The Appointment
(Psychic\Dog) 5******skulls
*Blood* *Not Violent* *No Strong Language* *No Nudity* * No Sexual Situations* *Not Gory*
1982/Color/90 Min./Sony Video Software Operations & First Principle Films & W.L. Leasing Limited/British/Unrated
Director.........Lindsey C. Vickers
Screenplay.......Lindsey C. Vickers
Music............Trevor Jones
Producer.........Tom Sachs
Executive Producer.....Ken Julian
Special Effects Supervised by George Gibbs
Dramatis Personae
Ian.....Edward Woodward (Breaker Morant, The Equalizer, The Wickerman)
Dianna..Jane Merrow (Hands of the Ripper)
Joanne..Samantha Weysom
Mark....John Judd (Scum)
Sandy...Auriol Goldingham
Critique: The police report voice over is a non-starter. This movie is plagued by stiff and hokey dialogue and oppressive music. The standby of the long deep base note horror movie sound is used with reckless abandon. The worst transgression is the penchant for extended scenes in which nothing happens. The dream sequence involving the car, however, does catch the attention. Still, there's a lot of waiting around, presumably in an attempt to build up tension without much clear evidence of what the conflict might be. There are a number of strategems used to show there are mysterious forces at work. At one point, Joanne stares at the knob as she lies in bed. Father pauses outside her door as though pondering coming in. He reaches for it as though he can't help it, as though she is willing him to do it. But then he finally stops and walks away. Does Joanie have some sort of magical powers? If so, one would think this could have come out in the film. And what's with the roses? Perhaps they cut out whatever the scene that would have made sense of it. And the watch problematic? And why on earth did the garage mechanic get ground up as Ian turned his key? Must be a metaphore for something. How had Joanne managed to effect these events? All in all though, the film keeps you guessing and the suspense level is sustained surprisingly well in the face of these foibles. The fact that you know what's going to happen doesn't make it more comfortable. Poor production values.
Plot Summary: Childish voices call from the bush to twelve year old Sandy Freemont of Millard Heights, violin in hand as she walks the shortcut in her school uniform. A growling follows her from the dark woods. She is pulled by an edritch force and all we see left over is a crumpled violin. Three Years Later, the police believe it's an "unfathomably powerful psychopath who will strike again. The pathway is cordoned off. A boring display of drawings depicts Joanne's devotion to her father. There's trouble, though, when daddy can't make it to the recital where she's the star violinist. Joanne doesn't take the news well. Mother is afraid that Joanne is starting to live in a dangerous world of make believe. She's become alienated from any friends. She does indeed seem to be taking her father's unavoidable absence at the concert too much to heart. She thumbs listlessly through her photo album, and is still whiny as the family watches the teli. Daddy finally gives her a talking to and she sulks off to bed. Mother says it's emotional blackmail. She offers that Joanne is growing up fast and that she's sexually confused. Is mother a bit jealous as well? That night daddy dreams he's with Joanne as a Rotweiler barks at him. He wakes to find that there is indeed a dog barking, but nothing seems to be happening and he goes back to sleep. As Joanne sleeps, scary music indicates that dogs' movements outside are significant. Then the lights in the car turn on. As Ian drives the next morning, the music tells us there's something's wrong in the car and he keeps glancing back. Suddenly there are Rotweilers on the dash board and the car spins over a cliff. It's all a dream, but as the dream ends, the lights in the real life automobile dim. This dream was a whopper and he goes to take a few sleeping pills. Unfortunately, there are Rotweilers lurking outside and one finds it's way into the house as daddy dozes on the easy chair. He stumbles up the stairs. As the interminable night continues other dogs might or might not be barking at the car, prowling about both inside and outside the house. Mother dreams of Ian, caught in his seatbelt, hardly able to move as the car is perched on a cliff. He releases the seatbelt on which the car hung, causing the car to plummet over the cliff. The next morning, Ian is off early, noting that his watch and the kitchen clock are not the same. Some time was lost. As he leaves, a pool of oil is left under the car with the cap. Has someone or something sabotaged the car? Events seem to be proceeding exactly as in the dream. Up in her room, though we suspect that she's in some way responsible for whatever is going on, Joanne appears to be oblivious to the whole thing. As Ian calls the house, mother is walking Joanne to the street and misses the call, this mishap keeping her from mentioning her dream. Over breakfast at a roadstop, a sound seems to bother him. He recalls the dream. The sound was just men working outside but it has unnerved him. We get a flashback of a mechanic working on the car who finds a rotten bolt but doesn't replace it. It appears the mechanic did a shoddy job with the brake fluid nut. The photograph of father and daughter that Joanne had cherished lies crumpled in a bush along with Ian's scrawled note saying "miss you, sorry, daddy'. Ian's turning on the ignition appears to have had an effect on a car the garage man was working with and he is ground up in the transmission. Ian calls up his wife and tells her that he'd dreamed that he'd crashed the car. She tells him that he'd had the same dream. However, he can't get any more change in and the connection is broken. Worse, a large truck transporting Rotweilers drives by as he calls. Ian heads into the deserted, mountainous, North Wales area of the dream.
