Obeah!

{{Infobox film

| name = Obeah!

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name =

| director = F. Herrick Herrick

| producer =

| writer = Robert Carse{{sfn|Polack|2017|p=49}}

| screenplay =

| story = F. Herrick Herrick

| based_on =

| starring = {{plainlist|

}}

| narrator =

| music =

| cinematography = Harry W. Smith

| editing = Leonard Weiss

| studio = Arcturus Pictures

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|1935|02}}

| runtime = 75 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Obeah!{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b748a0ed9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730072729/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b748a0ed9|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 30, 2017|work=British Film Institute|title=Obeah! (1935)|access-date=29 July 2017}} is a 1935 American horror film directed by F. Herrick Herrick and starring Jean Brooks and Phillips Lord. In the United Kingdom, the film was released under the title The Mystery Ship.{{sfn|Polack|2017|p=49}} It is believed to be a lost film, as no copies of it are known to exist.{{cite web|url=http://www.nearshoreamericas.com/myth-and-magic-superstitions-and-traditional-beliefs-from-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/|work=Nearshore Americas|title=Of Myth and Magic: Exploring Superstitions and Traditional Beliefs from Latin America and the Caribbean|author=Thomas, Hilda|date=7 April 2015|access-date=29 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151220155926/http://www.nearshoreamericas.com/myth-and-magic-superstitions-and-traditional-beliefs-from-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/|archive-date=20 December 2015}}

Plot

A sailor, known as "The Adventurer," searching for a lost American explorer discovers him being held hostage on a remote island in the South Sea. The man is held captive by the island's natives, who have placed him under a voodoo spell known as "obeah." The Adventurer attempts to halt a death ritual but fails, and the explorer dies. The Adventurer is forced to flee the island, taking with him a native woman and the daughter of the dead explorer.

With the help of a map taken from the explorer, the three attempt to locate a chest of gold that has been sunk off the island shore. Meanwhile, the high priest of the island people casts a curse on the three, and a love triangle ensues between those on the ship.{{efn|This plot summary is based entirely on a re-published article provided by the American Film Institute, extracted from The Film Daily (February 1935){{cite journal|journal=The Film Daily|title=Obeah!|date=13 February 1935|page=11}}}}

Cast

Jean Brooks{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/members//catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=7028|work=American Film Institute|title=Obeah|access-date=29 July 2017}}
Phillips H. Lord as The Adventurer
Alice Wessler
Alexander McCatty{{sfn|Polack|2017|p=48}}

Production

The film was produced by the New York City-based production company Arcturus Pictures.{{sfn|Polack|2017|p=46}} Based on a story by director F. Herrick Herrick,{{cite book|title=The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States|volume=1|publisher=University of California Press|year=1971|page=329 |isbn= 978-0-520-07908-3 | editor=Hanson, Patricia King}} the film's script was written by Robert Carse, the film's production began in June 1934{{sfn|Polack|2017|p=47}} and lasted several weeks. The film was shot on location in Kingston, Jamaica.{{sfn|Polack|2017|pages=48–9}}

An additional article published in Film Daily claimed the film's shoot lasted a total of eleven months, shot on a worldwide cruise that stopped in over twenty countries.{{cite book|title=White Zombie: Anatomy of a Horror Film|page=180|author=Rhodes, Gary D. |year=2001|publisher=McFarland|isbn= 978-0-786-42762-8}} Later trade reports reported the shoot had only lasted four months. The ship's crew as well as various unknown performers appear in the film. Scenes were filmed at Papine and Port Royal, alongside interior shots in downtown Kingston bars.Polack, Peter. [https://books.google.com/books?id=q1wpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 Jamaica, the Land of Film], Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2017, p. 46–48.