Womaneater

Plot synopsis:
The title and credits are shown over a painting of a jungle at dusk. We open with a view of the Thames River. A man enters the Explorers Club. In a comfortable club room, Dr. James Moran (George Coulouris) is discussing an interesting tale recounted by a deceased colleague by the name of Ashby. Dr. Patterson (Norman Claridge) and Lewis Carling (Robert MacKenzie) listen with some skepticism. Moran tells them he was made aware of a tribe in the Amazon that can bring the dead back to life. He has a map and he intends to go see for himself. He asks Carling if he wants to join him. Carling thinks the departure date is too soon. Moran is called from the room. Dr. Patterson warns Carling that while brilliant, Moran is very strange and insanity runs in his family. Ultimately, Carling joins Moran and they fly to the Amazon. Hacking through the jungle they spot a mountain noted on Ashby's map. The tribe they seek is related to the Inca. A native ritual is underway when they encounter the tribe. A man and a woman stand on a raised platform. The snake handling witch doctor (Shief Ashanti) presides. The native girl (Marpessa Dawn) appears to be drugged, swaying to the beat of the drums. Carling is overwhelmed by the ceremony, and shouts at the natives. He is killed with a spear. The native girl is led to a large plant, the womaneater, which waves its many arms. She sees the plant and screams as she is pulled towards it. The next day Moran is stricken with jungle fever. He is taken away on a stretcher with very little chance of survival.ENGLAND. Five Years Later. A car pulls up to a large country home. Moran survived and is doing research in his study. He unlocks the door to and enters a well-equipped basement lab. A native man, Tanga (Jimmy Vaughn) plays a drum with a jungle beat. He leads a woman, Susan Curtis (Sara Leighton), towards the same plant we saw five years earlier. The woman is pushed into the plant. Moran notes, "She'll become part of the plant. And from it I'll get the serum to bring the dead back to life. She won't have died in vain." Tanga burns her clothes in the furnace as Moran checks on his formula. He injects the formula into an eggplant-shaped object which begins to pulsate. A few minutes later it stops--the formula is a failure.Sergeant Bolton (Edward Higgins) pays a call on Moran. He tells Moran he is making inquires about the disappearance of Susan Curtis. Moran lies, and denies any knowledge. He asks his housekeeper, Mrs. Margaret Santor (Joyce Gregg) if she's seen the girl. Mrs. Santor sees the policeman out.At a carnival we meet Sally Norton (Very Day) helping a barker, Bristow (Harry Ross) the carnival owner, draw customers. She performs a hula dance to entice the crowd. During a break, she meets Jack Venner (Peter Wayn) and agrees to meet him the next day at his garage. Sally was fired because of a fight the night before between Venner and Sally's boss. Venner takes Sally to see Dr. Moran for a job. Sally goes to the door and Tanga greets her. She is shown into the study by Tanga. Moran initially tells her he has no job at the moment, but changes his mind. He asks her, "Would you be prepared to live in?" She agrees, but later tells Venner, "He's rather a strange person though, had a funny look in his eye." Sally grabs her bag and walks up to the house to start her new job. Over Margaret's strong objection, Moran has engaged Sally to help with the housework. Moran warns Margaret, "Be nice to her."The police are still investigating the Susan Curtis disappearance. They suspect it may now be murder. They agree that Moran's property needs to be searched. They return to see Moran again. Inspector Brownlow (Maxwell Foster) and Bolton are invited in by Sally. Brownlow asks Morans permission to search the grounds. Of course, they find nothing. Tanga and Moran draw a beaker of plant sap from the womaneater. Moran is convinced he can improve on the formula to restore life.It is too dangerous for Moran to recruit local victims, so he goes to the city. In London, Moran walks the city streets at night. He follows a woman, Judy (Joy Webster), into a private club. The woman has joined a man (David Lawton) at a table for a drink. When the boyfriend becomes angry and walks out, Moran moves in. He pays for her drink and offers her a cigarette. Judy goes off with Moran. Moran takes Judy home and down into the basement lab. Tanga seizes her and prepares her for the plant. Moran