Jack H. Harris Presents Equinox!

See if this plot sounds familiar.

Four teenagers head into the country for some fun and relaxation and end up at a cabin in the woods which comes under attack by the dark forces of Hell. The youngsters fall victim one by one to the various attacks which include intruding monsters and demons who invade the spirits of the kids themselves. The violence seems to be centered around a mysterious book filled with ancient lore. Eventually all the kids succumb save one who is left to tell the tale, though his ultimate fate has little doubt.

Generally speaking, that sounds a lot like Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies. But it's not a description of those, rather it's a brief overview of the movie Equinox. This movie began as an amateur effort put together by Dennis Murren and other talented special effects "Monster Kids" and some aspiring young actors (including a future Rose Parade queen and Frank Bonner star of WKRP In Cincinnati). 

The movie tells the story of penetrating a barrier to Hell. They even got Frtiz Leiber, the famous science fiction and fantasy author and creator of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser, to do some acting work in this one. Forry Ackerman shows up in a voice cameo.

The movie was completed on weekends with minimal equipment and rough stop-motion effects and then sold to a local producer named Jack Harris who got the cast together again and shot new material to make the film a bit longer for release. This resulted in two versions of the movie, the later one with more overt sexual content. The movie got released into the theaters and has since become a cult favorite.

Some years ago Criterion Collections put together a somewhat pricey but a very entertaining package with both versions of the movie and lots of background information including interviews with the many of the cast members and the creators. It's a very nice collection and it might will be well worth the investment, especially for anyone interested in horror movies, stop-motion animation, or cult movies. This one has something for everyone who is not afraid to watch less than slick Hollywood production.

Next time Harris returns to his roots with Beware! The Blob.    

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Justice Has A New Face - Darkman!

When Sam Raimi couldn't get the rights to bring The Shadow to the big screen, he created his own shadowy crimefighter and dubbed him "Darkman". If any movie got me to fall in love with the particular style of a filmmaker, it was Darkman.

Darkman appealed to me from the get-go, coming out in the same summer as Warren Beaty's Dick Tracy was barnstorming the country. I often think of these two movies together, two films about tough crimefighters with distinctive and unusual approaches to movie storytelling, and it's always the gritty Darkman that wins the contest. Beaty's movie is fun and full of vibrant colors and some delicious characters, but its self-awareness is too on the nose, while Raimi keeps Darkman's roots blended well enough that they don't stand out immediately. Later you think of it, but not while you're watching it.

For the folks who might not know, I'll just say that Darkman is scientist Peyton Westlake, a guy who discovers a liquid skin compound that proves to be light sensitive, a miracle for modern medicine moments before he and his partner are supposedly slain by mob boss Robert Durant in a move to retrieve a memo Westlake's girlfriend and lawyer had left at his place. But Westlake doesn't die, though it seems to be the case. Instead, he has his nervous system destroyed by doctors to save him from intense agony which in turn seems to give him immense strength when anger overwhelms him. He has lost his identity and the burns to his face and hands in particular make it impossible he thinks to return to the life he once had. Using his skin compound to create lifelike masks of limited duration, Darkman fights Durant's thugs and attempts to bring down the criminal enterprise that killed his friend, threatens his girl, and destroyed his life.

That's a pretty nifty premise. And even though Darkman is a "superhero" origin tale, it works as a crackerjack adventure too. Raimi's storytelling is top-notch and at once efficient and effective and eccentric. Darkman has a great cast, with Liam Neeson as Westlake/Darkman, Francis McDormand as his girlfriend Julie, and Larry Drake leading the way as the outrageous villain Robert Durant.

The movie was deemed a failure in its theatre release, but was ultimately successful in the video aftermarket, and produced two sequels, both straight-to-video affairs. The first was titled Darkman: The Return of Robert Durant and revives the main baddie from the first movie for another go around with a property deal and the constant struggle between idealism and the demands of the ordinary world. The movie's action is not as specific as the first film, both for budgetary reasons I suspect and because Raimi only produces this one and doesn't direct. It's a diverting film, echoing much of what happened in the first one as many sequels are wont to do.

Arnold Vosloo (who would go on to become The Mummy) is Darkman this time and he does a pretty decent job in his pre-Mummy days. Larry Drake is back as Durant and dominates the screen with this over-the-top baddie. This movie feels too much a need to cleave to the original and that hampers what can happen. The movie in many ways attempts to recreate the first one beat for beat but with fewer dollars. It's not a smart way to go I think ever.

