Schlocktoberfest #1: Equinox
The Evil Dead holds a special place in the hearts of many horror fans, me included. The funnier, more polished sequels are great, but the original has that home-brewed quality, and a unique mix of dark humor and over the top concepts (like tree rape) that put it in a class of its own. Well, its tale of a book of evil spells guarded by a professor at a remote cabin who is overtaken by dark forces isn't the first story of its kind; Equinox, made by Dennis Muren and Jack Woods over a few years with his friends as a student film, tells a similar tale. It's older and less gory, but has its own charms and goes over the top in its own way.
Giant killer apes? Count me in.Am I accusing Sam Raimi of cribbing? No, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was an influence. The story begins with a group of students looking for their professor's remote cabin, where they plan to stay for a weekend. The prof is nowhere to be found, but instead, a cackling madman hands them a strange leather-bound book. Then... weird things start happening. A creepy park ranger with fearsome eyebrows seems a little too interested in why they're visiting, and warns them off.
8 time Hugo Winner Fritz Leiber!Later, the professor appears, but seems driven mad. He grabs the book and runs, and they follow, wanting to know what's wrong. The Prof is played by award-festooned science fiction master Fritz Leiber, of all people. He does a decent job of babbling and running, but his true talents lie in writing and not acting. Then again, compared to the rest of the cast he's just fine. They're all amateurs and make Raimi's bunch seem like seasoned pros. The ranger, played by director Jack Woods, is unforgettable as his intentions become clear, and his facial expressions are so bizarre that even when you laugh, you're more than a little creeped out.
He does more than emote, he Asmodiates.The Ranger calls himself Asmodeus, and wants the book- but the girl holding it is wearing a crucifix, and he is driven back by the holy symbol. The kids make crude crosses out of twigs as protection, and try to make it out of the forest with the book, but Asmodeus has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He sends a giant demonic ape after them, rendered with stop-motion effects, that looks like it would get Ray Harryhausen's approval. Then there is a giant, and a flying devil, and we see what happened to the cabin in flashbacks- torn apart by the enormous tentacles of an unseen creature (the Ubiquipus, of course).
Ubiquipus strikes againIn a similar fashion to Evil Dead, the cast is slowly winnowed down through violence and possession, as the demonic park ranger unleashes his fury. How he is dealt with is particularly clever, and for a low-budget cheese-fest, Equinox tries to be sharp. It creates a dreamlike world where the battle for good and evil is fought, and if you like stuff like The Gate from the '80s or an earlier film about demonic invasion, the minor classic The Night of the Demon, you ought to see this movie.
Some nice compositions
Oscar-winner special effects whiz Dennis Muren!
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3 comments:
looked at the pictures but sorry - no read. :P
This was sitting on the local library shelf the other week. I saw the word "Criterion" and my interest was peaked. This movie was RAD. Slow at points, made for an MST3K episode, etc. but still very, very worth watching.
I should have also mentioned that the Criterion set came with two disc and TONS of special features.
The special effects on the film are really impressive considering the budget and the crew's experience way back when.
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