olzak 1966's "Death Curse of Tartu" was a staple of late night insomniacs in the pre-cable days of television, along with other no budget wonders such as "They Saved Hitler's Brain," "Women of the Prehistoric Planet," and "Zontar the Thing from Venus." Although the plot dredges up the overworked 'Mummy vowing vengeance against all those who desecrate his tomb' from the Universal WW2 days, other aspects of this feature point toward the 'nature horror' cycle of the 1970s ("Frogs" or "Kingdom of the Spiders") and the 'teenagers in peril' subgenre of horror in the 80's. Yes, the acting is awful, there's little in the way of suspense, and the teens are required to do dumb and stupid things, but you still have to admire Miami-born writer/director William Grefe, already a veteran of four features (including DVD co-feature "Sting of Death"), but may be better remembered for later films such as "Impulse" (William Shatner), "Mako:The Jaws of Death" (Richard Jaeckel), and the ever popular "Stanley" (Chris Robinson). Like the Florida-lensed "Frogs," we are witness to a repetitive series of killings perpetrated by animals, despite the impressive image of Tartu's mummy, which unfortunately is only seen in its sarcophagus. The two bikini-clad lovelies get a real workout gyrating for the ogling cameraman like a 'Beach Party' movie, and one idiot falls prey to a shark while his girlfriend watches without once trying to exit the water! (she gets it too). No doubt the swamp scenes were shot not far from the famous Ivan Tors studios in North Miami (the site of the TV series FLIPPER), which also served as the main location for Chris Robinson's deserted cabin in "Stanley" (the only interiors filmed were of Tartu's tomb). At 84 minutes, my VHS print appears to be missing some footage, as I never saw any spiders, though the web fronting Tartu's tomb gave me hope. No matter how bad this film may be, its frequent showings have earned it a kind of respect that only horror fans can bestow, and those who weren't familiar with it from the late 70s may be immune from its charms. Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater aired it twice, July 2 1977 (preceding 1944's "The Invisible Man's Revenge"), and March 11 1978 (following 1968's "The Hand of Power").

Glen McCulla Another dubious "classic" to file away at the back of the brain under "What the hell was i thinking watching this? - What the hell was anyone thinking filming this?!!?"This is another of those films that hold a rancid but special place in my black and evil heart due to repeated viewings via worn-out old VHS in the early 90s. Some annoying American students decide to trip out, drop out, and - thanks to our undead friend - check out in the Florida Everglades of the 1960s. Tartu himself is - so far as memory serves - a mummified Native American (can we say that these days?), who periodically lolls back and forth in his tomb in a spectacularly unmenacing fashion, before taking on such forms as a crocodile etc., to despatch the defilers of his tomb, like a z-grade mummy meets Manimal on acid. Only crapper than that sounds, because that actually sounds cool.Seemingly filmed on the '60s equivalent of camcorder on a budget of booze and jellybeans, this is film that i love to hate, and hate to love.With thanks to the now defunct Spotlight Videos of South Shields for causing me to suffer this circa 1993. I have never fully recovered. Thank you.:)

rufasff The "Something Weird" DVD edition of "Death Curse Of Tartu" is almost impossible to over recommend. Along with the second feature(Sting of Death) you get some truly hilarious commentary between director William Grefe and Frank Hendenlotter. Plus some great extras. The best "Something Weird" has to offer.

pmsusana This is a semi-professional low-budget horror film that works surprisingly well. There's some really nice color photography (shot in the Florida Everglades), and although most of the action occurs outdoors in bright sunshine the director still manages to create a powerful atmosphere of lurking menace. This is partly accomplished by the simple (but effective) device of having Native American chanting audible on the soundtrack during almost the entire film; this really begins to work on the nerves after a while. (The film's characters claim the chanting is coming out of the ground.) And the mummified title character is a sight to behold.