The second sequel is titled Darkman: Die Darkman Die and progresses the story quite a bit. Jeff Fahey is delightfully vile as the new baddie named Rooker, but this time we see the villain's family who apparently are largely unaware of his crimes. He is confronted by Westlake again played by Vosloo and this time a permanent solution to Darkman's problem is dangled in front of the viewer. What will our hero choose, a life in the shadows dedicated to fighting evil or will he take a chance to live his life fully as Westlake. It's not a bad story really, though it breaks down a bit in the end, there is surprising complexity in this actioner. Whatever its failings at least they tried some new things. Again, Raimi is merely the producer.

I don't know if I want more Darkman movies or not. If Raimi were to direct, I'd say for sure. But with other hands, the special nature of the hero is lost a bit. Darkman is a very tortured superhero, and in the original his battle is so visceral that you feel his agony more than a bit thanks to Neeson's dang good acting. He gives us a Westlake who is truly on the edge of madness. In later installments this aspect is diminished quite a bit, to the detriment of the overall impact of the stories.

But if you've by some chance never seen the Darkman movies, but all means give them a look. The trilogy can be had for pretty small money. The original just might be one of the best superhero movies made before the avalanche of such films we enjoy in the modern day. Thank goodness Raimi was denied the rights to the Shadow, so we could get Darkman. 

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The Shadow Knows!

October is the month for scares. And no hero in the history of the genre has been scarier than The Shadow. Created originally for radio as a mysterious voice to narrate stories of mysterious crime and detection, the Shadow in the hands of writer Walter B. Gibson became a gun-blazing sensation in the 30's for pulp publishers Street and Smith. It's the success of The Shadow in both the pulps and on radio that inspired the creation of Doc Savage in an attempt to find a similar kind of audience.

My introduction to The Shadow came when DC adapted the character to comic book form. It wasn't the first time by any means, but these stories written mostly by Denny O'Neil and drawn by Mike Kaluta, Frank Robbins, and E.R. Cruz were terrific. Years later I was able to get hold of most all of the novels and while I've read a passel of them, I have many more to go. I probably should dedicate a year to doing just that, but I get distracted. I'll be looking at all those issues. There's also a great Shadow graphic novel from Marvel which deserves my long overdue attention. 

In addition to The Shadow, DC tried its hand at another pulp hero -- The Avenger. This character proved less successful, lasting a mere four issues, but it does feature some interesting artwork from Jack Kirby who was working off his contract at DC. Expect to see a post on each and every issue. 

And while I doubt I'll have opportunity to post about it, I also want to dig into the earliest Batman stories from the Golden age of DC's Detective Comics and Batman. The Batman's debt to the Shadow is immense and reading these vintage gems might help steep the mood needed for mysteries of the Shadowy kind. 

One of the earlier attempts to adapt The Shadow to comic book form came in the 1960's from the Archie Comics Group. These are utterly oddball efforts sporting typical artwork of the time by Paul Reinman. To say the character deviated from the vintage pulp model is a major understatement. 

More in the spirit of the Shadow is Darkman. This remarkable film by Sam Raimi was a minor hit in the theaters and on VHS and DVD but a major hit with me. This movie is filled with grim danger, bravura filmmaking, and more than a dash of black humor. There are two sequels, both straight to video efforts which are entertaining but don't rise to the level of the original. 

And speaking of the cinema. The Shadow was a hit on the radio, in the pulps but found his footing less secure in the sunny climes of Hollywood. A mysterious, cloudy figure who is hard to see if seen at all is not the ideal cinematic icon. But there were more than a few attempts to bring The Shadow to both the big and the small screen. The results vary in quality significantly. We'll see as we sashay through the various versions in more or less chronological order. 

Another goal for me this month is the listen to as many of the vintage Shadow radio dramas as I can fit into my schedule. Thanks to the glory of the internet these radio plays, once acquired in small parcels for pretty good money can be accessed for free. The Internet Archive will play a big role in his month's proceedings not only in regard to the comics but also in respect to these dramas. This link claims to have all two hundred thirty-nine surviving episodes of the legendary show. You can access this site readily during the month by finding the image above in the sidebar and giving it a click.

Of course, I'll be reading some vintage Shadow adventures as written by Walter B. Gibson as "Maxwell  Grant" for the Street and Smith publishing outfit. I'm starting by reading the first three Shadow yarns first published in 1931. They are The Living Shadow, The Eyes of the Shadow, and The Shadow Laughs. These three tales are somewhat connected in regard to the characters who appear in them and look for my reports on them in a series of special Halloween posts. After that I want to read as many of the Shadow novels as I can in chronological order. With the thanks of Sanctum Books run by Anthony Tollin, I was able to put together a library of Shadow novels. Now's the time to indulge myself, though I likely will not take time to post about on the blog. And needless this project will take quite a while to accomplish. It's neat to have more to read than I have time to read it -- no danger of running out. 

