Search - Death Curse of Tartu / Sting of Death on DVD

Great Trashy Double Bill From William Grefe

frankenberry | Los Angeles, CA USA | 12/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fans of 60's horror will eat this one up. Something Weird dishes up two William Grefe "classics", one of them not seen in decades. This is one of the best Something Weird DVD's yet and I've seen a lot of them. Great fun!First up is DEATH CURSE OF TARTU about a mummy who wreaks vengeance on people who have invaded his Everglades territory. Tartu mostly just lies in his tomb and instead transforms into varous animals (snake, gator, etc.) to eat and attack his victims. Great location color photography, amusing characters and real animals make this one a real hoot. There's a fun and informative commentary track with Grefe and Frank Henelotter as well which is highly recommended. Grefe comments that he told one terrified actress to go into the snake-infested water for a scene by telling her "Don't worry. We scared all the snakes away." Hahahaha!The second flick on the DVD is Grefe's first and rare horror film, "STING OF DEATH" which is about a jellyfish man that attacks a bunch of stupid people in the Everglades. The creature just wears a scuba diving suit with flippers and a giant inflated trash bag on his head. You will not believe your eyes - trust me! You ain't seen anything like it. One great highlight is an attack on a sinking boat where all the passengers fall into the water and are "attacked" by jellyfish (floating inflated baggies). There's also a Neil Sedaka song played at a poolside dance where all the girls can shake their bootys at the camera. Meanwhile, the jellyfish man is swimming in the pool, but no one sees him! This hilarious 1965 epic was never sold to television and was thought lost for years. Another great commentary track by Grefe and Henelotter - both have fun and joke about the ineptness of some scenes, but always in reverance - and they also go into how the negative of the film was almost completely molded away before SW got ahold of it in the nick of time. It's truly fascinating to hear about how these older films could be lost, destroyed and gone forever --- there's no big "negative library" out there for these low-budget gems. Many are out there just rotting away - negatives missing ---- surviving prints in awful shape. Even Grefe pleads with listeners to help find one of his "lost" films, "Devil Sisters", since no print seems to have survived. Thank Something Weird for preserving this kind of horror history. There's some great extras on this DVD as well - other Grefe trailers including "Mako Jaws of Death" and "Stanley", a 30 minute reel of scenes from a gory exploitation adventure called "Love Goddesses of Blood Island", and a hilarious short called "Miami or Bust" which starts off as a travelogue but ends up as a riotous poolside dance/striptease by one of the ugliest women I've seen on one of these things in a long time. Man, when she pouts her lips and tries to look seductive, you may want to have a puke bucket handy. Great stuff!!!If you are into trashy horror pictures from the 60's/70's, you'll love this duo DVD. Both films look great, very colorful. On one commentary track, Henenlotter and Grefe talk about going to 42nd Street in the 60's and 70's to see countless movies like this every day. It was a great time for exploitation, horror and sleaze fans - triple features and more, changing daily. And as Henenlotter says "Unlike today where there's nothing out there I want to see." How true! If you agree with this statement, then make a date with Tartu and the jellyfish man! "Jilla jalla jella!""

Two William Grefe Classics!!

Kevin P. Coon | Twin Falls, Idaho USA | 08/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD release is a LONG awaited one for many film buffs. Many are familiar with Death Curse Of Tartu. This is the story of an Indian Witch Doctor who comes to life to kill those who have invaded his swampland burial ground. This is a very fine example of B movie making, and it has a great little musical number entitled "JoJoann." The acting is good and the lush color photography is very nice.
The second Feature is the long awaited, little seen gem called Sting Of Death about a scientist who turns himself into a jellyfish monster and goes on a killing spree. The monster is certainly one of the most bizarre ever created. Doug Hobart plays the monster in both films. Neil Sedaka shows up and sings a little tune and this DVD features the lyrics so you can sing along!! No monster movie fan would want to miss this DVD. A big hand to Mike Vraney at Something Weird Video for turning this one out. Quality is VERY GOOD!! Highly recommended viewing!!"

Perfect Saturday afternoon entertainment!

Greg Goodsell | Bakersfield, CA United States | 11/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Death Curse of Tartu/Sting of Death" is brilliant no-budget, no brainer entertainment! "Tartu" is overly familiar to those who watched it on Saturday afternoon creature features, the REAL find is "Sting of Death." Breath-taking color photography (looks like it was shot yesterday!), along with swingin' Sixties babes make this essential to the trash fan. And that monster! A barely disguised wet suit with the actor's feet sticking through the flippers, with a deflated platic bag for a head!!! Larry Buchanan would turn away this beastie on a bad day, I tells ya!"

Plastic Bag Headed Jellyfish Monster Meets Neil Sedaka!

Robert I. Hedges | 03/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You have to hand it to William Grefe, creator of these two features, and the people at Something Weird: this dynamic drive-in duo is a real treasure for any grade Z movie aficionado. Grefe, known for his extremely low budget horror films from the mid 1960s is in his absolute finest form here.

"Death Curse of Tartu" is about good looking teenagers who inadvertently trample (and dance on) an ancient Indian burial ground, with disastrous consequences (mostly involving alligators, snakes and rubber body parts). It's a howler, but the real treat is listening to the commentary track with Grefe mocking much of his masterwork.

Of the two, my favorite is without doubt "Sting of Death." A friend described this spectacle to me, but I was unable to fathom how bad the inflated plastic bag jellyfish head "special effect" actually looked until I watched it for myself (with a dropped jaw, I might add.) This movie is simply one of the most unintentionally hilarious films I have ever seen. It has everything: a ridiculous plot, terrible acting, wretched script, unexplained and embarrassing Neil Sedaka poolside dance number ("The Jilla-Jalla Jellyfish"), and one of the most ineptly conceived and executed monsters in screen history. You really must see the inflated plastic garbage bag jellyfish head for yourself to believe it.

There are numerous extras on the DVD, but best is the commentary with William Grefe himself giving surprisingly candid appraisals of his work.

For lovers of bad cinema, this is a double aquatic nightmare not to be missed.
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