Appointment with Fear (Myth/Baby) 4****skulls
1986/Color/92 Min./International Video Entertainment & Gantuan Productions & Manson International & Modern Systems Network International & Ansonia Management Corporation/Rated R
Director.........Alan Smithee*
Screenplay.......Gideon Davis & Bruce Meade
Music............Andrea Saparoff
Producer.........Tom Boutross
Executive Producer.....Bassem Abdallah
Make-up by Mary Resnick
Special Effects by J. Westcott, Scott Hass, & Paul Staples
Dramatis Personae
Carol.......Michele Little (My Demon Lover, Radioactive Dreams)
Bobby.......Michael Wyle
Heather.....Kerry Remsen
Kowalski....Douglas Rowe
Attis.......Garrick Dowhen
Ruth........Deborah Voorhees
Samantha....Pamela Bach
Cowboy......Vincent Barbour
Little Joe..Mike Gomez
Norman......Danny Dayton (Mad Bull)
Connors.....James Avery
The Woman...Sergia Simone
Baby........Matthew Schulz
Cleo........Kathi Gibbs
Doctor......Mark Royston
Young Det...Nick Conti
Critique: Many things that would not happen, even in the expanded reality of this troubled piece, occur without explanation. Presumably this is a story about a grizzled detective who has had some kind of run in with Addis in the past, and now is intent on saving some hapless teenagers, as well as the prime target Addis' child, from the preternatural Addis' attentions. Unfortunately, we never get any clue about the source of Kowalski's interest in the case, nor of his linking Addis' comatose activities with various Greek, Egyptian and Babylonian myths. We suspect editing might have had something to do with that. The discussions on the nature of reality vs. phantasy wear thin after 6 seconds or so. Some of the attempts at humor are very overdone, particularly the trouble at the train crossing in which Kowalski's car is damaged by a pony cart and disabled by the stop bar. We didn't like the philosophical bum and particularly disliked the "character" Bobby's continual mugging. The blue eyed catatonic Heather with her mime troupe almost had us snoring on a number of occasions. We liked Michelle Little as Carol but we didn't know what to do with her in this hopless throw-together piece. You'll find the May pole dance scene endless and stupid. Memorable line: as Samantha remarks in what amounts to a one sentence review by the film's most vaccuous character "this isn't fun, see, nothing is really happening." Since we don't know who directed this, we'll blame the director. Chock up another mess for the versatile Allen Smithee, a pseudonym for directors who wish not to be listed in the credits.
WARNING! MODERN DANCE TROUPE!
