The Curse of Tartu is a 1966 horror film directed by William Grefé. Set in the wild swamps of the Florida Everglades, the film tells the haunting story of the curse of an ancient Native American medicine man named Tartu. The curse is said to bring about death and terror to anyone who disturbs his resting place. The story begins with a group of college students who embark on a research expedition to study the local wildlife and flora. Unbeknownst to them, their journey takes them to the very same location where Tartu's remains lie. As they arrive at the swamps, they are warned by a local Seminole Indian to avoid the area, as it is cursed.
A group of student archaeologists venture into the Florida Everglades to look for fossils, but come across an area cursed by a Native American witch doctor.
Part of the reason for the film s success, it must be said, is the overly dramatic and quite frenetic musical score by Al Green yes, THAT Al Green, here billed as Greene, although I m not sure if he was responsible for all the film s background music or just the tune that the teens boogie to. SANDY FERBER, on our staff since April 2014 but hanging around here since November 2012 , is a resident of Queens, New York and a product of that borough s finest institution of higher learning, Queens College.
As they arrive at the swamps, they are warned by a local Seminole Indian to avoid the area, as it is cursed. Ignoring the warning, the group continues their exploration and unknowingly awaken the spirit of Tartu. Soon after, they start experiencing strange occurrences, leading to a series of terrifying encounters with the vengeful spirit.
Death Curse of Tartu (1966)
*. I like the work Something Weird Video does in keeping drive-in trash in circulation, and I especially like the DVD commentaries their releases come with. In fact, a lot of the time the commentaries are more fun, even a lot more fun, than the movies.
*. This is the case with the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis. Though only a few of his movies repay a second viewing, Lewis’s commentaries are always bright and entertaining. William Grefé is a step down from Lewis both in the directing and the commenting department. There are fun spots when listening to Grefé, like when he remarks during one of his signature booty-shaking dance scenes that “the girls in the ’60s had a little meat on them. If I shot them now they’d be skin and bones.” But overall you get the sense that he’s a bit surprised that anyone should care about any of this.
*. Grefé’s movies are definitely not worth watching twice, so when I came back to this one I just plugged it in and listened to the commentary. I knew I wasn’t missing anything.
*. By the way, in case you’re wondering, if you take another step down from William Grefé you get Andy Milligan, whose movies aren’t worth watching at all. And since he died in 1991 there aren’t any commentaries. But Something Weird have done what they can for them.
*. So, Death Curse of Tartu. Grefé needed to make a movie quick and he had the funding so he took the old story of the mummy’s curse and transplanted it to the Florida Everglades, changing Tutankhamun to a more Native American-sounding Tartu. Though I don’t think Tartu is a Native American name. It’s actually the name of the second-largest city in Estonia and a residence at the University of Toronto (which is named after the city in Estonia). I lived there for a couple of years. The residence, not the city in Estonia.
*. The mummy idea wasn’t bad, and the way the mummy can turn itself into different swamp critters was kind of original. I wonder what the first film to do this was. Not just something like Cat People where you have a character who may be turning into a particular spirit animal or familiar, but one with the power to be all kinds of different animals. I can’t think of an earlier example of this, though I’m sure it had been done before.
*. Grefé wrote the script in 24 hours and then shot the whole thing in a week on a budget of $27,000. So the only response to complaints about how awful it looks is “What did you expect?” Or as Grefé himself puts it on the commentary track: “You know when you read some critics they’ll compare a movie like this with a fifty-million-dollar horror movie and you know my saying is let the guy who directed the fifty-million-dollar film and had six months, let him try to shoot a picture in seven days and see how good he does on $27,000.”
*. This is a strong defence, and up to a point unanswerable. The point being where Grefé no longer gave a damn precisely because of his limitations. Does it make sense to have Tartu take the form of a shark when (1) there’s no way a shark could crawl out of the tomb as we see the snake doing; (2) Grefé could only intercut stock footage of a shark swimming around with a guy flailing madly in the water in order to depict a shark attack; and (3) there are no sharks in the Everglades? No. But as he says, “”When you write a screenplay in 24 hours what the hell do you want?”
*. There have been low-budget auteurs who have done more with less. Death Curse of Tartu is only functional given its budget, and that’s not nearly enough. It’s just painful to watch the actors struggling through the swamp and reacting to animals that aren’t there. As a movie, it feels like we’re stuck with them in a kind of endurance test. Throughout the commentary there’s joking about how characters who are killed off have been set free. Despite its promising premise and the semblance of a structure to its nonsensical script, it was hard for me not to feel a similiar sense of release at the end.
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This entry was posted in 1960s on March 17, 2019 by Alex Good .
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*. I like the work Something Weird Video does in keeping drive-in trash in circulation, and I especially like the DVD commentaries their releases come with. In fact, a lot of the time the commentaries are more fun, even a lot more fun, than the movies.