I'll be adding to my Shadow knowledge by reading two tomes by Will Murray about the character. The two are Dark Avenger - The Strange Saga of The Shadow and Master of Mystery - The Rise of The Shadow. The first is an expansion of a book Murray first wrote decades ago about the crimefighter and the latter is a collection of articles and other material about Walter Gibson's dark brainchild. 

Expect other Shadow surprises (if I can fit them in -- it's very full month already) as this spooky crime-ridden Halloween month of October unfolds before our very eyes. 

I should also mention that as I have done in many years past, this blog is joining forces with others by way of Countdown to Halloween Blog which you can check out here and by clicking on the icon in the sidebar. Lots is happening in the sidebars, so don't forget to check them out. 

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Ash Versus The Evil Dead!

Watched the debut episode of Ash Vs. Evil Dead this past weekend on Starz, and I have to give it an unabashed "Groovy"! This one does an exceedingly nifty job of picking up a story that has lain dormant for nearly twenty-five years since the release of Army of Darkness in 1992.  But the elements are still all there, and Bruce Campbell still has that quixotic charm which has made him a favorite movie and TV star now for several decades. Never an "A-List" celeb, Bruce is the king almighty and high overlord of "B-Listers".

Groovy Trio - Pablo, Ash, and Kelly

There's not much to announce about the story but I will attempt to avoid too many spoilers. Ash Williams has fallen victim to time, and now an aging one-handed denture-wearing wannabe Don Juan, he trolls the bars right at closing to pick up the desperate and the lonely to fulfill his base needs. That's the hero of this yarn, which shows us a world which quickly comes under attack by "Deadites" from another dimension, who invade the bodies of human beings and transform them into hideous and leering monsters bent on death and destruction. At the center of this is the Sumerian Book of the Dead made literally of flesh and blood, and in the keeping (so to speak) of Ash. Ever the "hero", Ash's first response to the "Deadite" invasion is to run away. But Pablo, a fellow employee who rather idolizes Ash tries to talk him out of that decision. Then fate takes a hand (so to speak) and things really start to slide into the gutter and by the end of the first episode we know that it will be Ash and company to the rescue. We are in so much trouble.

The power of Bruce!

Bruce Campbell is as funny as ever, blending that special dash of classic heroics with a heavy smear of sarcastic cowardice, he never does exactly what you expect, but always what you fear he might do. But in the end he is forced to do the right thing, but how long that lasts is anyone's guess. Sam Raimi makes this TV show look and feel just like the later installments of the Evil Dead franchise, a weirdo blend of gross-out horror and gross-out humor blended with just enough actual real suspense to make me yearn for the days when movies were actually a little bit scary.

This one is a winner, at least based on the pilot. Give it a chance. Bruce needs your support. For my thoughts on the Evil Dead movies check this out from many years ago now. Sheesh!

Now we need a big-screen adaptation of Brisco Country Jr. 

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Darkman - The Trilogy!

When Sam Raimi couldn't get the rights to bring The Shadow to the big screen, he created his own shadowy crimefighter and dubbed him "Darkman". If any movie got me to fall in love with the particular style of a filmmaker it was Darkman.

Darkman appealed to me from the get-go, coming out in the same summer as Warren Beaty's Dick Tracy was barnstorming the country. I often think of these two movies together, two films about tough crimefighters with distinctive and unusual approaches to movie storytelling, and it's always the gritty Darkman that wins the contest. Beaty's movie is fun and full of vibrant colors and some delicious characters but its self-awareness is too on the nose, while Raimi keeps Darkman's roots blended well enough that they don't stand out immediately. Later you think of it, but not while you're watching it.


For the two people who might not know, I'll just say that Darkman is scientist Peyton Westlake, a guy who discovers a liquid skin compound that proves to be light sensitive, a miracle for modern medicine moments before he and his partner are supposedly slain by mob boss Robert Durant in a move to retrieve a memo Westlake's girlfriend and lawyer had left at his place. But Westlake doesn't die though it seems to be the case. Instead he has his nervous system destroyed by doctors to save him from intense agony which in turn seems to give him immense strength when anger overwhelms him. He has lost his identity and the burns to his face and hands in particular make it impossible he thinks to return to the life he once had. Using his skin compound to create lifelike masks of limited duration, Darkman fights Durant's thugs and attempts to bring down the criminal enterprise that killed his friend, threatens his girl, and destroyed his life.

That's a pretty nifty premise. And eventhough Darkman is a "superhero" origin tale, it works as a crackerjack adventure too. Raimi's storytelling is top-notch and both efficient and effective. Darkman has a great cast, with Liam Neeson as Westlake/Darkman, Francis McDormand as his girlfriend, and Larry Drake leading the way as the outrageous villain Robert Durant.


