I would love to see this story remade using today's filmmaking techniques. For it is the story that carries this horror flick.
Writer Andrew Fenady gives the audience an insidiously dark tale of good versus evil. Preacher John Keyes and his wife Lorna are involved in an accident. Under the sweltering desert sun, they're close to death when they're saved by passersby. Believing their luck has turned for the better, they allow the people to help them. Their saviours take John and Lorna to their town, where the townsfolk welcome them with open hands. The township requires a "Man of God" for their church and are quick to set about convincing Keyes.
However, as with all good horror stories, not everything is copacetic.
This intelligent storyline kept attention fully and always piqued my interest. As the villages manipulated Keyes into his fateful decision, an eerie unease crept coldly through my veins.
The trouble is the direction, which seems dated by today standards. The fisheye lens zooming in and out while swaying madly, to represent nightmare dreams and visions, didn't work for me. The quick cut between Keyes and "the other" in the mirror, even in 1971, is a much-overused effect. It smacks of tried and tested; more imagination and ingenuity would have added potency to the story and film.
Don't get me wrong, it doesn't hurt the film, though Bernard Kowalski could have done better. The lackadaisical pace is the greatest frustration. I know the story's told in the frontier era, but did Kowalski need to film it in the same tempo as a lazy plod along western(?) Sometimes the pace works and helps Kowalski to create a creepy atmosphere. However, there's a greater number of times when varied speed would have been excellent. Especially in the death of the Black Hat Villian. The excitement of the fight. Life and death on the line. Then the sudden pause and slow realisation of the actions taken, and the outcomes gained. Power could have enhanced across the board if Kowalski had used his skills a tad more.
The characters needed to be a tad more three dimensional. The cast is a talented lineup indeed. So I put their two dimensionalism down to Kowalski. for not moulding them better in their portrayals.
For a TV Movie, we receive a good little film. The story engages and entertains. It even shows that you don't need gore or excessive violence to forge a fair horror film. I would gladly recommend this to lovers and aficionados of the genre the world over.
Ratings: Story 1.75 : Direction 1 : Pace 0.75 : Acting 1.25 : Enjoyment 1 : Total 5.75
Mosey on over to my Absolute Horror list to see where this TV gem ranks. Who knows, you may find tonights viewing pleasure.
Take Care And Stay Well.
Writer Andrew Fenady gives the audience an insidiously dark tale of good versus evil. Preacher John Keyes and his wife Lorna are involved in an accident. Under the sweltering desert sun, they're close to death when they're saved by passersby. Believing their luck has turned for the better, they allow the people to help them. Their saviours take John and Lorna to their town, where the townsfolk welcome them with open hands. The township requires a "Man of God" for their church and are quick to set about convincing Keyes.
However, as with all good horror stories, not everything is copacetic.
This intelligent storyline kept attention fully and always piqued my interest. As the villages manipulated Keyes into his fateful decision, an eerie unease crept coldly through my veins.
The trouble is the direction, which seems dated by today standards. The fisheye lens zooming in and out while swaying madly, to represent nightmare dreams and visions, didn't work for me. The quick cut between Keyes and "the other" in the mirror, even in 1971, is a much-overused effect. It smacks of tried and tested; more imagination and ingenuity would have added potency to the story and film.
Don't get me wrong, it doesn't hurt the film, though Bernard Kowalski could have done better. The lackadaisical pace is the greatest frustration. I know the story's told in the frontier era, but did Kowalski need to film it in the same tempo as a lazy plod along western(?) Sometimes the pace works and helps Kowalski to create a creepy atmosphere. However, there's a greater number of times when varied speed would have been excellent. Especially in the death of the Black Hat Villian. The excitement of the fight. Life and death on the line. Then the sudden pause and slow realisation of the actions taken, and the outcomes gained. Power could have enhanced across the board if Kowalski had used his skills a tad more.
The characters needed to be a tad more three dimensional. The cast is a talented lineup indeed. So I put their two dimensionalism down to Kowalski. for not moulding them better in their portrayals.
For a TV Movie, we receive a good little film. The story engages and entertains. It even shows that you don't need gore or excessive violence to forge a fair horror film. I would gladly recommend this to lovers and aficionados of the genre the world over.
Ratings: Story 1.75 : Direction 1 : Pace 0.75 : Acting 1.25 : Enjoyment 1 : Total 5.75
Mosey on over to my Absolute Horror list to see where this TV gem ranks. Who knows, you may find tonights viewing pleasure.
Take Care And Stay Well.