SincereFinest
disgusting, overrated, pointless
MoPoshy
Absolutely brilliant
Sameer Callahan
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Allison Davies
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
goodvibe-1
I have wondered for years exactly what budget this film was made. Mmmmmmmm...not tooooo bad...Actually, if you think about it, I don't know of any other similiar story-line from that time period in such a film, good or bad. I HATED the spider! Totally uncalled for! The webs and the psychotronic colors reflected in the cave interior was all that was really needed, and the Rise of Tartu in the climax was pretty good. The atmosphere was truly creepy, and the background drums could have been more subtle, though I have always believed effective. I really liked the final scene, corny as heck but the quicksand and the skull were right up my alley! The film obviously could have been done better, but HEY: it's a wonderful tool for the small-budget film maker to learn from and expand on. Great drive-in style flick!
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.
evilskip
In the Florida swamps there is an Indian burial ground that is protected by Tartu,a 100 year old dead"witch doctor".He will leave his tomb in the form of an animal of nature to kill defilers of the grounds.(Okay, being part Indian I can tell you that the term "witch doctor"didn't apply to us. Medicine Man thank you).You just know that some white men are going to defile the grounds with an archeological dig.The point man and a professor, his wife and 4 cannon fodders, I mean students, dismiss an Indian's warning about the curse of Tartu.So they go deep into the swamp to the grounds.There the obnoxious students make out, dance to bad rock and swim in the swamp. Yeah, that is always a smart move.Ol' Tartu gets mighty upset with the gang and starts to bump them off one by one.The creepiest kills are via snake(yuck). Who will survive the creepy ordeal?Well besides the aforementioned witch doctor screw up there are other pitfalls with this movie. First, there are really not many sympathetic people in this movie.You actually hope a few of them die violently because they are stupid/whiny etc.Being a goober is a requirement in these movies but this is pushing it.While the snake kills were scary, a freshwater attack by shark is kind of goofy (although gory for its time).The music is irritating and distracting.On the flip side there are great location shots. The swamp and its denizens are creepy. The wind out of nowhere is pretty creepy too.Tartu as a corpse is great as well.Not a bad movie, just average. Give it a look and give it a 5.
