Midnight

No, really...it's full of killers! I saw MIDNIGHT at a film festival in Orlando and was totally blown away. It was like an 80s slasher made recently! It is brutal and original. I only learned later that it was a remake of a 'video nasty' from the 80's and written by the legendary John Russo (screenwriter of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and many other cult classics).

This version is very fast moving with a whole lot of violence. There are well timed comic relief points (such as the guy picking up hitchhiking Nancy...loved the zombie lube line) that are absolutely necessary to pressure release the tension that prevails the ominous tone of the film.

MIDNIGHT is brutal, it starts off with a group of kids tormenting a teenager caught in a steel trap. One of them hits the girl in the head with a shovel and when she wakes up, she is about to be sacrificed on an alter by the demented kids.

It's crazy, but you can't stop watching...from there, the film fast forwards a couple decades later and we learn about this same group of kids (now adults) have continued their Satanic cult and frequently look for women for their blood rituals.

Another concurrent story line deals with Nancy, the protagonist, who is forced to leave home after her stepfather tries to molest her. He's perv central, but to his redeeming credit, the stepdad does attempt to locate Nancy, not realizing how much trouble she indeed is in as she gets kidnapped by the crazy cult members while camping in the woods.

I went back and read the John Russo novel of the same name that MIDNIGHT was based on. I was shocked to find out that the novel was more bleak than the film. The film does leave you with some hope, where Nancy is left in the cage to die in the novel. At least the perv stepdad helps her in the movie...not so much in the novel, where he is trying to be sure she stays quite as to not reveal his trying to put the make on her.

A+ to the filmmakers of MIDNIGHT -- the remake. I loved it and am adding the DVD to my collection of horror flicks!

A 17 years-old girl from western Pennsylvania intends to run away to Virginia. A friendly couple picks her up whereupon they run afoul of a weirdo cult in the sticks.

"Midnight" (2020) was written by the screenwriter of the hallowed "Night of the Living Dead," based on his book, and a faithful remake of his micro-budget flick from the early '80s. Russo enlisted a director this time out rather than helm it himself, which happens to be the guy who plays the stepfather, Gary Lee Vincent. Meanwhile Russo plays the Catholic minister.

The original version cost only $70,000 whereas this one cost $300,000, which is about the same amount if you factor in inflation. In both cases, the movie's a riff on "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," just nowhere near as effective due to the limited resources. For instance, some of the actors are dubious and there's a lot of hammy acting, particularly the cultists.

But, if you don't mind micro-budget deficiencies, there are things to appreciate. For one thing, it's genuinely amusing and intentionally so (I busted out laughing several times during viewing). Also, Brennan Bobish is superior to Melanie Verlin as the protagonist, Nancy. Her long hair is awe-inspiring. On that note, there are cameos by two stunning redheads, Carolyn Jerz as Patty and Gretchen Settle as Wendy.

Underneath the creepy, often goofy adventure there's an interesting theme: We live in a fallen world full of broken families, addictions, abuse, lecherous males, unjust hostilities, crime, religious sectarians and deviant groups. Both the cultists and the protagonist find succor in questionable religious beliefs, but the goat-suckers choose a destructive belief system whereas Nancy opts for a flawed-but-generally-healthy theology that enables her to face the unexpected challenges of life and overcome.

So, is this any better than the original version? Not really. It's the same story with the same spare-change budget production values. But this one kept my interest more simply due to winsome Brennan Bobish, plus it's funnier and, I suppose, the effects/gore are better. Everything else is roughly on par, just separated by almost four decades.

For a better horror flick written by Russo, check out the slasher "The Majorettes" from the mid-'80s, which is still micro-budget but all-around entertaining if you give it a chance.

The movie runs 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot in Fairmont and Bridgeport, West Virginia, which are just south of the southwest border of Pennsylvania (about 20-35 miles respectively).

GRADE: C-/C (4.5/10)