The movie was successful and produced two sequels, both straight-to-video affairs. The first was titled Darkman: The Return of Robert Durant and revives the main baddie from the first movie for another go around with a property deal and the constant struggle between idealism and the demands of the ordinary world. The movie's action is not as specific as the first film, both for budgetary reasons I suspect and because Raimi only produces this one and doesn't direct. It's a diverting film, echoing much of what happened in the first one as many sequels are wont to do.

Arnold Vosloo is Darkman this time and he does a pretty decent job in his pre-Mummy days. Larry Drake is back as Durant and dominates the screen with this over-the-top baddie. This movie feels too much a need to cleave to the original and that hampers what can happen. The movie in many ways attempts to recreate the first one beat for beat but with fewer dollars. It's not a smart way to go I think ever.


The second sequel is titled Darkman: Die Darkman Die and progresses the story quite a bit. Jeff Fahey is delightfully vile as the new baddie named Rooker, but this time we see the villain's family who apparently are largely unaware of his crimes. He is confronted by Westlake again played by Vosloo and this time a permanent solution to Darkman's problem is dangled in front of the viewer. What will out hero choose, a life in the shadows dedicated to fighting evil or will he take a chance to live his life fully as Westlake. It's not a bad story really, though it breaks don a bit in the end, there is surprising complexity in this actioner. Whatever its failings at least they tried some new things. Again Raimi is merely the producer.

I don't know if I want more Darkman movies or not. If Raimi were to direct, I'd say for sure. But with other hands, the special nature of the hero is lost a bit. Darkman is a very tortured superhero, and in the original his battle is so visceral that you feel his agony more than a bit thanks to Neeson's dang good acting. He gives us a Westlake who is truly on the edge of madness. In later installments this aspect is diminished quite a bit, to the detriment of the overall impact of the stories.


But if you've by some chance never seen the Darkman movies, but all means give them a look. The tilogy can be had for pretty small money. The original just might be the best superhero movie of the last twenty years.

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The Evil Dead!

I well remember going to the video store and looking for something interesting to watch. I rarely rented tapes, preferring frankly to spend a few more dollars and buy a cheap copy when I could. Then I had the movie for all time and could enjoy it at my leisure. But still there are movies you just want to see once and that will suffice. So the video store, a relic now of a bygone age, was a frequent stop in my travels.

One video I saw tucked away in the horror section was Evil Dead 2, the box featuring a skull staring at you sideways. It stuck in my memory, but it seemed to be just one more slasher movie, and those bloody things just bore me to tears. So I let it alone. This went on for a long long time. Finally for some reason, I became aware that this movie might be interesting, I forget how and I at long last rented it.


It was a revelation. I'd already by this time seen Sam Raimi's Darkman in the theater and loved it. So when I realized this was more of Raimi's vibrant moviemaking, I was very anxious to see it and a bit miffed at myself that I'd overlooked all those years. It proved to be a real hoot, a horror movie that offered up a few shocks, but mostly offered up an engaging story that never let up and was extremely funny. It's a wonderfully paced effort, with great visual gags and a really different kind of story. The ending I never saw coming the first time, though later I realized it was decently foreshadowed.


That began the search for more. Soon Army of Darkness was in the theaters and I enjoyed this one too though it's not really a horror movie at all, but a fantasy of a broader type. I became a Raimi fan. Bruce Campbell also was in my sights, having starred in The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., I found he was also in Darkman in a cameo. The smart nature of the vehicles these guys found themselves involved in really made me hanker to see the original Evil Dead.


When at last I did get hold of a copy, I was surprised. It's not like the others really at all. Of course this is a movie from a different era, filled with plenty of gore and horror cliches, but much more rugged and straightforward than its ironic sequels. I didn't quite know what to make of it. Clearly Evil Dead 2 was both a remake and a sequel at the same time while Army of Darkness was purely a sequel to that movie.

The original Evil Dead seemed not of the same brand. It's taken repeated viewings over the years but I've grown to really like this movie. It's crude for sure, but it's got a thematic sting that the later movies for all their craft lack. This one is horror, it's for real. Ash is buffoon for sure, but he's still a guy. Later Campbell takes him into a more surreal place and we care about him less while enjoying his hijinks nonetheless.


Recently I found Within the Woods, the short film by Raimi and Campbell that they used to get funding for Evil Dead. It's the same movie almost on an even smaller shoestring budget, but one which follows essentially the same plot, this time with Campbell as the monster and not the hero. It's rugged, the only print a bootleg, but if you want to see it follow this link.

I'd have to say that the original is now my favorite of the three, and that's not something I thought I'd ever say.

I read they might be making a remake of this original cult classic. I can see why they'd want to for financial reasons, but like most of these "remakes", it isn't really necessary. Just watch the original, it holds up quite nicely.

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