The Vengeance of She 1999 Horror Movie Review

There is, unfortunately, no scene that even remotely resembles the image of the whip-wielding blonde on the poster art that adorns the video box. But if The Vengeance of She doesn’t live up to the lurid advertising (“The ultimate female who used her beauty to bring kingdoms to their downfall… and men to their knees!” reads the exploitation copy), it turns out to be a surprisingly eventful and entertaining supernatural adventure tale. Unable to secure Ursula Andress to reprise her role from She, Hammer went to Czechoslovakia for the well-endowed blonde sexpot Olinka Berova, who is fine as Carol, the Scandinavian blonde (with the Eastern European accent) haunted by dreams and visions that draw her deep into Africa to the secret kingdom of Kuma. Edward Judd is the lovesick psychiatrist Dr. Philip Smith, who discovers that her delusion is the work of an evil priest whose mind control of Carol is the key to his bid for immortality. Director Cliff Owen makes the most of the ocean and desert locations in the first half, overcoming budgetary restrictions with impressive images, before the films descends into the underground kingdom for the set-bound conclusion. If the drama slackens, locked in these dark cavelike sets, it remains a surprisingly compelling and inventive sequel with a smart screenplay (written by Peter O’Donnell, the creator of the “Modesty Blaise” comic strip) that squeezes plenty of plot into a low budget. —Sean Axmaker