Voodoo Woman (1957) Plot Summary Explained

Marilyn is ruthless and greedy. When Harry West discovers gold in the idol worshipped by the jungle tribe, she agrees to join his expedition but plans to keep all the gold for herself. She murders Harry to take sole possession of the treasure map and eliminate any claim he has to the prize.

• marilyn blanchard
• harry west
• murder
• treasure map
• greed

Gerard believes the perfect servant must be able to carry out his commands without hesitation. He explicitly states that his first female subject lacked the killer instinct necessary to follow his instructions. Without this trait, the creature would be unable to do his bidding, making the experiment a failure.

• dr roland gerard
• killer instinct
• experiment
• control

Gerard's initial attempt to create a female superbeing failed for two reasons. First, the transformation was only temporary, meaning the subject reverted back to normal. Second, the native girl used as a subject lacked the killer instinct Gerard deemed essential for carrying out his commands. These flaws made her useless for his plans.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the narrative establishes that Gerard requires absolute control over his creations, hinting at why a weak-willed subject would fail.

• transformation
• failure
• native girl
• temporary

When Gerard encounters the treasure hunters, he identifies Marilyn as the perfect subject because she possesses the ruthless, determined personality and killer instinct his experiment requires. Unlike the previous subject, Marilyn has the mental fortitude and aggression needed to become a controllable superbeing.

• marilyn blanchard
• subject selection
• perfect candidate

Gerard uses a combination of hypnosis and telepathy to maintain mental control over Marilyn. However, when she discovers that the treasure hunt was pointless and the gold is gone, the emotional shock breaks his hold over her mind. The loss of his mental control triggers her violent rampage, leading her to destroy him.

• mental control
• hypnosis
• telepathy
• breaking free
• rampage

After killing Gerard, Marilyn regains her human form and tries to salvage the golden idol from near the gas pit used for native sacrifices. As she reaches for the idol, she loses her balance and falls into the pit. The fall somehow triggers her transformation back into the beast.

• idol
• gas pit
• fall
• transformation
• sacrifice

Susan Gerard no longer loves her husband and wants to leave, but she is prevented from doing so by Dr. Gerard and the native tribe that assists him. Her trapped situation represents another form of imprisonment within the jungle, paralleling the control Gerard tries to exert over his experimental subjects.

• susan gerard
• captivity
• trapped
• escape

During the chaos of Marilyn's violent rampage, Ted Bronson and Susan Gerard manage to escape from the jungle laboratory. Their survival is ensured by the confusion caused by Marilyn's destruction of Gerard, allowing them to flee the compound while the laboratory burns.

• ted bronson
• susan gerard
• escape
• survival
• chaos

Dr. Gerard is a mad scientist who has exiled himself deep in the jungle where voodoo rituals are practiced. He blends native voodoo ceremonies with his own biochemical experiments, using a combination of native spiritual practices and his scientific discoveries to attempt creating a superhuman being.

• voodoo
• science
• experiment
• biochemistry
• jungle
• rituals

After Gerard's experiment, Marilyn becomes an invulnerable monster with superhuman strength. She is described as nearly indestructible, making her a powerful weapon. However, she remains mentally connected to Gerard through his hypnosis and telepathy, at least until she breaks free from his control.

• monster
• invulnerable
• superhuman
• strength
• transformation