The Possession of Nurse Sherri

Things go downhill from there. Possessed by the Reanhaur's spirit, Sherri goes on a killing spree that would make Andy Milligan proud. Her doctor/boyfriend (whiny-voiced Geoffrey Land) thinks she's having an affair, but a blinded football player (Prentiss Moulden) who was raised by--get this--a voodoo priestess knows what Sherri's *real* problem is. He knows how to stop Sherri, if Nurse Tara (Marilyn Joi), who's got the hots for him, is willing to do some grave robbing for the good of mankind.

Supposedly this movie was originally conceived as a ripoff of Roger Corman's sexploitation pic "The Student Nurses," but after producer Sam Sherman saw "Carrie" he decided to turn this into a horror movie. To make room for the spooky stuff, the sex scenes were cut, which explains why all the nurses in "Black Voodoo" are particularly libidinous ("Beth, you want to put Ed's stethoscope back in his pants?"), yet seldom act on their spoken desires. It probably explains why the busty Jacobson got the lead: She was expected to open her blouse, not her mouth. Unfortunately with the new horror story, she has to summon up some emotions but is unable to find any. Land, who delivers all his lines as if making an aspirin commercial, isn't much better. And it's obvious scenes were made with minimal takes as there are several instances were actors stumble over their lines. The pace is leaden through much of the movie (sex scenes were cut to make room for Reanhaur's three-minute ambulance ride?), and there is one scene that's so dark the viewer has no clue what's going on. With this type movie I expect bad acting, silly dialog and ridiculous narratives, but I can't forgive its being boring. And to think this was actually a hit with drive-in audiences!

Furthermore, "Black Voodoo" isn't really blaxploitation. Oh, there are some African American characters (and Xenon Entertainment is sure to use all their pictures on the box cover), but they're supporting players. No, this was originally titled "Nurse Sherri," and just retitled to get a few extra dollars from black audiences. The movie has been retitled again, as "The Possession of Nurse Sherri," in its DVD incarnation and is perhaps the better version to see. Not only does it feature commentary by Sam Sherman, but the disc also includes an unreleased cut of the movie featuring the excised sex scenes. Maybe that cut restores the movie's entertainment value as well.