The Night of the Sorcerers

In 1910, a missionary named Barbara King is captured by bokor priests deep in the jungle. They whip her, bind her to two posts, and decapitate her on a stone altar as the full moon rises. The ceremony is interrupted by soldiers, yet a shedim demon slips into Barbara's body and remains unseen amid the chaos.

Years after the prologue, Professor Jonathan Grant leads a West African safari to investigate the vanished elephants. The expedition includes Rod Carter, two blonde women (Elizabeth and Carol), and a mulatto woman named Tunika, with Elizabeth's father funding the trip. They hope to document the mystery and perhaps secure a scientific breakthrough.

The expedition stumbles upon the clearing where Vodoun rituals once took place and colonial violence had wiped out the locals. They decide to camp nearby to study the site and its history. Carol begins photographing the altar for a magazine feature, drawn by the eerie surroundings.

That night, Carol returns to the clearing to capture more atmospheric shots. The long-dead bokor’s ceremony is revived as a leopard-skinned figure from the jungle subdues her. The demon takes control as the ritual intensifies under the moonlight.

The next day the expedition searches for Carol but discovers only her camera left at the edge of the clearing. The leopard-woman threat hangs over the camp, indicating the supernatural danger has intensified. The team realizes their scientific expedition has become a fight for survival against an ancient power.

That night the leopard-women stealthily enter the camp. Professor Grant is killed, and the photographs he was developing are destroyed, wiping out crucial documentation. Liz, upset and groggy from sleeping pills, is too destabilized to react as the intruders close in.

The two blondes slip away from the camp and join the other leopard-woman in the jungle, leaving the remaining survivors uneasy about what comes next. The sense of danger thickens as the supernatural threat moves deeper into the wilderness. Liz remains shaken by the night's events.

As the leopard-women retreat, Elizabeth realizes what is about to happen and is attacked. The two intruders plunge their fangs into her neck, killing her in the struggle. The brutal end underscores the terror looming over the expedition.

That night the demon-possessed Elizabeth and Carol, both now wearing leopard skins, abduct Tunika at the ceremonial clearing and place her on the altar. They begin the ritual, harming Tunika with their nails and fangs. Rod Carter appears in time to witness the chaos and prepares to intervene.

Rod emerges from the jungle and shoots the two leopard-women and the resurrected Bokor, ending the ceremony with a volley of gunfire. He tosses his ammunition belts into the ceremonial fire, destroying the evidence of the ritual. In the confusion, he secures Tunika and makes for a nearby jeep.

Rod carries Tunika to a jeep and drives off into the jungle, aiming for safety away from the cursed clearing. Tunika voices a cryptic reassurance, saying she’s feeling better already in the breathy Shedim-inflected voice. The pair disappears into the night, leaving the ritual behind them.

With the immediate danger behind them for the moment, the expedition confronts the lingering power of Vodoun and the Shedim. Tunika's whispered remark hints that the demon may still inhabit her or shape her fate. The film ends on a chilling note about the reach of these ancient forces.