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Film: Bad Voodoo
Year: 2026
Directors: Andrew Adler and Andre Hepburn
Writer: David Fearn
Starring: Cristina Moody, Justin Genna and Manny Perez
Review:
This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Alex from Simply Legendary Publicity, who sent over the press release. I was able to get a screener link. Now outside of figuring out that this was a 2026 horror film, I did come in blind. Seeing the title did intrigue me since voodoo is an element that I enjoy when used properly in horror. I also like to have independent cinema for my end of year list.
Synopsis: escaped convicts face horrors after taking a woman hostage in her house. As a plot emerges, they struggle against dark forces for survival.
We start this in a car where we have a family. The father is driving, John. With him are his daughters, Amelia (Annaliese Curry) and Rebecca (Isabella Leone). This is a fateful night as they’re in a car accident. Their car is struck from the side.
It then shifts over to our lead, Abigail (Cristina Moody). She seems to be part of a commune of sorts. What we’ll learn is that she’s the mother and wife of the family. She’s struggling with the grief of what happened. This group seems to have helped. It is run by Lucinda (Angie Lubin). She is impressed with the progress that Abby has made.
We then see her at home. There’s a knock at her door and it is Marcus (Scott Sederquist). He’s a police officer and he’s checking on her. Abby knows that he has a crush on her. There’s more history here that we’ll learn later. The reason he's worried is that there was a nearby prison break. Four convicts are at large so he’s making sure that she’s safe. She is annoyed by him, but can also acknowledge it is sweet.
She goes into her living room where she has a sewing station. We see her check her phone to confirm the news story that Marcus told her. She seems excited. We see that part of it is that she’s created these dolls out of fabric. She’s not alone though. The criminals have broken into her house, or did they? They’re led by Doc (Manny Perez) and he’s with Nonzo (Alex Joseph Pires), Smooth (Justin Lombard) who has been shot. The final one is Nice (Justin Genna).
This is a set up though. Nice turns out to be John, Abby’s husband. Doc and the other two played a part in a tragedy that changed this married couple’s life. There is more to those events though. John and Abby are performing a ritual with the aid of a voodoo priest, Houngans (Jimmy C. Jules). There’s another person who comes over to help facilitate. The curse they enact is set to punish all those that are involved with the tragedy of the car accident. This is literal and secrets come to light.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that I have things that I like about this film and issues as well. Let’s start with the positives, I find it creative to have this Caucasian couple that decides to use voodoo to get revenge on these criminals who all but got a slap on the wrist for the accident that killed Amelia and Rebecca. This is a bit underdeveloped. This was a car accident and I’m not fully sure why this couple believes there is more here. I will acknowledge that I may have missed something for this to make more sense.
Now that I have that set up, let’s delve into the use of voodoo in this film. There is usually the conceit that you must believe in it for it to work. That’s not the case here. I do like that using the voodoo dolls allows Abby to control men that would otherwise overpower her. There is an element here that she gets scolded by Houngans. He believes that she’s violated an agreement that they have. This ultimately doesn’t amount to much, so I’m not entirely sure why it was included. The use of these rituals makes for good visuals, which I give credit to.
Something else to give credit to is that we have grieving parents who are using this ritual for revenge. That is something I could connect with, as if anything happened to either of my children, I could see myself seeking revenge. It is wild to hear everything that John did to set up this plot. That is a bit contrived. Since it is a movie, I can overlook it to an extent. I do like a character later in this factor back in for your ritual. The secrets that characters harbor is good since it all needs to come to light.
The basic story uses a revenge ritual, just not one you normally see. Moody and Genna lead as the grieving parents. Curry and Leone create eerie scenes, messing with the parents' minds as manifestations, leaving their true nature uncertain. We also get to see them through flashbacks. Perez, Pires, and Lombard are the criminals. They all worked for what was needed. John Fiore and Allison Klinman get involved later as detectives. Lubin and Jules also play solid roles. The acting is acceptable for a film like this.
All that is left then would be filmmaking aspects. I like the setting; the normal facade conceals Abby's creepy rituals. The solid, effective cinematography and framing supported decent, though limited, effects. Later elements, like realistic blood and sound design, improved the film. My main issue is the slow pacing, which made it hard to connect with the characters and invest in the events. It isn’t poorly made by any stretch, so I’ll give credit there.
In conclusion, this takes a unique approach to the revenge horror subgenre by intertwining a home invasion narrative with the spiritual weight of voodoo rituals. While the film offers creative visuals, a solid premise involving grieving parents seeking justice, and a committed cast, it struggles with pacing issues and underdeveloped plot points concerning the initial tragedy. Despite these shortcomings, the film is competently made and provides an interesting, albeit slow-burning, independent cinematic experience that explores how far desperation can drive people for vengeance.
My Rating: 5 out of 10