* Blood * Violent * Strong Language * No Sexual Situations * Nudity *
* Not Particularly Gory *
Plot Summary: An agent moves to place a tracking device on a station wagon just before a young woman with a baby climbs in and drives off. The agent Sergeant Kowalski is taken out by a bag lady with a shopping cart. A young woman Carol uses surveillance device to spy on an old man's birthday party. The bitrthday celebrants, including a small troupe of amateur mimes, witness the baby's father murder the mother on a porch across the street, then climb into a white van and drive off with the sergeant in pursuit. The mime crosses the street and hands the dying woman her baby, pleading before she dies "Don't let them harm my baby, protect him." The frumpy sergeant runs out of gas ending the pursuit but the van driver doubles back to follow Heather and her friend Carol home with the baby in a wicker basket. Kowalski has been following this "lunatic" in his free time although he was taken off the case some time ago. His former trainee who is now assigned to the case reluctantly shows Kowalski the report. Norman, the insane philosopher tells Carol she shouldn't go to the party. Meanwhile, x sits naked with her cowboy hatted boyfriend upstairs while Heather listens in with her surveilance device. The party is to take place in a home in the canyon designed by a famous architect. At State Mental Hospiytal Facility #3 Kowalski finds his lunatic in a coma since last night. A propos of very little, Kowalski explains that the Egyptians didn't believe in dreams but that during dreams peoples other half goes out and do things. Norman hears voices and strives to understand his purpose in life. First friend Ruth takes the groceries out to the house and takes a dip, after which she is murdered unceremoniously with a carving knife. Bobby pulls up at Carol's with his side-car bike complete with bleach blonde mannequin. Bobby lets the air out of the van's tires and Carol pokes his side car tires. An hispanic worker, Little Joe, at the asylum tells Kowalski that the lunatic calls himself Addis, King of the woods and that he insists he must kill his baby to remain king for another year. "Addis" talks about spirits and trees and claims to have "long arms" also that his beloved wife must be sacrificed. Mrs. Sorensen, a plastic work in progress waters her lawn. Carol and the shell shocked Heather (who had a little brother but he's dead) and the baby arrive at the house where they are sure to be safe with all their guns and Carol such a good shot. Cowboy and Bobby talk to Kowalski. As the psychologist laughs at Kowalski's gears, the lunatic becomes green with light as does a tree outside the party house from behind which the lunatic steps. As the girls talk girl talk, Carol hears something in the yard and gets her surveillance device and an automatic rifle but it's only Bobby who is lucky to be alive. As Bobby and Carol chat, x goes skinny dipping. As he talks to the comatose lunatic, Kowalski has a vision of a dagger flying into his chest. He's impressed. Kowalski visits Cleo, his witchdoctor, who tells him Addis can travel outside of himself, he is the god of nature and Kowalski should not interfere, lest he put himself in great danger. Young love blossoms for stupid Bobby and Carol. As Norman sits outside with a piece of modern art which he considers a pagan icon, god speaks to him until the conversation ends in no uncertain terms. When Kowalski arrives. his car rolls away and explodes. Bobby and Carol are delighted to find a troupe of modern Addis May-day dancers performing in front of the house. Happily, they find its Cowboy's gang. Unhappily, said cowboy is to be found floating dead in the pool at the end of the performance with Ruth and x. Bobby finds the phone dead too, before Carol begins shooting it out with the God. Bobby sets up to defend the baby while Carol goes out for a showdown with Addis.
Apprentice to Murder (White Magic\Religious) 7*******skulls
1987/Color/97 Min./New World Video & HOT International a.s. & Cosmosis & K/S LLF Productions A/S/Rated PG-13
Director.........R.L. Thomas (The Terry Fox Story, Ticket to Heaven)
Screenplay.......Allan Scott & Wesley Moore
Music............Charles Gross
Producer.........Howard K. Grossman
Executive Producer....Michael Ray Rauch
Special Effects by Meddings Magic Camera Company, Ltd.
