Plot: What’s it about?
When Christopher Sawyer (Riley Smith) enrolls at a bible school, he has no idea what lies in store for him. At first glance, Carmichael Bible College seems like a nice place to learn, as no serious problems are evident on the surface. But this not your usual bible school by any means and that’s exactly what Christopher is about to discover the hard way. The man who runs the college, Reverend Carmichael (Chad Burris) is a charismatic person who knows how to talk people into whatever he wants, which seems typical for a preacher, eh? He is helped by a sexy and very flirtatious Mrs. Bouvier (Debra Mayer), who also knows how to get what she wants. The young men enrolled in order to learn, but instead they’re sucked into a plot which stakes their very lives on the line. It seems as though the faculty has plans to turn the students into voodoo dolls, which is bad news for the attendees. Can the boys manage to escape this cruel fate, or will they be trapped inside the dolls forever?
I was unsure of what to expect from Voodoo Academy, but soon enough I discovered it is more of the classic Full Moon style, but with a twist. In cheap horror flicks like this one, you’ll usually find a plethora of female exploitation, but in this film the guys are the ones under fire. This creates an interesting and although I am always in favor of female flesh, this one still turns out to be a good time. Voodoo Academy is like most Full Moon movies, in that you won’t find immense production values or an artistic impression film, but more of a “so bad, it’s good” type of film. You’ve got the cheese filled dialogue, poor acting, and above all else, cool special effects. Not cool like in Jurassic Park by any means, but still very cool and worth a look. I think fans of Full Moon will want to give this flick a chance and what better way to do so, than with this excellent Lunar Edition disc? You’ll find a terrific audio & video treatment, as well as a superb collection of supplements. So if you’re a Full Moon fanatic, this disc is one you will not want to miss!
The man behind the camera for Voodoo Academy is David DeCoteau, whom Full Moon fans are sure to recognize. It seems like he has a knack (and love) for low budget horror flicks, as he has directed a rather large number of them. This also means most of his work is better than average, since he has the experience to maximize his limited resources on a film. Such is the case with this movie, where it seems DeCoteau used his means to perfection and a lesser director might have come up much too short. In other hands this film might have fallen apart, but DeCoteau delivers it in the best form you could hope for. It might not be award winning filmmaking, but it is a terrific turn for this type of film. If you want to see more of DeCoteau’s work I recommend Puppet Master III, Dr. Alien, Witchouse, Retro Puppet Master, and Totem. The cast here is about as good as you might think, which means pretty bad at times. But they do the best they can and for this film, that more than enough. The cast includes Riley Smith (Bring It On), Debra Mayer (Blood Dolls), Kevin Calisher, Chad Burris, and Huntley Ritter (Bring It On, Redemption High).
Video: How does it look?
Voodoo Academy is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the original aspect ratio of the film. This is an average transfer overall, though I suspect Full Moon has done the best they can with the source elements. The main problem is the grain, which is almost always present though it never becomes too distracting in the end. Still, it shouldn’t be so frequent and as such, I’m knocking this transfer down a tad in the ratings. The colors and contrast suffer somewhat due to the grain, but the overall image is still average, never worse.
Audio: How does it sound?
This isn’t the film to demo your sound system with, but I found no problems that detracted from the experience. The music sounds clean and rich, though not as immersive as I would have liked. The sound effects are well placed and sometimes add a lot to the atmosphere of the film, which is great. The dialogue is in fine form also, clarity is high and no harshness is evident. I wasn’t blown away by the sound, but it gets the job done and that’s what counts.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This another Lunar Edition title from the folks at Full Moon and as such, it is loaded with bonus features. A special look at director David DeCoteau is included, which offers a filmography, biography, trailer reel with commentary, and an introduction to the film itself. You’ll also find a twenty-nine minute behind the scenes montage of footage, with commentary again by DeCoteau. This offers some cool shots and even some makeup effects sequences, which I love. The film’s theatrical trailer can be also be found here, as well as a fourteen minute blooper/outtake reel. Rounding out the disc are two alternate audio tracks, one a commentary with DeCoteau and the other a “raw” audio track option. DeCoteau’s track is filled with information on the film’s more interesting aspects, while the “raw” track lets you hear the actual, unfinished audio. Very cool! Also, this disc features the final cut that reflects DeCoteau’s vision for the film, which is always nice I think.
