Blood Shack – 1971, US, 55m. Director: Ray Dennis Steckler.
Deadtime Stories – 1986, US, 82m. Director: Jeffrey Delman.
Spellbinder – 1988, US, 99m. Director: Janet Greek.
BLOOD SHACK (1971) Carol (Carolyn Brandt) inherits a dilapidated two-room shack in the middle of some Nevada dust bowl. Unfortunately, the property is haunted by a “ghost” called The Chooper, which takes pleasure in killing passersby with a sword. We know this because in the opening scene a scantily-clad woman spending the night in the shack is slain by the all-black-wearing specter. (If you’re thinking there’s a twist coming, you’re not wrong.) Despite Carol’s voice-over narration, which supplies the viewer with needless (and dull) exposition about the history of the shack and surrounding land, Blood Shack can’t hide its ramshackle story structure and sluggish pacing. Even at just 55 minutes this movie feels too long. Never a good sign. An additional ten minutes of rodeo stock footage was tacked on to secure theatrical distribution, which doesn’t help in the slightest. From the director of The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Become Mixed-Up Zombies; a must-miss. D– (Currently streaming on Tubi.)
DEADTIME STORIES (1986) Deadtime Stories does for children’s fairy tales what Creepshow did for E.C. Comics, but not as successfully. In order to put his tempestuous nephew to sleep, a man tells the kid three bedtime stories. The first tale stars Scott Valentine of Family Ties fame as a peasant sold to a pair of murderous sisters who use the young man to aid them in the resurrection of a powerful witch. Tale two is a spin on Little Red Riding Hood, as a man (Matt Mitler) pursues a sexed-up teen (Nicole Picard)—decked out in a red jogging suit—after she accidentally takes his anti-wolf medication from the pharmacist. The final (and most cartoonish) story depicts the escape of the murderous Baer family from an asylum, who discover serial killer Goldi Lox (Cathryn de Prume) is using their hideaway to store the bodies of her many male victims. The sense of humor actually saves a lot of the movie from its obvious poverty row origins, as does some impressive Ed French makeup, especially in the first segment. Look for Oscar-winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) in a small role. Funniest bit: When a woman is confronted while taking a shower, her response is: “You were expecting perhaps Janet Leigh?” C+ (Currently streaming on Freevee, Pluto TV, and Tubi.)
SPELLBINDER (1988) Los Angeles lawyer—and all around nice guy—Jeff Mills (Tim Daly) rescues damsel-in-distress Miranda (Kelly Preston) from her abusive boyfriend and ends up in a whirlwind romance with the beautiful young woman. Miranda eventually moves in with Jeff and life seems too good to be true. That is until Miranda’s mysterious past comes knocking and pulls Jeff into a dangerous world of black magic. Miranda just happens to be part of a Satanic cult, and they want her back by the next lunar moon in order to complete an ancient prophecy—and guess who’s the sacrificial pig? Cue the overplayed scene in which our straight-laced hero gets in over his head at the stereotypical occult book store. All of this is predictable and the execution is strictly by-the-book, leaving very little in terms of surprises. Still, Spellbinder is harmless and enjoyable for the most part, featuring a good performance by the late Preston and a downbeat ending not typically found in films as mainstream as this. B– (Currently streaming on Tubi.)