Tom Catt (Morris McKenny) has returned to rural Louisiana, with plans to carry out that are both immoral and illegal. Top on his list is blackmailing the upright preacher, Amos Berry (J. Augustus Smith), who has a secret indiscretion in his past that Catt threatens to make public. Heās nearly as interested in turning the preacherās niece, Myrtle (Edna Barr) into a prostitute. The locals only way of dealing with Catt is to turn to Autie Hagar (Laura Bowman), the Voodoo woman, whose nephew, Ebenezer (Lionel Monagas) is in love with Myrtle, and has turned against Voodoo.
Drums oā Voodoo, also known as Voodoo, Voodoo Drums, She Devil, and Louisiana, is not a horror film, but as a Voodoo film, itās part of the discussion of early horror. Itās a race picture (very low budget films made by nearly all Black casts and mostly Black crews to be shown for Black audiences) based on star J. Augustus Smithās stage play, Louisiana. That makes Drums oā Voodoo the first film based on a work of a Black playwright. The play had a very limited run, summing the wrath of New York critics. Smith found a producer, who, as was generally the case with race pictures, was White, who then hired short-time White director Arthur Hoerl, who is better known as the writer ofĀ ReeferĀ Madness.
They ported the play over mostly intact, including a majority of the cast and the set designs. Drums oā Voodoo is closer to a recorded play than a typical movie. The backdrops are obviously painted flats, the camera seldom moves, and everyone speaks toward the same direction. All of that is less of a problem than you might think. A majority of the race pictures Iāve seen have had such poor camerawork that it’s an improvement to park it, and the acting may be overly theatrical, but thatās its main downside, which is a step up from actorās emotionlessly reciting words they donāt understand. Taken for what it is, itās not bad.
And thereās a lot to like in the story. Mixing Christianity with Voodoo creates some nice philosophical and character moments. Drums oā Voodoo isnāt negative about Voodoo. Christianity has its good points, but for dealing with terrible people, sometimes you need Voodoo. The preacher and the Voodoo woman are on friendly terms and work together more often than not, while Ebenezer’s desire to get away from Voodoo purely for social acceptance presents lots of interesting possibilities. Itās refreshing.
There are a few odd makeup choices that may have had meaning in the 1930s that escapes me. Laura Bowman wears Blackface, except sheās Black. Did they think she was too pale for a Voodoo priestess? Itās noticeable. Far more noticeable is James Davis as Brother Zero (listed as Brother Zumee on IMDB) who also is a Black actorāthough I canāt confirm thatāwho is in full mistral show Blackface. No one else is. Since heās both an ass and a comical character, I assume that his look was to indicate he was a fool, but now itās just strange.
Unfortunately there is one insurmountable problem with Drums oā Voodoo. It was lost for fifty years, and when found, it wasnāt in good shape. Nearly twenty minutes are missing, including most of the climax. Enough exists to explain what happens to everyone, but some needed details are gone. It makes for a very unsatisfying conclusion. Iāve found no evidence for their being a complete copy of the film.