Search - Voodoo Nightmare: Return to Pontianak on DVD

Ghost Woman of the Jungle

04/07/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Charity was born in Borneo, but was adopted as an infant and taken to the United States. Now, as an adult, and following a series of "premonitions", she decides to return to Borneo in an attempt to find her biological mother. Her friend Raymond agrees to help her, and organizes an expedition to enter the jungle region where Charity's natal village is located. The expedition includes Eye, a taciturn native guide, and two of Raymond's friends-Uzi, a temperamental Asian woman, and Luc, an indolent drifter.Charity and her companions drive into the back country as far as they can, and then continue on foot. Eventually, they come to a clearing with a large, ramshackle hut situated in the middle. Here they see a beautiful Malay girl. The girl approaches the party, but an older man appears and takes the girl inside the hut, where he proceeds to beat her savagely.Charity and her friends decide to leave the clearing, but soon find themselves lost in the jungle. Raymond disappears; later, they find his body-missing its head. The Malay girl from the clearing appears in the distance and utters strange sounds-sometimes laughing demoniacally, sometimes growling like an animal.Luc becomes sick and begins to vomit living, writhing insects. The experience appears to drive him insane, for he attacks Uzi and strangles her. Then he runs off into the jungle, leaving just Charity and Eye from the original group. Charity and Eye, still uncertain of their location, continue to wander through the jungle. Later, they come across Luc's body. The Malay girl appears once more, and draws Eye to her through some power of fascination.Charity runs away, and finally finds herself back at the clearing with the hut. Exhausted, she sinks down beside a tree, as the Malay girl appears behind her. We learn that the Malay girl is a Pontianak, an undead female controlled by a witch doctor. Her face takes on an inhuman appearance as she approaches Charity. . . .Clearly influenced by The Blair Witch Project, Voodoo Nightmare provides some occasional modest chills, but suffers from slow pacing, too much jerky camerawork, and a lack of interesting characters."