Voodoo may look fun, but I can guarantee you that it is a powerful tool not to be messed with. Voodoo Party was my entrance into the world of the Haunted House FearFest (HHFF) — and this short did not disappoint!
A trio of friends play an extreme game of dare where they curse themselves to a voodoo doll and then hand over free rein to a friend.
Voodoo Party, IMDB
Three friends gather around a table, voodoo dolls in hand, ready to recite a chant and bring their dolls to life. It may seem like all fun and games, but these friends are the types to play around with each other well past the point of it being funny. Not at all taking the game seriously, the friends succeed at enchanting their dolls, immediately starting to play harmless pranks on each other. But problems quickly arise when one of the friends’ pet dog gets a hold of a doll, inciting a string of deadly occurrences.
Voodoo Party starts as something I think most people have tried to do. Whether at sleepovers or Halloween parties, people like to perform some sort of magic — Quija boards, “light as a feather, stiff as a board,” etc. — for a spot of fun. I don’t think any of us really consider the consequences of our actions if something were to go wrong. Voodoo Party gives us the worst case scenario.
Small pricks and jabs turn to limbs being torn off, people being crushed, and the house being engulfed in flames. While Voodoo Party features some pretty grotesque injuries, they show them tastefully (and smartly off-screen, saving time and money), while the audience still feels like it’s experiencing the whole debacle. Voodoo Party isn’t just bodily harm at the hands of a doll, though; there are little laughs throughout when the situation doesn’t go to plan. The dog’s appearance really starts the trend of harmful-yet-hilarious consequences for the friends.
In all, Voodoo Party was a fun 8-minute romp about what could possibly go wrong when the magic actually goes right. It may be tempting to try enchanting a doll as a game, but Voodoo Party is a great example of why that’s a very bad idea.
This and other films are available to screen at the 2026 Haunted House FearFest Film & Video Game Festival. Follow the festival for more!
