Superstition

'Superstition' is a 1982 supernatural slasher movie that may not have any sort of originality, but makes up for some of its short comings by having some inventive death scenes, cool gore and a creepy atmosphere. The movie is rather entertaining and does deliver on the carnage.

The plot = In the 1600's where a witch is sentenced to death by crucifixion in the black pond as she swears vengeance on her persecutors. Then we flash forward to the present day of 1982 a series of bizarre murders plague the house near the lake as the witch is haunting the property from beyond the grave.

The direction by James W. Roberson is quite decent as he doesn't shy away from the shock factor, the film feels very much in the vein of the 80's slashers due to the sheer over the top murders that occur throughout which thankfully helps distract you from the utter haphazard pacing, uneven acting performances & a fairly by the numbers story. This is by no means a plot driven flick but the mystery element is sustained long enough to keep you interested.

Overall this is a fun ride dripped in pure cheese with sheer enthusiasm for its gruesome set pieces, but doesn't really offer much more than that with no characters to really root for mainly because they're just cannon fodder & none of the performances really stand out to be honest, but if you're looking for nothing more than a fun ride, then 'Superstition' is the movie for you.

I was surprised by this low budget horror movie. It isn't a masterpiece, but overall it's well done - certainly better than THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. Things happen in this movie that take you by surprise - both genuine shocks, and seeing stuff you usually never see in horror movies! And there are some splatter scenes that will really take your attention. You probably won't see this on TV, (and if you do, it'll be severely cut), so do some detective work in the video stores in your area. You won't be disappointed.

After watching the opening 10 minutes of this film I was happy to see the director wasn't afraid to "show it all" in the area of gore. Stylistically, I would really be surprised if the director and/or cinematographer wasn't influenced by Dario Argento. Some of the music reminded me of a slight take on what Goblin did for Argento films- but no where near as well of course. The good thing about mimicking a maestro such as Argento is that you have good taste in film making. The bad thing is...not many can "do Argento" like Argento. So many will walk away thinking it is a cheap ripoff.

For those not familiar with Argento's work, you should find this to be a refreshing take on the horror genre in the 80s time period. If you are like me, I enjoy "grade Z" movies more then big budget films if they entertain me. It is about entertainment. This film entertained me. There were even a few times that I actually felt a little creepy tension- something that doesn't usually happen with lower budget flicks.

If you are looking for big budget romps, then keep on renting movies on the "new rental wall" at Blockbuster. Otherwise, you may have some fun with this one.

What at first feels like a creatively impaired Amityville Horror rip off quickly spirals into a balls-out, splatter fest that's a lot more fun than you'd think. The story is that a house has been cured ever since a witch was executed in the lake that surrounds the property and anyone who enters has come to a bad end. A priest and his family move in and begin to experience creepy things until the vengeful witch returns to kill them all one by one.

Superstition doesn't waste any time in getting to the good stuff. The opening of the film alone features a body being torn in half by a shattered window and a teenager's head exploding in a microwave. Once the main victims move in, the witch doesn't spend her time making chairs move or opening doors - she just goes right for the jugular and starts killing people in creatively bloody ways.

In some ways, Superstition feels more like a slasher movie than a ghost story, but it's not a bad thing. It certainly makes the film stand out from similar films from the time and it mixes subgenres quite well. If you're looking for a spooky good time, Superstition will hook you up.

A 17th century executed witch kills anybody who enters a house that was built on the site of her execution. Supernatural horror that plays out like a slasher movie with many inventive deaths every 10 minutes or so. This is well paced and there is plenty of good gore, including an exploding head in a microwave, death by an escaped circular saw, spike through forehead, and so on. This was made during the Golden Age of the slasher movie and certainly gives good value for money. Give me 1980's effects and vibe any day over 21st century CGI and remakes! Original title in 1982 was Superstition. It did appear on the seizure list during the Video Nasties farce but was given a rerelease as The Witch in 1985. Sadly this film appears to be something of a forgotten one, I can't even reference in it in my collection of horror movie books. It really does deserve a DVD/BR release so that a new audience can see it.