The young me would probably have loved Curse of the Blue Lights. The seven to twelve year old me, free of expectations, free of growing into gore or serious horror cinema. Curse of the Blue Lights is a pretty juvenile affair really, and looking at it through the cold light of adulthood it isn't all that good, but on a Friday night peering back into the mists and yearnings of youth it does the trick. A low budget regional affair, it sees a group of teens out for the night in the Blue Lights area, an ill defined and ill lit place that seems to have a river nearby but most importantly a slope wherein is buried an ancient beast, the Muldoon Man. One teen slips and falls, revealing a petrified hand protruding from the dust, they also find a medallion which they take before heading home for a pick up truck, get apprehended for speeding, return and find the body gone. Following tracks they find nefarious ghouls beneath a cemetery and realise there are some bad shenanigans afoot, which they set about putting to rights with the help of a local witch. Its a fast paced film bounding with enthusiasm, the cast are generally as young looking as the ages they seek to portray and there's a pleasant feel of youthful endeavour to the film, friends getting together to make a movie and test their skills. Though the writing is poor and the acting often flat there's a drive and purpose to everything that makes it a pretty easy watch. Special effects are the highlight, much better than would be expected for a film of this budget. Quality ghoul make up and some neat melting effects, even an amusing old school shonky monster at the end, if nothing else the sum of the effects makes the film a decent cheesy time. Special effects man Michael Spatola went on to credits in Stargate and Terminator 2: Judgement Day as well as other more minor projects and there's loving craft here that seems to foretell such a career. Some of the performances are fun as well, mostly from folk who only did this one film. Cheers go out to Brent Ritter hamming as fiercely as he can beneath a lot of make-up as main ghoul Loath, Kent E. Fritzell and Willard Hall as his equally enthusiastic but inept assistants Bor and Forn and Bettina Julius as the aforementioned witch, who really isn't terribly comprehensible but is quite watchable in a weird sort of way. This stuff and the energy of the leads makes for a cheerful camp that buoys the film through its slower patches and gives a bit of an extra pop when things do hot up. The film is a bit too long at over an hour and a half and the lack of general gore (a spot of blood and melting effects mostly) puts a slight dampener on things, preventing it from ever reaching a full head of delirious steam, but its a fun watch nonetheless. Best recommended to younger viewers, those seeking films suitable for younger viewers and those seeking to revisit their earlier years, this one gets a fair 6/10 I think.
