Voodoo Man

Voodoo Man

Year: 1944

Runtime: 62 mins

Language: English

Director: William Beaudine

MysteryHorrorHorror

HIS LUST FOR VOODOOISM SPELLS D-O-O-M! A mad doctor (Bela Lugosi) and his helpers (John Carradine, George Zucco) lure girls to his lab for brain work, to help his wife.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Voodoo Man (1944)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Voodoo Man (1944). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Mid-20th century

The events occur in a rural, mid-20th-century context with small-town life and roadside America as the backdrop. Technology and social norms of the era shape how characters respond to disappearances, crime, and occult practices. The period's sensibilities contribute to the sense of vulnerability and tension that drives the plot.

Location

Laurel Road, Twin Falls, Marlowe's House, Benton Apartment, isolated gas station in the countryside

The story centers on a rural landscape anchored by a secluded gas station along Laurel Road and the nearby remote house where the voodoo ritual unfolds. The setting includes a small-town sheriff's office and the Benton apartment, creating a contrast between everyday life and occult danger. The atmosphere relies on winding roads, dim lighting, and the isolation that amplifies the horror.

🌾 Rural setting 🏚 Haunted house 🧭 Road thriller 🕵️‍♂️ Small-town investigation

Last Updated: December 10, 2025 at 12:32

Main Characters – Voodoo Man (1944)

Meet the key characters of Voodoo Man (1944), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Toby (John Carradine)

Gas station attendant who helps block the road and capture the missing women. He is complicit in the sinister operation and shows pragmatic loyalty rather than overt malice. His actions contribute to the film's tension on the roadside and in the plot's darker undercurrents.

🛣️ Villainy 🎭 Obedience 🗺️ Roadside menace

Nicholas (George Zucco)

Isolated gas-station owner who lures victims and participates in the voodoo plot. He exudes a quiet, calculating menace and serves as a conduit between the everyday world and the occult scheme. His role anchors the conspiracy in a seemingly ordinary setting.

🧭 Manipulation 🎭 Coldness 🧪 Occultism

Stella Saunders (Louise Currie)

A young woman who stops for directions and becomes a target of Marlowe's experiments. She experiences trance-like states and resistance to the ritual's control, highlighting her resilience amid danger. Her connection to the wedding subplot adds social stakes to the horror.

💃 Victim 🧠 Mind awareness 🗝️ Affinity

Betty Benton (Wanda McKay)

Betty is Stella's cousin and the bride-to-be's companion, entangled in the tension surrounding the wedding and the Marlowe mystery. She represents a potential candidate for the ritual's elusive 'perfect affinity' and faces the encroaching danger head-on.

👰 Wedding 🧭 Pursuit 🧩 Affinity

Evelyn Marlowe (Ethelreda Leopold)

The dead wife of Marlowe who is preserved and revived briefly by the ritual. She embodies the cost of resurrection and the loss of authentic self when a living soul is used as a vessel. Her appearances haunt the ritual space.

👻 Resurrection 🧬 Identity 🧪 Occult science

Dr. Richard Marlowe (Bela Lugosi)

Driven physician who conducts the mind-transfer ritual in a desperate bid to reunite with his wife. He epitomizes obsessive science and the dangers of playing god. His downfall underscores the moral limits of control over life and death.

🧠 Obsession 🧪 Science 🪄 Ritual

Ralph Dawson (Tod Andrews)

Hollywood screenwriter who stumbles into the mystery and hopes to turn the events into a horror script. He becomes a witness to the ritual's consequences and the peril of fictionalizing real danger.

🎬 Screenwriter 🕵️ Investigation 🧭 Roadside danger

Grego (Pat McKee)

One of the men aiding Toby in the ambush who participates in the kidnapping plots and the violent elements surrounding the disappearances. He helps manage the ritual's operations and the criminals' schemes.

