The Daily Dig: Curse III Blood Sacrifice (1991)

Don’t let the sequel curse fool you; “Curse III” is only a sequel in name and boasts a strong, supernatural story with rich African lore.

A curse is laid upon European settlers in nineteen fifties South Africa. Let’s dig into 1991’s CURSE III – BLOOD SACRIFICE, directed by Sean Barton!

As I See It

Set in Africa in the nineteen fifties, it’s inevitable for geopolitics to play a part in the story.

It’s not a terribly deep story, but using horror to spotlight imperialism tickles my fancy. I’m always a big fan of wrapping real-life issues into genre films. It’s tailor-made for that.

Originally released as Panga, they forced it as a sequel to The Curse, which starred Wil Wheaton and was covered in an earlier Dig.

The monster doesn’t rear its head until the climax, and it’s some amalgam of the Creature from the Black Lagoon and African lore. It doesn’t do much damage besides destroying some windows.

Thanks to it not being a true sequel, it avoids the watered-down copies of other eighties franchises. That’s not to say it is a sturdy film throughout, but it is at least not diluted.

Solid curse tale with solid execution; it’s just not riveting.

Famous Faces

Sir Christopher Lee (Dr. Pearson) is one of the most frequent actors that I have the pleasure of watching on the Dig. The late, great Lee may have entered pop culture stardom as Saruman (The Lord of the Rings) and Count Dooku (Star Wars prequels), but he cut his fangs on low-budget genre films — especially as Dracula in countless Hammer Horror films.

South African filmmaker, Gavin Hood,  known for Tsotsi, makes an appearance as “Robert”.

Of Gratuitous Nature

Gavin Hood and Jeniffer Steyn do share a sex scene in a tent, which is usually a recipe for tragedy in a horror film. They don’t break the trope. Tent sex leads to a slashing.

Heartthrob

Sir Christopher Lee is given the best dialogue and delivers it in his patented, buttery, Westminster accent.

Ripe for a Remake

It takes its singularity from the geographic setting. I would welcome more horror tales with rich African folklore that is actually set in Africa.

Spawns

Much like the sequels that have been shoehorned into the Cloverfield franchise, this film is a sequel only in name and was originally released as Panga. There was a so-called fourth installment, also known as Catacombs, but it too was a sequel only in name.

Where to Watch

A Blu-Ray is available from Ronin Flix and Scorpion Releasing. You can rent Curse III Blood Sacrifice on Amazon.