returns to his study and is confronted by a suspicious Margaret. Five years before Moran and Margaret had a spark for each other, but Moran is no longer interested in Margaret. "I believe you're doing something wicked," Margaret tells Moran. He threatens to send her away. Cowed by the threat, Margaret backs down and returns to her room. Judy is now drugged and prepared for the plant. Tanga plays the drums and then leads Judy to the womaneater. It stands about seven feet tall and has half a dozen branches like arms drawing its victim towards the mouths.The next day Sally visits Jack Venner at his garage. Jack blurts out, "Sally, how about us getting married?" She thinks it's a crazy idea, as they've only known each other for two weeks. Sally returns to the house late and Mrs. Santor voices her objections to Moran, but she is overruled. Moran tells Sally he is sending Mrs. Santor away and she is to replace her. Sally is reluctant to accept the promotion and tells Moran so. Like Margaret, Sally is suspicious. Moran and Tanga draw off another beaker of plant sap. Sally leaves the house and returns to Jack's garage. She tells Jack, "Oh, Jack, I've got to leave that place. I can't stay there." Jack gives her a drink. He tells her not to return, but she tells him she will spend the night and pack and leave the next morning. Margaret admits she's still in love with Moran, but he does not reciprocate. Margaret gets angry at being jilted for a younger woman. She pulls a ceremonial knife off Moran's desk and tries to stab him. He manages to disarm Margaret and chokes her to death.The next morning Sally brings Moran tea. She tells him she won't accept the job. Moran tells Sally she can leave anytime she wishes. Sally returns to her room and packs her clothes. Before she can walk out the front door, Moran uses the final salary ruse to draw her into his study. When pressed for an explanation for refusing the job, Sally tells Moran she's going to marry Jack Venner. Moran expresses his love for Sally. He takes her down into the lab.At police headquarters, Brownlow gets a telephone call that relates to Moran and the plant. Evidence of a girl's clothes was found close to the Moran house. Venner is waiting at the garage; Sally is overdue. He calls the Moran house but gets no answer. Venner drives over to the Moran house. He knocks on the door. Moran answers. He tells Venner that Sally left this morning. Venner tells Moran he thinks Sally is still in the house and he demands to see her. Venner leaves and vows to go straight to the police and report his suspicions. Moran returns to the lab and unlocks the door Sally is behind. He takes her to see the plant. She asks, "What is it?" Moran answers, "It's the great juju of Tanga's tribe. Its their idol. They worship it." Tanga begins playing the drums to the rhythmic movement of the plant's arms. Venner stops at the police station to see Sgt. Bolton. He is told Bolton is out investigating a missing person out by the Moran house.Sally watches as Moran injects his formula into a body on a gurney. The body begins breathing and the pulsometer responds. Margaret sits up and the sheet covering her face falls away. Moran calls to Margaret, but she does not speak. Moran concludes that the body is revived by the formula, but not the mind. Moran accuses Tanga, "Your people cheated me. They gave me only half the secret." "Our secrets are not for you," Tanga replies. Margaret, mimicking the plant, reaches out and pulls her arms back while she walks towards Sally. Sally screams. Margaret's head snaps back and she falls to the floor. Margaret is once again dead. The police arrive and pound on Moran's door. Venner forces a window and they enter the house. Tanga leads Sally towards the plant. She resists, but Tanga picks her up in his arms and carries her to the plant. Moran, seeing Sally as the next victim of the plant, attacks and struggles with Tanga. While the police search the house, Venner finds the basement lab and takes Sally out as Tanga and Moran struggle. Moran manages to knock the younger man out. He tells Tanga, "You've cheated me. Now I'll destroy your Idol as you've destroyed me." Moran throws a flammable liquid on the plant. It bursts into flames. Moran tries to exit the lab, but Tanga awakens and hits him with a knife in his back. We close with Tanga falling to his knees before the burning womaneater plant.

Tags: murder

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