Coven of the Black Cube

The 1 star I gave this film was far more than it deserved. There's absolutely no redeeming features to mention, the acting is utterly terrible and that's the best compliment I can pay to this camcorder debacle. If this had been made in 1984 by 14 year olds it would be a work of genius, but sadly it's brand new and made by adults, all of which I assume have seen a film before and still decided to go ahead with this awful nonsense. It's possible I may not be the target audience for this film, in fact I genuinely hope I'm not because if there's someone out there that thought I'd enjoy this fuzzy tripe then I've never been so insulted.

After falling out with her friend, a woman makes a friend with a worker in a special shop that introduces her to a series of occult practices that her coven of man-hating witches use to help protect women from their abusive behavior, gradually bringing her into their thrall.

Overall, this was a decent enough genre throwback. Among the better elements of this one is a rather fun and generally enjoyable storyline that offers a rather likable attempt to explain the supernatural that comes about. The initial meetup and introduction into the spiritual realm make for a solid enough time as we get to see the exploits of the failing relationship with her girlfriend, full of put downs and unaccepted reactions to her burgeoning interest in mysticism that comes about from the more open-minded shopkeeper she runs in. Featuring the interaction at the club that soon leads into the fight and being led into the occult shop that begins her relationship with the worker that introduces her to a form of occult practices that tie into the growing series of murders that are being reported about the cult-like murders being carried out in the background of everything, this story makes for a fun enough time here. With her growing attachment to the coven coming about due to the increasingly closer relationship she has with the shop worker, the idea of everything leading to the ritualistic murder of unfaithful or plain unappreciative husbands makes this one come to life in the final half, when everything takes centerstage involving how they target and sacrifice victims. This offers up the kind of cheesy, low-budget ideas and setup that bring about enough fun times, showing their influence throughout the film, taking out multiple men in their path of violence. It's all cheesy and fun, from the presentation to the effects and even the fuzzy, retro-quality filter that helps to give this oe a solid, old-school vibe that may or may not be appealing to some viewers out there, something similar that occurs with the overlong build-up with all of the focus on the getting the relationships setup and explained to the point that it takes a while to get going. Otherwise, there's not a lot to dislike here.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language, Violence, and Nudity.

If we didn't know this film was from 2024, we would've said it was one of the best hidden indie horror gems of the 1990s. We didn't really see any evidence of the film taking place in the 2020s, but maybe we were too distracted by all the cool, goth/punk/ metal-head-looking actors/extras, the black magic imagery, creative and disturbing gore effects. With scenes that almost looked like they were pulled from a snuff video, like the stand-out nightmarish penis torture scene that left me with an imaginary pain in my groin for a couple of days. If you remember the days of Indie VHS brutal horror movies, or you are just now learning about those glorious times and loving everything that was created by those filmmakers, then you need to check this one out. The music is top-notch, perfect for a soundtrack release. The acting is realistically good, and it's always impressive to see indie filmmakers filming out in the open guerrilla style.