See if this plot sounds familiar.
Four teenagers head into the country for some fun and relaxation and end up at a cabin in the woods which comes under attack by the dark forces of Hell. The youngsters fall victim one by one to the various attacks which include intruding monsters and demons who invade the spirits of the kids themselves. The violence seems to be centered around a mysterious book filled with ancient lore. Eventually all the kids succumb save one who is left to tell the tale, though his ultimate fate has little doubt.
Generally speaking that sounds a lot like Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies. But it's not a description of those, rather it's a brief overview of the movie Equinox. This movie began as an amateur effort put together by Dennis Murren and other talented special effects monsterkids and some aspiring young actors (including a future Rose Parade queen and Frank Bonner star of WKRP In Cincinnati) which tells the story of penetrating a barrier to Hell. They even got Frtiz Leiber, the famous fantasy author and creator of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser, to do some work in this one. Forry Ackerman shows up in a voice cameo.
The movie was completed on weekends with minimal equipment and rough stop-motion effects and then sold to a local producer named Jack Harris who got the cast together again and shot new material to make the film a bit longer for release. This resulted in two versions of the movie, the later one with more overt sexual content.
The movie got released into the theaters and has since become a cult favorite.
Criterion Collections put together a somewhat pricey but a very entertaining package with both versions of the movie and lots of background information including interviews with the many of the cast members and the creators. It's a very nice collection and if you can get it for cheaper (which I did with some coupons at my local Borders) then it will be well worth the investment, especially for anyone interested in horror movies, stop-motion animation, or cult movies. This one has something for everyone who is not afraid to watch less than slick Hollywood production.
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I am remember watching parts of this on channel 9 (in NYC) back in the mid 70s and they never showed it again. 30 years late it shows up on a cable channel (TMC or IFC I forget. Pretty good for basically an amateur effort.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to agree. After watching it again with the commentary, it's clear that it was a real act of dedication on everyone's part to get it done, let alone make it even remotely watchable. Most of the movie was made with very limited equipment.
ReplyDeleteIt's watching a movie like this, with a lot of heart but little technical accomplishment, that really makes you appreciate the subtlety of sophisticated movie making. The little things in editing really make a huge difference in the experience.
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Jack Harris also financed the expansion of another student/amateur film called Dark Star whose creators/performers included John Carpenter, Dan O'Bannon, Ron Cobb, and Greg Jein
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