Directed by James W. Roberson. Written by Donald G. Thompson. Starring James Houghton, Albert Salmi, Larry Pennell, Lynn Carlin, Heidi Bohay, Billy Jayne, Maylo McCaslin, Kim Marie, Jacquelyn Hyde and Stacy Keach Sr.
Plot: an inspector and a reverend try to help a family rid their new home of the vengeful witch who haunts it.
Now, I’m not sure why, but this movie was one of the many banned during the UK’s infamous “Video Nasty” era. Considered lurid, obscene and overly violent, it was shelved for four years. Even now it is cited for it’s violence, with many critics speaking negatively of it’s gore and schlock. We, however, find it good 80’s fun.
It opens with two young men being killed by something unseen inside an abandoned house. Inspector Sturgess (Salmi) shows up and believes that the murders were occult-driven. Also, the house is on church property, so he meets with Reverend Thompson (Houghton) and Reverend Maier (Keach Sr.) to voice his concerns. He is especially upset about a pond on the land where kids tend to drown. When one of the policemen drowns, Sturgess suggests the pond be drained, but then the mute caretaker flips out and assaults him before running off.
The pond is never drained and some time later the house gets new tenants in the Leahy family. There’s the alcoholic father, George (Pennell), his stupid wife, Melinda (Carlin) and their three children, Ann (Bohay), Sheryl (McCaslin) and Justin (Jayne). Justin even falls in love with the pond calling it their “very own pool”.
Before the completely hopeless starts to happen, both Thompson and Justin meet a little girl named Mary (Marie) who just wanders into the house. Thompson also meets Elvira (Hyde), the mother of the mute caretaker, who tells him that her son’s “mistress” is a witch and that she can’t even reach him anymore. Then, Maier is killed in the house by a flying table saw and the shit really hits the fan.
The direction was alright, but where were the boob shots? The daughters run around in barely any clothing, but you never actually see anything of either one of them. The innovation is excellent, as are the effects, but the motive is poor. I did jump once or twice and it is funny. Unintentionally funny, but funny. The worst thing about the movie really is that George is a lousy drunk, Melinda is totally inept and Thompson is perpetually creeptastic. It is a simple little movie, but it is quite useful in passing the time.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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