Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Claire Dunne One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

kevin olzak 1966's "Death Curse of Tartu" was a staple of late night insomniacs in the pre-cable days of television, along with other no budget wonders such as "They Saved Hitler's Brain," "Women of the Prehistoric Planet," and "Zontar the Thing from Venus." Although the plot dredges up the overworked 'Mummy vowing vengeance against all those who desecrate his tomb' from the Universal WW2 days, other aspects of this feature point toward the 'nature horror' cycle of the 1970s ("Frogs" or "Kingdom of the Spiders") and the 'teenagers in peril' subgenre of horror in the 80's. Yes, the acting is awful, there's little in the way of suspense, and the teens are required to do dumb and stupid things, but you still have to admire Miami-born writer/director William Grefe, already a veteran of four features (including DVD co-feature "Sting of Death"), but may be better remembered for later films such as "Impulse" (William Shatner), "Mako:The Jaws of Death" (Richard Jaeckel), and the ever popular "Stanley" (Chris Robinson). Like the Florida-lensed "Frogs," we are witness to a repetitive series of killings perpetrated by animals, despite the impressive image of Tartu's mummy, which unfortunately is only seen in its sarcophagus. The two bikini-clad lovelies get a real workout gyrating for the ogling cameraman like a 'Beach Party' movie, and one idiot falls prey to a shark while his girlfriend watches without once trying to exit the water! (she gets it too). No doubt the swamp scenes were shot not far from the famous Ivan Tors studios in North Miami (the site of the TV series FLIPPER), which also served as the main location for Chris Robinson's deserted cabin in "Stanley" (the only interiors filmed were of Tartu's tomb). At 84 minutes, my VHS print appears to be missing some footage, as I never saw any spiders, though the web fronting Tartu's tomb gave me hope. No matter how bad this film may be, its frequent showings have earned it a kind of respect that only horror fans can bestow, and those who weren't familiar with it from the late 70s may be immune from its charms. Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater aired it twice, July 2 1977 (preceding 1944's "The Invisible Man's Revenge"), and March 11 1978 (following 1968's "The Hand of Power").

abrahamfromann I used to catch this movie every once in awhile on my local creature feature show Saturday afternoons back when I was a kid in the mid 70's.Scared the crap out of me then. Made me afraid of snakes. I remember at the end when the snake was biting the guy (Fake snake of course), and it would strike the lense of the camera, I had to cover my eyes (remember, I was a kid).The skull in the quicksand was freaky too.I had no idea what the name of this movie was, and a few years ago I went searching. After a few months sleuthing on the net and posting descriptions on numerous forums, I got the name, and was happy to know it was out on DVD as a double-feature. Ah...B-movie Bliss.If you are a lover of B-movies, I highly recommend picking this one up!

goodvibe-1 I have wondered for years exactly what budget this film was made. Mmmmmmmm...not tooooo bad...Actually, if you think about it, I don't know of any other similiar story-line from that time period in such a film, good or bad. I HATED the spider! Totally uncalled for! The webs and the psychotronic colors reflected in the cave interior was all that was really needed, and the Rise of Tartu in the climax was pretty good. The atmosphere was truly creepy, and the background drums could have been more subtle, though I have always believed effective. I really liked the final scene, corny as heck but the quicksand and the skull were right up my alley! The film obviously could have been done better, but HEY: it's a wonderful tool for the small-budget film maker to learn from and expand on. Great drive-in style flick!

Jim-500 Funny about Creature Feature movies, how they stick in your mind no matter how bad they might be.At one point in this flick, one of the scientists says, "The natives are restless."That made the movie for me!