Dramatis Personae*
Billy Kelly.....Chad Lowe (Highway to Hell,Nobody's Perfect,Trueblood)
Alice Spangler..Mia Sara (Call of the Wild, Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
Clay Myers......Mark Burton
Emma Kelly......Rutanya Alda* (Amityville II, The Dark Half)
Tom Kelly.......Eddie Jones
Lars Hoeglin....Knut Husebo
Rufus...........Tiger Haynes
Mama Isobel.....Minnie Gentry (Georgia, Georgia)
Irwin Myers.....Adrian Sparks
Critique: This film does a beautiful job of mixing John's, and indeed Billy's fantastic imaginings with the real world events. The conflict of the rational world with the world of superstition is nicely played. The acting is outstanding. It may be questionable whether this is really a horror movie, but John's entering of the "hexed" farm is as chilling a horror scene as one would want. There are a number of gripping scenes such as when Billy goes to Reese's room and sees the picture he had drawn, partially burned, with the picture of mad Lars on it. In spite of many strong points, there are occasional pace problems. The consequences of black men performing witchcraft on white people in Rufus' scene was poignant. The film claims to have been inspired by a true story.
* Blood * Not Particularly Violent * No Strong Language * No Nudity *
* Sexual Situations * Not Gory *
Plot Summary: Pennsylvania 1927. A lad, Billy, out shooting rabbit is accosted by a crazed-eyed man, Lars Haugland, in the wood. Billy runs away but mother won't take the incident seriously. Billy later sneaks up to Lars' house and peers through the gaps in the sideboards. Mother explains that Lars went mad only after his mother committed suicide. Drunken father comes home and there's crying and blood. At the factory, Alice is a new girl who seems to have taken a shine to Billy. A dog foaming at the mouth scares people in front of the factory. Before it's about to be shot, the preacher comes and the dog immediately is calmed. The man with the gun shoots the dog anyway. Billy goes to the preacher with his face by a blow from his father. He admits that he is not certain as to whether the preacher had trained the dog. The preacher comes to ask about his father. Billy wants out of the town but feels he must stay to protect his mother while his father's drinking. Preacher John gives Billy a posy that will make his father sick when he drinks. In exchange, Billy who is quite an artist gives him a drawing he had made of the preacher. On the other side was the picture he had been drawing of Lars. When Billy leaves, John is strangely disturbed by the picture of Lars. Billy mixes the emetic into his father's pancake and it has the desired effect. Preacher John (Reese) mutters mantras in the dark. Billy shows up with some hexagrams that the preacher had him copy. Preacher pays Billy by "learnin" him to read. Billy has started following the preacher in his faith healing. The preacher says he's had a dream and that Billy should learn his gift of healing. Preacher John has been having visions. Alice thinks preacher John's a madman. She claims he was in an institution for four years. More and more Billy is pulled into Reese's sphere. Billy takes Alice to an abandoned house where they dance until they see Lars looking in the window which sends them running. Reese preaches that the evolutionists try to teach that God is powerless and calls this arrogance. When Billy gets up and reads a gospel, he is simply the talk of the town. Father has shown up at the service and everything is looking great. Unfortunately, a man whose daughter died while John tried faith healing has called in the authorities. A Marshall puts handcuffs on him as the father curses him. Reese is soon out with a warning not to practice medicine without a license. Alice wants them to go live in Philadelphia with the twenty two dollars that they'd saved. When he tells Reese, Reese gives him money to go with. Alice wants to get him away from preacher John who is having more and more seizures, making Alice concerned about his madness. The Meyers farm is stricken with a plague and Billy gets Reese to come and try to do something about it. Reese enters the house and he seems to see an image glowing red. He seems to fight with a demon within, coming out with his coat in tatters. He enters the barn and seems to be attacked by some sort of force. Later he lies in bed and claims to have seen the face of Satan. Billy believes that John is sick, but Alice thinks he is just pretending in order to keep him in the town. The delerious John bids them bring him to Philadelphia with them to get some medicine. They jump a boxcar and John chants among hexagrams. As they arrive in Philadelphia, Billy's father finds out what they've been putting in his food. They go to a black "pow wow" man who calls a cut that John has a "hex burn". They go off to find mamma Isabelle, leaving Alice to fend for herself in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, father stumbles home drunk again as mother looks on. As she leaves, he lights a cigarette and carelessly lets a match fall to the floor. John and Billy have gotten to mamma Isabelle and he convulses under a sheet that is spiked into the ground. She calls on the spirit of Cuyumba. Gunpowder in a receptacle flares indicating the spirit has been contacted. They deduce that the spirit attacking John is Lars. Lars is looking in the window as Billy's parents' house is burned. John tells Billy that Lars had had a feud with the Meyers: twenty years before cattle from the Meyers' farm had been knocking down fences in his brother's land. When the brother went with a gun to the Meyers' place, he ended up shot with his own gun. Lars believes with some justification that it was murder. John says the plague in the Meyers' house was set by Lars and that Billy's parents were killed because Billy went with John to help him. They go to get a lock of his hair but things go too far and the house burns while Clay, the idiot, looks on.