🕵️‍♂️ Henchman 🧩 Untrustworthy ally

Mrs. Benton (Mary Currier)

Betty and Stella's relative who inhabits the Benton home; she embodies the domestic layer of the setting and the vulnerability of ordinary life to occult danger. She bears witness to the unfolding events.

🏠 Family 🧭 Domestic fear

Sam (Ralph Littlefield)

Gas station attendant seen in the rural setting who interacts with travelers and contributes to the roadside atmosphere. He helps build the sense of place and the danger around the gas station.

🚦 Supporting role 🗺️ Local color

Sheriff (Henry Hall)

Local law enforcement who arrives during the crisis and provides the procedural counterpoint to the occult horror. He stabilizes the situation amid the unfolding chaos.

👮 Law enforcement ⚖️ Authority

Alice (Terry Walker)

First motorist victim whose disappearance triggers the investigation. She represents the vulnerable traveler who becomes a casualty of the criminal plot.

🚗 Victim 🕸️ Intrusion

Zombie (Dorothy Bailer)

One of the zombie figures summoned in the ritual, illustrating the horror of reanimated bodies used to empower the spell.

🧟 Zombie 💀 Possession

Zombie (Claire James)

Another zombie participant in the ritual, embodying the undead presence within the ritual space.

🧟 Zombie 👁️ Ominous presence

Zombie (Ethelreda Leopold)

An additional zombie linked to the revival plot, showing the ritual's reach and the moral costs of resurrection.

🧟 Zombie 🗝️ Voodoo control

S.K. - The Producer (John Ince)

Uncredited producer figure referenced in the film's lore who presides over on-screen narrative production within the story.

🎥 Film industry 🧭 Authority

Last Updated: December 10, 2025 at 12:32

Major Themes – Voodoo Man (1944)

Explore the central themes of Voodoo Man (1944), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔮 Mind Transfer

A scientist attempts to transfer Stella's mind into Evelyn's body to revive his dead wife, raising questions about identity and the boundaries of self. The plan hinges on willpower and domination, exposing how easily a person can be reduced to a vessel for others' desires. The narrative uses this premise to explore ethics in science and love.

🧟 Zombies

The ritual conjures reanimated women who become vessels for the ritual's power, embodying the horror of control over living beings. These undead figures symbolize the erosion of agency and the commodification of life for occult ends. The zombies heighten the film's atmosphere of menace and exploitation.

🪄 Occult Rituals

Voodoo ceremonies, portraits, and trance states drive the plot, blending superstition with a pseudo-scientific framework. The rituals create a sense of ritualistic danger and moral ambiguity around resurrection. The story uses magical rites to question the costs of attempting to master life and death.

Last Updated: December 10, 2025 at 12:32

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Movies with Mad Science and Macabre Experiments like Voodoo Man

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The narrative typically follows a singular, obsessive figure whose grief or ambition leads them to perform disturbing acts, often involving kidnapping or manipulation. The plot is straightforward, focusing on the process of the experiment and the eventual confrontation that leads to a morally complex or tragic conclusion.

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Narrative Summary

These stories unfold at a steady pace, introducing a simple but effective supernatural or scientific premise. The focus is on maintaining a specific mood—creepy, melancholic, or sinister—throughout, leading to an ending that often has mixed or bittersweet resolutions for the characters involved.

Why These Movies?

These films are connected by their shared approach to horror: a focus on atmospheric dread, a straightforward narrative structure, and a medium-intensity experience driven by mood and concept. They deliver chills through a consistent tone and pulpy, classic horror sensibilities.

Unlock the Full Story of Voodoo Man

Don't stop at just watching — explore Voodoo Man in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Voodoo Man is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Voodoo Man Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Voodoo Man, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Voodoo Man Summary

Voodoo Man Timeline

Track the full timeline of Voodoo Man with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Voodoo Man Timeline

Voodoo Man Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Voodoo Man that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Voodoo Man Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Voodoo Man

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