My review was written in June 1991 after watching the movie on RCA/Columbia video cassette.
African tribal rites form an atmospheric backdrop for horror in "Curse III", a convincing genre title recently released directly to video.
Unlike many films shot in South Africa, this one benefits from not trying too hard to hide its origins with some fake U. S. setting. Instead, pic is set in East Africa in 1950 for a tale of black magic.
Previous entries in the "Cursed" series were produced by Ovidio Assonitis: "The Farm", directed by David Keith in Tennessee and Rome; and "The Bite", a goofball snake picture starring Jill Schoelen, shot in New Mexico.
Jenilee Harrison is the pregnant heroine married to farmer Andre Jacobs. She and her family are cursed by witch doctor Dumi Shongwe when her sister (Jennifer Steyn) butt in and saves a goal from being sacrificed in traditional manner after the death of a native boy.
As local doctor Christopher Lee points out in one of several expository speeches, if a proper sacrifice isn't carried out after the death of a child, the Nyonga (witch doctor) can summon up the evil spirit of the sea to create mayhem.
Such a reptilian monster shows up on screen at film's end, after going on a killing spree. Both monster and mean witch doctor are destroyed by fire.
With Lee's stentorian voice delivering ominous warnings and attractive Harrison filling the damsel-in-distress slot, "Curse III" delivers quality scares, especially when Harrison finds her foreman (Henry Cele) with hi head falling off waiting in the car in a getaway scene.
Only silly element is homesick Harrison chanting "America, America" out loud to pump up her spirits in moments of distress; it sounds like a familiar chorus uttered by actresses toiling in B movies shot in distant locales.
