Bill
Carson is an ex-marine with psychic abilities. He is investigating the
abduction and [possible] murder of a 14 year old girl. The maniac responsible
- known as the Demon - is stalking his next victims, gorgeous 18 year
old brunette Jo and her blonde cousin, a schoolteacher named Mary. The
psychic Bill claims to be in contact with 'higher forces' and does things
like sniff a missing girl's pillow for clues [does that really work?].
He's smart enough to predict his own death, yet he does not make any
efforts to prevent it. In fact, this hero gets eliminated long before
the film's end, forcing Mary to run frantically through the house in
the nude when cousin Jo is murdered. But truthfully, watching naked
Mary as she struggles to climb from an attic window probably makes up
for all the negatives of the film.
Over
the years, critics have railed against this movie, often citing the
gratuitous nudity, the thin characterizations [especially with regards
to the mysterious hulking maniac] and the overt sexual brutality as
key complaints against it. But those same elements have also been the
building blocks for many horror films over the years. In fairness, however,
there are some severe problems with the story. For instance, the Demon
wears leather gloves with razors for fingernails but NEVER
uses this killing tool, opting instead for a plastic-bag-over-the-head
trick. He, himself, hides his identity with a mask but often there are
scenes showing him without it. And, even though the conclusion satisfies
on a purely exploitative level, it's impossible to believe the victim
can't figure out how to get out of her OWN HOUSE.
The man behind this notoriously cockeyed movie is South African filmmaker
Percival Rubens. Most of his projects never make it beyond the African
borders, but this one found International distribution, probably because
Rubens managed to snag Cameron Mitchell at a time when the star was
in desperate need for a paycheck and because he found two attractive
actresses who didn't object to mindlessly shedding their clothes throughout
the film.
Cameron
Mitchell, after establishing himself as Buck Cannon on the hit
TV series High Chaparral (1966-71), became involved in
numerous European peplums (Mario Bava's KNIVES
OF THE AVENGERS), fantasy/actioners (SUPERSONIC
MAN) and Spaghetti Westerns (Sergio Corbucci's MINNESOTA
CLAY). He eventually returned to the United States for a decade
of B-Movies and grindhouse fare, always generally considered 'higher
quality' because of his involvement. He was especially appreciated for
his role in TOOLBOX
MURDERS and NIGHTMARE
IN WAX. Cameron
Mitchell was a heavy smoker who, after starring in 200+ projects, died
of lung cancer at the age of 75 in July 1994.
A South African
film in English language; fullscreen format (4:3), 94 minutes, encoded
for ALL REGION NTSC, playable on any American machine. Extras include
original selected trailers.
Nudity/Graphic
Violence/Sexual Brutality
for Adult Audiences
