Crypt of Dark Secrets (1976) – Jack Weis.

'A lot of things in these swamps are unbelievable!!!!'

Hidden deep within the primordial swamps, locals fear a haunted island, inhospitable, isolated, and rumoured to be the sole domain of sinister sorceress Damballa (Maureen Ridley). This sinuously shape-shifting siren takes a shine to hunky neighbour, retired ranger Ted Watkins (Ronald Tanet), and following his murder by degenerate Cajun blackguards, Damballa plans her supernatural revenge! I think it's fair to say that the 70s fleeting preoccupation with the occult, and esoteric noodling inspired many of the more entertaining Drive-In schlockers, and Jack Weis's swampily hash-hazed, hoodoo voodoo'd snake lady shenanigans remains a mostly watchable example of Louisianan Witchsploitation.

While the pace is no less sluggish than the murkiest backwaters of the bayou, and the cast's performances are fishier than Cajun gumbo, Crypt of Dark Secrets maintains a certain cheapjack charm. No film is ever truly without value if it provides a sultry satanic siren, performing a gratuitously greasy voodoo boogie in her distractingly luscious birthday suit! I'm sure many will balk at the feature's preponderance of goofy chat, but I massively dug the exotic, percussive sounds, and dishy Damballa can hex me all night, 'til my back ain't got no bone! Arguably not the most overtly psychotronic title of exploitation Maestro Weis's lurid oeuvre, his Crypt of Dark Secrets is certainly suggestive of the escalating B-madness to come!