April Fool's Day
1986/Color/90 Min./Paramount Home Video & Paramount Pictures & Hometown Films/Rated R
Director.........Fred Walton(Rosary Murders,When a Stranger Calls, II)
Screenplay.......Danilo Bach
Music............Charles Bernstein
Producer.........Frank Mancuso, Jr.
Executive Producer.....
Special Effects Coordinated by Martin Becker
Dramatis Personae
Harvey.......Jay Baker
Buffy/Muffy..Deborah Foreman (My Chauffeur, Valley Girl, Waxwork)
Nicki........Deborah Goodrich (Remote Control, Survival Game)
Rob..........Ken Olandt (Leprechaun, Super Force, Supercarrier)
Skip.........Griffin O'Neal (The Escape Artist, Hadley's Rebellion)
Nan..........Leah King Pinsent
Chaz.........Clayton Rohner (Destroyer, Modern Girls, Nightwish)
Kit..........Amy Steel (Friday the 13th, II, Walk Like a Man)
Arch.........Thomas F. Wilson (Back to the Future, II, III)
Critique: Someone on Muffy's Island has a little problem and this film does a nice job of hiding who it is while planting plenty of psychological theories to keep the viewers guessing, all while maintaining a nice pace. The film plays on a number of hackneyed horror film vehicles in a fresh way. The result is that the viewer is constantly buffetted off balance as pet theories are exploded. This slick, seemless horror story is well directed and scary too and you'll never guess in a million years what's going on!
* Blood * Violent * Strong Language * Sexual Situations * No Nudity *
* Gory *
Plot Summary: Mary O'Reilly O'Toole O'Shay takes her friends over to Muffy St. John's Summer island home. They may as well have crossed the river Styxx for their chances of again dwelling among the living. Through a montage clips we see that Muffy has invited a rather diverse group to her party, the combination of real state college people and disgusting old money brats is a formula for tension. The party gets off to a lousy start when the first mate of the ferry is mutilated when crushed between the boat and the dock. Somehow the sophomoric fun gets back underway despite the specter of the hideously injured first mate. Dribble cups and whoopee cushions, even an El Explodo; some fun! While bedtime preparations are being made the junior achievement guy discovers a newspaper clipping documenting several local disasters taking the lives of a gaggle of local teenagers. When Skip goes out into the night to forage for wild cannabis he is accosted first by a flying cat and then by the killer. The party starts to fizzle when a pair making love on the dock see the very blue corpse of Skip drift beneath them. Time to call Constable Potter, who has an office in his home. Unfortunately the phone is dead. The water main is broken too and Muff has obviously lost her mind, her clothing has gone from long island princess to Bette Davis in clodhoppers and she's looking every bit the heroine addict. In an attempt to procure water, Nicki descends into the well to discover a bubbling chambre des morts. Finally Constable Potter calls. "Constable Potter listen man you gotta help us! Arch and Skip and Nan.." Skip has sunk and Arch is hanging around somewhere else and so on and so forth and so on the hypoxemics are turning up everywhere. The Constable advises them to stay together and particularly not to be alone with Muffy.
