Reviews

I am one of an increasing aficionados of this series. Having abandoned quality after the first one the series has opted for repeating a formula with usually increasing flesh and hoping that word of mouth and shear deluge of films will make money. The trick has largely worked. I found out about this via an occult and a vampire website where the stage and screen actor Stephen Armourae listed them as minor films with a particular interest, some of the actresses have appeared in sketches by him as well. In this lot thats bare flesh and bad acting. Steve is clearly unimpressed that the word Witchcraft should be attached to this lot: he is an occultism and has written on wicca. OK so here's the deal: Will Spanner returns, continuously since Witchcraft 2, with the delightful if too peroxide Delia Sheppard, here with his fiancé Kelly Jordan who for the sake of the script has not met people she appeared with in previous films. That's not a good sign for a film. The thrust of this one is that Kelly's sister and 3 attractive students can't act better than mahogany and they will murder Macbeth. So they are encouraged to perform a supposed witchcraft ritual to give authenticity to their performances. Gate of Hell inevitably opens and everyone gets their clothes off. This is not rated highly compared to the others in the series by Armourae either. But the sound is better and Anita Page is a bonus: a silent star aged 90 giving this a poignancy it doesn't deserve.

In the early 1990s this was broadcast in the graveyard slot of 4am. Pete Waterman then a hugely successful record producer took the presenter's job and began to wonder if he had made the worst mistake. The show were at half empty clubs. Then it started to get a cult following from drunks coming home and now the clubs had queues of people stretching so far they had to turn people away. The show consisted of people dancing very badly to the latest club tunes that were unsustainable unless you were stuck in a club. Meanwhile professional dancers lead by a black man in a white nylon wig did their thing. The show was noticeable for the cameraman's' interest in the women dancing on the stage and the reason why it was canceled: a number of dancers were able to keep up an athletic tempo despite sweat pouring off them. It was revealed a few had taken a well known stimulant that was part of the club scene at the time. The most memorable of the women dancers was a beautiful nubile girl that appeared in a couple of the earlier shows. Dressed in a black bikini style clothes and sunglasses she moved her body in a very knowingly erotic way. Such was her effect that the actor and psychic Stephen Armourae was describing her on a few sites and a drawing base don her appeared. I know he wanted to do a portrait, but unfortunately for us all that is unlikely since they were anonymous.

Following the Omen Richard Donner was inexplicably offered a very different film. In recent interviews he has revealed how badly strained the relations were with the production company which result din him being fired from Superman 2. Even more strain than the stuntman who was injured from falling off the glass plate used to simulate Superman's flying. In age when Hollywood was being swallowed up by witless poor scripts and bad plotting to produce undemanding fair that would receive large audiences, they produced this masterpiece which recalls plotting and script heralding back to an earlier age. The script proceeds at a steady pace to tell an involving story instead of rushing through it to the next fight scene as do modern Hollywood films. The psychological analysis is convincing and sensitive whereas later Hollywood blockbusters bolt on a histrionic piece of self awareness in an attempt to give there characters more than one dimension. The acting is superb. Reeves is a mixture of Gary Cooper and Cary Grant in his portrayal of Kent and Gene Hackman has been described as the greatest American actor it will be interesting to see how Kevin Spacey holds that character in the new Superman

Bava may have made couple of better films but this is the most celebrated and had the greatest impact. Especially if you see 'Mask of Satan' the uncensored version of this masterpiece. In the UK this is gaining even more mystique. An actor, scientist and psychic called Stephen Armourae has used the portrait of the great Barbara Steele as a template for at least one portrait of a woman called 'Catherine' w ho is clearly very important to him and many believe they are lovers prompted by Armourae's abrupt withdrawal of the painting from view and refusal to display it again. The story of the film is legendary. A beautiful witch with cheekbones highlighted by black and white film is put to death and encased with A MAsk of Satan. Centuries later she is revived by her evil counterpart who intends to use the heroine who is a descendant (and also Steele) to revive the witch. Like all Italian Horror Films there is an emphasis on artistic cinematography and plot rather than set scenes. This opens at a steady pace like a novel, stylish and visually stunning with plenty of macabre touches. The expressionist lighting highlights the film's sensuality and see it to appreciate that portrait and remember that somewhere there are more painted like that in some erotic session.

Ed Wood is eclipsed and becomes Orson Welles. This film is fantastic. Vampire witches who fight in terribly choreographed scenes and dialog that could have breaking ribs with laughter. Plan 9 From OUterSpace dons't stand a chance against this. Described by the writer and psychic Stephen Armourae on the Vampire Forum as a masterpiece- he's from England and thoroughly sarcastic.

It has Stephanie Beaton and the producers know whats going to save them from bankcrupcy by repeatedly using her. Though she leaves me cold as she looks more like the undead than all the devil raisers. And Eileen Daly is just a lower rate Elvira. The whole thing is badly done.

Watch it for the script though