*. This is the case with the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis. Though only a few of his movies repay a second viewing, Lewis’s commentaries are always bright and entertaining. William Grefé is a step down from Lewis both in the directing and the commenting department. There are fun spots when listening to Grefé, like when he remarks during one of his signature booty-shaking dance scenes that “the girls in the ’60s had a little meat on them. If I shot them now they’d be skin and bones.” But overall you get the sense that he’s a bit surprised that anyone should care about any of this.
*. Grefé’s movies are definitely not worth watching twice, so when I came back to this one I just plugged it in and listened to the commentary. I knew I wasn’t missing anything.
*. By the way, in case you’re wondering, if you take another step down from William Grefé you get Andy Milligan, whose movies aren’t worth watching at all. And since he died in 1991 there aren’t any commentaries. But Something Weird have done what they can for them.
*. So, Death Curse of Tartu. Grefé needed to make a movie quick and he had the funding so he took the old story of the mummy’s curse and transplanted it to the Florida Everglades, changing Tutankhamun to a more Native American-sounding Tartu. Though I don’t think Tartu is a Native American name. It’s actually the name of the second-largest city in Estonia and a residence at the University of Toronto (which is named after the city in Estonia). I lived there for a couple of years. The residence, not the city in Estonia.
*. The mummy idea wasn’t bad, and the way the mummy can turn itself into different swamp critters was kind of original. I wonder what the first film to do this was. Not just something like Cat People where you have a character who may be turning into a particular spirit animal or familiar, but one with the power to be all kinds of different animals. I can’t think of an earlier example of this, though I’m sure it had been done before.
*. Grefé wrote the script in 24 hours and then shot the whole thing in a week on a budget of $27,000. So the only response to complaints about how awful it looks is “What did you expect?” Or as Grefé himself puts it on the commentary track: “You know when you read some critics they’ll compare a movie like this with a fifty-million-dollar horror movie and you know my saying is let the guy who directed the fifty-million-dollar film and had six months, let him try to shoot a picture in seven days and see how good he does on $27,000.”
*. This is a strong defence, and up to a point unanswerable. The point being where Grefé no longer gave a damn precisely because of his limitations. Does it make sense to have Tartu take the form of a shark when (1) there’s no way a shark could crawl out of the tomb as we see the snake doing; (2) Grefé could only intercut stock footage of a shark swimming around with a guy flailing madly in the water in order to depict a shark attack; and (3) there are no sharks in the Everglades? No. But as he says, “”When you write a screenplay in 24 hours what the hell do you want?”
*. There have been low-budget auteurs who have done more with less. Death Curse of Tartu is only functional given its budget, and that’s not nearly enough. It’s just painful to watch the actors struggling through the swamp and reacting to animals that aren’t there. As a movie, it feels like we’re stuck with them in a kind of endurance test. Throughout the commentary there’s joking about how characters who are killed off have been set free. Despite its promising premise and the semblance of a structure to its nonsensical script, it was hard for me not to feel a similiar sense of release at the end.
Their lives are turned into a living nightmare as they try to escape the curse. The Curse of Tartu combines elements of Native American folklore, supernatural horror, and creature features. It draws on the fear of the unknown, as the group is pursued by an unseen force determined to exact revenge. The film is filled with suspenseful moments and atmospheric scenes in the dark and treacherous swamps. While The Curse of Tartu received mixed reviews upon its release, it has gained a cult following over the years due to its low-budget charm and unique setting. The film showcases the beauty and danger of the Florida Everglades, adding a sense of realism to the horror elements. Overall, The Curse of Tartu is a classic example of 1960s horror cinema, with its blend of folklore, supernatural elements, and a group of unsuspecting individuals being terrorized. It remains a notable film in the genre and a memorable representation of the Curse of Tartu..
Reviews for "The Curse of Tartu Unveiled: True or False?"
1. John - 1/5 stars - I couldn't stand watching "Curse of tartu". The acting was atrocious, with wooden performances and delivery of lines that made me cringe. The plot was also incredibly slow and predictable, with no suspense or scares whatsoever. The special effects were laughable and looked cheaply made. Overall, this movie was a complete waste of time and I would not recommend it to anyone.
2. Mary - 2/5 stars - "Curse of tartu" had potential, but it fell flat for me. The storyline had some interesting elements, but it was poorly executed. The pacing was inconsistent, with moments that dragged on and others that felt rushed. The characters lacked depth, and I found it difficult to connect or care about their fates. The film also relied heavily on cliched horror tropes, which made it feel uninspired. While there were a few creepy scenes, they were few and far between. Overall, I was disappointed by "Curse of tartu" and wouldn't recommend it to fans of the genre.
3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I was expecting more from "Curse of tartu" based on the reviews, but I found it underwhelming. The cinematography was amateurish, with poor lighting and framing that took away from the atmosphere. The dialogue was clunky, and the characters made questionable decisions that were frustrating to watch. The scares were predictable and lacked any real tension, leaving me feeling disappointed. Overall, "Curse of tartu" failed to deliver on its promises and left me wanting more.