I Watch Films: The Woman Eater

 

The Woman Eater (1958)

Dr Moran tells the Explorer’s Club about some Amazonian “juju” that brings people back to life. Travelling there he witnesses a ceremony, where the locals hypnotise a woman by drums and feed her to a tree. He falls ill with “jungle fever”.

Some years later he’s back in England where he has both tree and Tanga, a drummer from the Amazon. They feed a young woman to the tree, but the serum he extracts still doesn’t work. The police question Moran and his housekeeper Margaret, as the woman was last seen on the edge of their estate in the country.

At a nearby funfair Sally Norton is a hula dancer to attract people to a sideshow. Local mechanic Jack Venner falls in love at first sight, and gets in a fight with her boss. She’s fired; he suggests she try for a job at Dr Moran’s house. Margaret doesn’t like her (she’s young and extremely busty) but Dr Moran hires her.

Moran goes to London, finds a sex worker, kidnaps her and feeds her to the tree. The serum still won’t work. Margaret confronts Moran; they used to be lovers but now he’s obsessed with the tree, which she accepted, she’s now jealous of Sally. She tries to stab him; Moran strangles her, and they feed her to the tree.

An old fashioned monster horror, we know how that Moran’s secret will come out and there will be a tragic ending. That the tree eats women is never explored, which is unfortunate; perhaps more puzzling still is Moran’s obsession with bringing people back to life isn’t given a reason. He’s just a scientist driven beyond what’s rational.

Watch This: Monster horror thriller
Don’t Watch This: Casually racist and women are entirely motivated by men