Customer Reviews

Jungle Woman [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Acquanetta carries on as the lady with a simian alter ego. Although Cheelah the gorilla was shot dead at the end of "Captive Wild Woman," the beast within still lives. A doctor (J. Carrol Naish), driven by scientific curiosity, salvages the body and revives the primate. After the recovered Cheelah disappears from the lab, the mysterious Paula Dupree appears at the country sanitarium where the good doctor carries on his tampering in God's domain. Her human hormones lead her to obsess over a young man engaged to another woman. Death and terror rule the night as Paula suffers "ape-woman" interludes sparked by her jealous rage. Brevity is a virtue realized in the tight 61 minute running time of this movie. The plot doesn't have time to go awry. Acquanetta's understated acting consists mostly of long silent stares that emphasize her deep dark eyes. Terror lurks in the trees, passes by windows, and drapes sinister shadows across one's path. Farm animals perish brutally by night. When the beast is ascendant, birds and other woodland creatures go berserk, to the consternation of those persons alone in the woods. Much is suggested, but little is displayed. The fright make-up only appears briefly in a flashback segment and again in the final scene. Perhaps this subtle terror method was done to emulate Val Lewton, as Mr. Maltin suggests. Regardless, it probably saved production costs. This is an entertaining albeit second-string entry from Universal's fright factory. It doesn't pretend to be more. Collector's of classic horror films need this movie for their personal collection. Others should adjust their expectations accordingly. ;-)

Jungle Woman is not the best of the ape woman series,but it has Acquanetta in it so that's worth a look.It starts where Captive Wild Woman ends,Jungle Woman tries to be a Val Lewton type movie but the story is not to good,it has a good cast but they seem to be just passing through on their way to something better,Jungle Captive is a better movie in this series but if you have an hour to kill take a look you might just like it.

reminding me of those 30s "tarzan" films, this universal offering is quite well done within its limits but don't expect too much.
picking up where "captive wild woman" left off, the film is centred around flashbacks for the most part.
i don't understand how and why evelyn ankers received top billing as she is not involved in the plot of the film. her screentime in "jungle woman" is a brief appearance in the ongoing inquest scene, and thus she is rather wasted. it is j. carroll naish who should be at the top of the cast as he is easily the central character. he gives the best performance as the scientist who takes a professional interest in the ape/woman "paula."
one good scene is where "paula" stalks her potential prey by swimming underwater by the boat containing her next victim. quite creepy. if only she changed into the ape once or twice, it would give the film a lift.
the ending is effective as well.

This movie me reminds me of a Val Lewton picture. Big on story little on special effects. It there were any at all. The movie itself starts at the end and does flashbacks to the first movie to get to the present. As for the ape-woman, you see more of the woman then you do the ape. I thought it could used some more effects and the movie itself could be a little bit longer.

I love these ape woman movies! More than once I've hit play and settled back and enjoyed Captive Wild Woman, Jungle Woman, and Jungle Captive. Paula Dupree is my kind of monster!

Second of the Paula, the ape woman trilogy, this film plods along. Naish plays a well-intentioned scientist who comes across as a ninny (poorly written script) Acquanetta can't act. A dull film.