Wuchakk

Wes Craven developed this after the deserved success of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with further inspiration stemming from the 16th century 'Sawney' Bean legend of Galloway, Scotland. "Deliverance" was also no doubt an influence, not to mention a little "Straw Dogs" seeing as how the theme involves civilized people turning to utter savagery to survive, which was also the moral of "Witchfinder General," aka "The Conqueror Worm."

The milieu and general vibe is similar to "Gargoyles" from four years earlier, but this is easily the least of all these movies due to a lack of artistry, dull storytelling, and comic booky antagonists. It would've worked better IMHO if the cannibal family was depicted in a more mysterious manner. Instead, they're depicted in broad daylight pretty much from the get-go.

If you can roll with the cheesiness, however, the proceedings pick up in the last act with an interesting turn-the-tables element.

Janus Blythe stands out in the feminine department as Ruby, who thankfully comes to the fore in the final half hour. More should've been done with her. Janus happened to be one of the few good things about Tobe Hooper's "Eaten Alive" from the year before. Dee Wallace (Lynne) is a slightly lesser highlight while conventional blonde Susan Lanier (Brenda) is a'right.

A sequel came out in 1984 (which I have yet to view; and probably won't after seeing this), followed by a remake in 2006, which isn't exactly great but it's superior to this, plus a mediocre sequel in 2007. The Asylum's "Hillside Cannibals" came out shortly after the remake and it effectively kept the proceedings raw, grim and horrifying. S. Craig Zahler was inspired by these films (and the "Wrong Turn" franchise) for his superior "Bone Tomahawk," which is distinguished by being a Western.

It runs 1h 30m and was shot in Victorville in the Mojave Desert, which is located 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

GRADE: C.

This was shot in the spring of 2002 in Montreal & nearby Beauharnois, just a few months before "Wrong Turn" was filmed six hours to the southwest in the greater Toronto area (Dundas and Uxbridge). I mention that more popular flick because both movies tackle the same basic plot. The difference is that this one focuses on the festival of Samhain with inspiration from the 'Sawney' Bean legend of Galloway, Scotland, which brings to mind Wes Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" seeing as how it was also inspired by the legend. Of course, all of these were influenced by Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

The first act is a well done set-up in the cabin-in-the-woods mold, but the midsection meanders with characters doing unbelievable things, such as a couple exploring a castle-like structure at night when they were already lost in the woods; and, then, the female leaving her beau there to make it back to the cottage alone, even though she's lost (rolling my eyes).

Gorehounds will no doubt appreciate the last act, but the 'shocking' bits are so overdone they're comedic rather than horrifying, similar to "Wrong Turn" and, especially, "Wrong Turn 2: Dead End." The Asylum's "Hillside Cannibals" came out shortly after this debuted on DVD and it effectively kept the proceedings grim and horrifying. S. Craig Zahler was inspired by these films for his superior "Bone Tomahawk," which is distinguished by being a Western.

Bobbie Phillips plays the conservative professor and she's easily the most beautiful woman in the cast, despite the presence of several porn or ex-porn actresses, such as Chasey Lain as Amy in the intro, Ginger Lynn as Pandora, Jenna Jameson in a worthless cameo as Jenny, and Taylor Hayes as 'the breeder.'

A highlight of the flick is the opening and ending song "Samhain" by Montreal-based Undercover Ways. Some versions of the film also feature the band's moody "Silenced."

Writer/director Christian Viel says his movie (originally called "Samhain") was severely marred by producer William R. Mariani, who added bits, including the gory Richard Grieco scene and the "Scream"-ish horror trivia references, as well as removed material that was important to Viel, not to mention he had the film edited without Viel's input. Then there's the dubious tacked-on ending helmed by a different director, Roger Cardinal (uncredited). Viel fumed that Mariani's version is too 'sanitized' as it removed a lot of the gore, humor and nudity he wanted, even though there's more than enough gore, humor and nudity present. Obviously Mariani wanted to evade the NC-17 rating and keep the flick from being so over-the-top it was a total joke.

There are several bootleg versions available, including a director's cut, but the official version I watched runs 1h, 21m.

GRADE: B-/C+

Shot in the spring of 1987, this takes bits from three prior 80s' movies and meshes them together with the unique setting of the landmark Alcatraz Island. The films I'm talking about are "An American Werewolf in London," "Trick or Treat" and "The Lost Boys." While it's a 'B' movie by comparison and easily the least of these, there are enough highlights to make it worth checking out for those interested.

Tammy Hyler as conservative Jan stands out in the feminine department, although the camera tends to focus on blonde Hope Marie Carlton (Krista) in various stages of undress. Toni Basil shows up in the second half and perks things up. She was 43 during shooting and looked ten years younger. If you're not familiar with her, she played the beautiful redhead 'teen' in "Village of the Giants" and was one of two female hitchhikers in Jack Nicholson's "Five Easy Pieces." In 1982 she became a one-hit wonder with "Oh Mickey, you're so fine."

The four songs on the rockin' sountrack were composed by Devo main-men Mark Mothersbaugh & Gerald Casale and performed by their band. While the soundtrack isn't as notable as Fastway's songs for "Trick or Treat," it serves its purpose and the closing credits song "The Only One," sung by Basil, is as good as anything in that other flick.

It runs 1h 25m and was shot in Santa Monica (Gardner Brothers' house) and Los Feliz in Los Angeles (the school) with studio work done in Culver City. Exterior shooting was done around Alcatraz.

GRADE: B-