Le Vaudou Mort

Le Vaudou Mort (Translated: The Voodoo Death) is a mechnanical device of mayhem, build in the 18th century, in France. It's a key element in the film Needle.

History
Le Vaudou Mort was a torture device designed and built by a French craftman in the 18th century, an exact date or the name of the maker remains unknown. It was later bought by a rich French aristocrat who used it to extract revenge on an enemy. After this murder, he became afraid of the device and the power it held. But he couldn't simply destroy the device, as according to the stories it would extract a final revenge on the one who destroyed it. He sold it to a Parisian horror circus. Years later, in the 20th century, it was owned by a Brazilian businessman who lost the device.

Needle
In 90' of the 20th century, it was obtained by two American pawnshop owners/ art collectors, Robert Shaw and Samuel Rutherford. Their partnership ended as Shaw betrayed Rutherford. This betrayal was punished by Rutherford by exposing him to the malevolent device. Shaw died a gruesome death. His dying words were Samuel...Rutherford...

10 years later
In 2010, the device was founded by the lawyer of the now deceased Robert Rutherford and was brought to his son Ben Rutherford as everything found in the house of father belonged now to him. After showing the device to his friend, it mysteriously has disappeared. Shortly after the disappearing of the box, a new victim was claimed. Ryan, a friend of Ben dies when both his chest and arm are cut open, causing him to bleed out. Soon, more of their friends die and quickly they learn that something is after them.

Eventually, they discover that the person behind this all is Kandi Shaw. She is the daughter of the man murdered by Robert Rutherford. As an act of revenge, she had decided when she saw Le Vaudou Mort to use the device to kill of Ben's friends one by one. Not even her own girlfriend was safe from her wrath. In a showdown, where tried torturing the brother as well as the girlfriend of Ben, Mary Matthew, she finally met her demise Marcus and Mary killed with torture device. In the end, the trio decided that the device was far too dangerous to be allowed in existance but since it had turned on everyone who tried to destroy it, they buried it at sea, in the hope with would be lost forever.

Mechanism
Le Vaudou Mort is a device made by a combination of clockwork mechanisms and Haitain black magic. The box is rectangular structure with in the centre a circle and a crank handle to its side. In order to use the device, you will have to bring a sacrifice of blood. This blood, mixed with wax is brought in the device, via the circle on top of the box. Next, you place a picture or any other image that portrays your victim and you starts to turn the crank. As the machine starts to work, the victim starts to hear strange, mechanical noises. As the machine is done, it will reveal a wax doll, representing the victim. Every harm inflicted on the doll, will be inflicted to victim. This way you can punish, torture and kill someone without being close to them.

List of victims
List of deaths in American Mary.

Trivia

 * Le Vaudou Mort has similarities with the Lament Configuration from the Hellraiser Series: Both were made in France by a gifted craftmen, both in the 18th century. Le Vaudou Mort as Lament Configuration are dark artifacts and made with the hell of Dark Arts. Le Vaudou Mort is used to torture victims, the Lament Configuration brings everyone who solves it to hell, were they be tortured. In both cases the devices couldn't be destroyed, Le Vaudou Mort because the owner feared for his life by doing so an the Lament Configuration by lack of knowledge how to destroy it and the ones who knew how, were killed before they succeed.
 * The movie poster of Needle seemed to have drawn inspiration from the Hellraiser recurring antagonist, Pinhead: a face placed on Le Vaudou Mort, with needles puncturing through it like a voodoo doll.