‘Female witch doctor… fiendish tigress of the jungle!’
The Disembodied is a 1957 American horror film directed by Walter Grauman (Crowhaven Farm; Are You in the House Alone?; Nightmare on the 13th Floor) from a screenplay written by Jack Townley. It was produced by Ben Schwalb (Spook Chasers; Queen of Outer Space; The Hypnotic Eye). The movie stars Paul Burke, Allison Hayes and John E. Wengraf.
Reviews:
“Let’s face it, the reason to see this is Allison Hayes in all her seductive glory. Every move she makes is cat-like and sexualized. Every glance contains a multitude of suggestive innuendos, and her voice is as smooth as velvet. Plus, she looks terrific in a leopard print sarong and a halter top! She’s so much fun, she makes up for any plot holes and slow spots in the film.” Cinema Knife Fight
“Director Walter Grauman’s daft and trashy 1957 horror adventure is full of silly and predictable jungle high-jinks. The movie has a certain mad low-budget charm, but not a lot and the laughs outweigh any thrills or scares by about a thousand to one.” Derek Winnert
“The production is a fall-down hoot. The interior-exterior jungle sets aren’t all that bad, although an exit door from the Voodoo altar set might really be the actual stage door. This is one jungle movie without any exotic animals, not even in stock shots. No man-in-a-gorilla-suit, either.” DVD Talk
“In The Disembodied, Hayes runs the gamut from feline seductress to frightened innocent to enraged she-cat. Her astute playing makes what was written as a rather schizophrenic character into a believably “bad woman” (as the doomed Suba labels her) who uses whatever whiles the situation calls for to get what she wants — be it sultry seduction, timid vulnerability, or murderous voodoo. Thanks to her conviction and intensity, Hayes is a joy to watch (and not just for the obvious reasons).” Bryan Senn, Drums of Terror: Voodoo in the Cinema
“This is a very drab, dull voodoo movie, enlivened only by the presence of Alison (50-Foot Woman) Hayes as the wife. She’s well-cast as a bad-tempered femme fatale, who is fully confident she can get any man she wants, but then uses her voodoo powers to destroy them. Unfortunately, the script is quite muddled and the character motivations are vague…” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“With bad intentions, a little bit of action, a dance by Hayes that ends up being the most memorable thing about this picture and some voodoo magic interspersed throughout, The Disembodied is a decent film for what it is. Ultimately marketed as a horror but not exactly being one, it still manages to be a good way to pass the time which is the least of which one can ask.” The Telltale Mind
“Hayes succeeds in looking silly as a botanically minded girl who dances suggestively, clad only in a loincloth and beads in this jungle gibberish.” TV Guide
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Cast and characters:
Paul Burke … Tom Maxwell – TV series: The Wide World of Mystery; Psychic Killer
Allison Hayes … Tonda Metz – The Undead; The Unearthly; The Crawling Hand
John Wengraf … Doctor Carl Metz – Gog; The Return of Dracula
Eugenia Paul … Mara, wife of Suba
Joel Marston … Norman Adams – Point of Terror
Robert Christopher … Joe Lawson – Poor Albert and Little Annie; Frankenstein Island
Dean Fredericks … Suba (as Norman Frederic) – The Phantom Planet
A.E. Ukonu … Lead Voodoo Drummer
Paul Thompson … Gogi – The Leech Woman
Otis Greene … Kabar – Voodoo Woman; Pretty Maids All in a Row
Technical details:
66 minutes
Black and white
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Release:
Allied Artists released The Disembodied on the lower half of a double bill with From Hell It Came (1957).
Trailer:
