Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty

Horror in the High Desert 4: Majesty (2025)

Runtime: 77 minutes

Directed by: Dutch Marich

Starring: Suziey Block, David Morales, Laurie Felix Bass, the voice of John Davis Walker

From: Luminol Entertainment

I still enjoy these movies. 4 is still like 2 and 3 in only presenting more lore and only minimally advancing an explanation as to the origin or further details on those weirdos are that are living in the rural desert of Northeastern Nevada... implied to be supernatural in nature.

There's even fewer characters than typical; Gal Roberts & Bill Salerno return but otherwise, it's just an older woman named Dolly (introduced in the last installment) who discusses the contents of a box. It's like the TARDIS in the amount of items it holds... it's all the records compiled by her late father Beau concerning the spooky events on the family's ranch, known as Majesty. This was from decades past, meaning notes on a typewriter, faux film footage-which didn't quite look the part-along w/ VHS footage, which was filmed on a SWEET RCA camcorder, so that did look the part.

The presentation is slicker, more polished than in the first three; this and and increased focus on the found footage are the only major differences... along w/ Beau not appearing on camera, just the footage from his POV. Otherwise, the scares are the same. It's the anticipation of seeing or hearing something in the dark... something subtle suddenly moving far away, a twig snapping, steps on gravel. With the VHS footage and its naturally blurry nature, that only increases the anticipation-the viewer is unsure if it's just the low-quality footage or something is moving.

Those that have seen & liked the first three should hopefully like it too—I did. Evidently, there will be a 5th and final installment in the Horror in the High Desert franchise, titled Mantis-no, not after the Guardians of the Galaxy character but rather it's the name of a mining company shown to be nefarious. Other reviewers have expressed concern that not all the plot points from the first four will be resolved before this story is wrapped. Understandable, but I'll be optimistic that creator Dutch Marich won't let everyone down.

No matter the outcome, these simple stories made on a low budget centered on people in isolated locations far from humanity discovering there's something mysterious but it's probably otherworldly... those scares are effective. From hearsay & what I've viewed with my own eyes, many found footage horror pictures aren't nearly as effective in delivering such scares. The format won't be for everyone—thankfully it is for me. No word on when the 5th installment will be released.

Exorcist II: The Heretic, Revisited

“It was horrible... utterly horrible. And fascinating.”

- Father Lamont (Richard Burton) describing a sight he saw, not describing Exorcist II: The Heretic... although it also fits!

I've reviewed this film before, and have now willingly seen it a few times in my life. While this should be Exhibit A in the dangers (right or wrong) of making a sequel to a beloved film that is far different from the original, it's always a movie that I found weird & fascinating, full of bizarre 70's touches. Locusts are a key plot point, them directly tied to evil. Psychiatrist Louise Fletcher has an institute full of glass walls that can be made opaque via lighting... a “synchronizer” that links two minds together via tones and flashing lights... Regan tap dances for a stage show... there's talk of humanity reaching a stage of collective consciousness in the future... Regan now has supernatural healing powers & seemingly cures Dana Plato of autism by making her speak...

It's all so wacky; no wonder audiences that made the first film a gigantic hit were all “WTF?” when this released in June of 1977. The numerous production problems for what was an expensive (for the time) production did not help-Boorman and several others falling seriously ill, constant script changes, etc.-were issues but a movie that wasn't as frightening as the first & was far more metaphysical, of course even back then many would want “more of the same” instead. Hiring a director who didn't even like the original movie and admitted he wasn't that concerned with satisfying the audience-again, no wonder.

The Heretic is now a difficult movie for me to rate; the story is an absolute mess and you shouldn't scrutinize it too hard. Yet, I've always been bemused by how strange it is. Father Lamont's trip to Ethiopia to talk to Kokumo-someone that survived possession by Pazuzu-was a serious subplot yet the advice sort of seemed, “That's it?” It's a shame the plot is so scattershot and doesn't coalesce (IMO) as some ingredients make sense... Father Lamont is someone else struggling w/ his faith-and knew Father Merrin-Regan still has the demon inside him, her caretaker Sharon (Kitty Winn) is damaged from the experience, etc.

Plenty of talent is in front and behind the camera. Morricone-delivering a rather bold score that naturally will be polarizing-Dick Smith, Albert J. Whitlock, and steadicam inventor Garrett Brown were all involved-those contributions were appreciated by me. In this day and age, all the practical sets and matte paintings created were cool. The Heretic isn't as enjoyable as Zardoz nor is it as good as Exorcist III by any regard... yet it is FAR better than a bizarre boondoggle like Megalopolis and is also FAR better than The Exorcist: Believer. Believer's “original” ideas is to have TWO young girls become possessed & presenting awful militant Christians.

I also haven't viewed the trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs; evidently, it looks like the first season of True Detective... I haven't viewed a second of ANY True Detective show! Regardless, I hope Martyrs isn't bad. Many aren't like me in having such peculiar tastes (including enjoying many things 1970's) so you might not enjoy this wacky film that even I can admit is tremendously flawed. At least The Exorcist III is a sequel that has a strong reputation & despite its own production woes, many do like or love the second sequel.

Boorman and the Devil

Yes, this is the 2025 documentary concerning director John Boorman and the rather disastrous production of Exorcist II: The Heretic: 

Turner Classic Movies played this new documentary last night before screening Exorcist II: The Heretic. As someone who's always been amused by The Heretic and how it's an ambitious failure, learning more about its disastrous production was of great interest. Tomorrow, I'll post a new review of Exorcist II.

It's a standard documentary (which did feature some goofy, silly illustrations to present some moments. At least they weren't made by generative AI, as the end credits proudly proclaimed) where the opening minutes explain the career of director John Boorman before he agreed to direct the sequel to one of the best horror films in history. From there, the production woes were explained... multiple people became quite ill during production (including Boorman himself), the script constantly changed, and it was a complex production requiring many effects that they rushed to meet a hard deadline.

As it dared to be far different from the all-timer of an original, that was a reason the reviews of the time were virulently negative, although its quality was also a factor. Modern commentary is provided by the likes of Joe Dante, Mike Flanagan, & Karyn Kusama. At the conclusion, it was striking that they and the others they interviewed were divided on whether Exorcist II was “good” or not.

A huge asset is that they interviewed Boorman himself, along with a number of others involved w/ the productions, from crew to Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher before she passed away in 2022. This helped paint a picture of what went wrong, although it also should help people appreciate such aspects as the Moricone score, the production design, sets, and a slew of different effects. The film recreating Ethiopia on giant sets is impressive in of itself.

For the nerdy sort that enjoy making-of stories (even of movies seen as flawed or flat-out bad), Boorman and the Devil is a fascinating watch, one I'm glad was seen by me. Sure, we do on rare occasions still get bizarre films that are in wide release-look at Digger out now. Many of those aren't of interest to me or they turn out like Megalopolis... shudders. I've willingly viewed Exorcist II a few times in my life; its weirdness and 70's moments are a draw, but there's also the matte paintings of the legendary Albert J. Whitlock, the steadicam of its inventor Garrett Brown, William A. Fraker's cinematography & Dick Smith returning to provide its makeup effects.

This documentary not only spotlights how Boorman's career wasn't ruined due to the film flopping (thank goodness he had Excalibur), but also the disappointment that the cast & crew had that the movie still has an infamous reputation-many tried their best yet making a movie that's at least good will always be an arduous task.

She Killed in Ecstasy

She Killed in Ecstasy (Sie Toete in Ekstase) (1971)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: Jesus Franco

Starring: Soledad Miranda, Fred Williams, Paul Muller, Ewa Stromberg, Howard Vernon

From: A few different Spanish & German companies 

A movie I was happy to have finally seen; thanks, Eternal Family. It's been in my mind to do so for years—problem was, a streaming copy unedited w/ English subtitles was nigh impossible to track down, even in the Bowels of the Internet-I'm not someone who torrents, before anyone asks. Thankfully, the esoteric platform Eternal Family added it to their collection, making a viewing a reality.

Concerning Jesus Franco, I know he has many fans but out of the five films I've seen from him, the best were 60's horror early in his career: The Diabolical Dr. Z and The Awful Dr. Orloff weren't nonsense like A Virgin Among the Living Dead and Nightmares Come at Night were. Ecstasy wasn't the most logical picture either-including the dumbest police detective in cinematic history-and the ending made me guffaw in a bad way as it for certain contained the worst depiction of a certain event in cinematic history. It was also quite the decision to have a main plot thread centered on a doctor being banished from the profession because his experiments on bettering humanity and eradicating diseases centered on... human embryos. No comment on that. I will comment that for those who know Franco often used his male muse Howard Vernon in his films—yes he does have a role in Ecstasy.

This Dr. Johnson “unalived himself.” Thankfully for the viewer, his wife Soledad Miranda decides to kill the quartet of doctors who rejected her late husband in revenge, psychosis, and yes ecstasy. She was a highlight, and no, not for her beauty or her frequent full-frontal nudity. Rather, it was the performance-and how she was in anguish due to her husband's death-which was compelling. What a tragic death she had-only a month after the filming of Ecstasy concluded, she perished in a car wreck at only the age of 27.

On a lighter note, I really dug the score, even if at least on one occasion it seemed at odds w/ the action on the screen. Nevermind that, the music from Bruno Nicolai, Manfred Hubler & Sigi Schwab was quite entertaining, featuring more sitar than what I was expecting. The sunny scenery in Spain was also delightful. While the constant zoom-ins and zoom-outs were amusing, it was Miranda & the score which did plenty of heavy lifting, making me like the movie despite all the demerits. I also have to give Franco credit for some interesting shots/shot compositions.

I shouldn't write him off entirely—he made almost 200 films, after all, and he did more than horror. It might be a hoot to check out his “less popular” movies. As for She Killed in Ecstasy, despite not being as entranced by it as many have been these past 55 years, it's a relief to have finally tackled it after all these years.

I'm Dangerous Tonight

I'm Dangerous Tonight (1990)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Starring: Madchen Amick, Corey Parker, Daisy Hall, Dee Wallace, Anthony Perkins

From: Several different companies 

This is exactly what I expected of “An ancient red Aztec cloak ends up at a California university, Madchen Amick stumbles on it, turns it into a dress, and anyone touching the material becomes corrupt.”

For years I've known of this made for television movie (basic cable, but it's not premium cable like HBO; rather, it was the USA Network) yet it wasn't until last night that I finally figuratively put on the red dress and gave it a shot. Besides Amick, there's also Dee Wallace in a refreshingly atypical role, a subdued R. Lee Ermey as a police detective, Mrs. Howell from Gillian's Island (Natalie Schafer) and college professor Anthony Perkins. The assumption is that plenty have viewed this already due to the director: Tobe Hooper.

Yes, Tonight is a silly movie where multiple women don the dress and they all behave badly. This even has Cinderella themes; Amick's Amy has deceased parents so she lives with her aunt, her daughter, & her grandmother—the aunt & daughter treat Amy poorly. Of course, she also has a love interest. This world is in a tableau where the constraints of basic cable meant there's no language or gore, the most gruesome moments told rather than shown.

Some may take issue w/ that; me, those constraints aren't a big deal in this case when I had fun w/ seeing people behaving badly & Amy attempting to deal with the ramifications of possessing such a dress. The film always remains fun with its escalation & scenarios. Amick made Amy a likable character, plus she did look great in the red dress... this is not top-tier Hooper by any regards nor is it as good as Salem's Lot. That said, if your expectations are in check & you aren't immediately turned off by period slut-shaming dialogue, you might enjoy this silly motion picture as well.

 

The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!

The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966)

Runtime: 126 minutes

Directed by: Norman Jewison

Starring: Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint (RIP), Alan Arkin, Brian Keith, Jonathan Winters

From: The Mirisch Company

RIP Eva Marie Saint

In this special early Wednesday upload of a review, I mention how after hearing late yesterday afternoon that this Oscar winner had passed away at the age of 102 (!), it felt right to not even delay a day tipping my cap to who was one of the last surviving links to the Golden Age of Hollywood. I haven't watched too many of her films but her two most famous (North by Northwest & On the Waterfront, the latter her Oscar-winning role) have been viewed & reviewed on Letterboxd. Russians was selected due to... my knowing of the film for years, knowing several of the main cast, and the plot description making the movie sound wacky yet amusing, a comedy of errors.

A Soviet sub runs aground on a small Massachusetts island; this is an obvious problem, because the Cold War. 9 of the crew (led by Alan Arkin!) are tasked w/ finding a boat to dislodge them, but they stumble upon a family of Saint, Carl Reiner, and two small children. It's not long before the plan to sneak around clandestine & steal a boat goes awry and not only does most of the island know, great exaggerations occur and dozens are running around w/ firearms ready to start a war on their island.

Coming is rather funny as this absurd scenario escalates, different characters reacting to this differently, and plenty of conflict among the island's residents. There's puns, slapstick, foolish characters getting humiliated, etc. I enjoyed the Norman Jewison direction and the Johnny Mandel score. Now, this movie treated the Russian characters more fairly than you'd expect for a big Hollywood production; much of the Russian dialogue isn't translated, the crew aren't too terribly harsh to Reiner's family, and the conclusion was an unexpected & welcome twist.

While Saint was sidelined for long stretches of the film, she still did swell in a film that was one of those 60's ensemble comedies w/ a big runtime and even bigger cast. After all, it's always nice to see the likes of Brian Keith & Jonathan Winters. Russians is one of those loud, boisterous comedies which aren't always my thing but in this case the film was quite amusing & not a bad way for me to pay tribute. Note that the exterior of the cottage the leading family is residing in certainly looks like the cottage seen in 1941-the bucolic New England island was actually locations in the northern half of California... now there's a loud, boisterous comedy where the comedy often didn't land.

Ninja Scroll

That's right, this is the famed 1993 anime, which was seen theatrically last night: 

I was happy to have seen a Yoshiaki Kawajiri film theatrically last night. In the past, I've discussed the OVA Cyber City Oedo 808 along w/ the films Wicked City and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. All were enjoyed so Ninja Scroll being 4K restored & playing on cinema screens was something I was glad to have tackled last night.

A badass ninja named Jubei is followed during the feudal days of Japan. He teams up with a pair of unlikely allies as he not only deals with an old foe but also ninjas with supernatural abilities. Much of the story seemed relatively realistic for a standard tale set during the Tokugawa Shogunate but then there's a dude who releases wasps from holes in his back (a word of warning for those w/ trypophobia) & another dude made out of rock who sexually assaults a lady after he rips her clothes off... whether or not the reader believes that is stereotypical of Japan is up to them. Thankfully, those weird sexual moments are rather infrequent.

Ninja Scroll has those spooky elements & a dark fantasy romance mixed in but primarily this is an adventure where Jubei attempts to stop an insidious plot to overthrow the government; the movie is punctuated with bloody scenes where blood sprays out of bodies to a degree that even surpasses a Lone Wolf & Cub film. It's a very entertaining yarn buttressed by stunning animation that looked great 4K restored and a varied soundtrack from Kaoru Wada that even included a sitar yet it all fit what was seen visually.

Multiple sources have proclaimed that this alongside Akira and Ghost in the Shell were the most popular anime in the West during the 90's and helped that artform become popular here. I never have followed that scene (let alone during my childhood in the 90's) but I can say that while this isn't as deep or thoughtful as an Akira or Ghost, Ninja Scroll instead was a dark fantasy action picture, and at that it succeeded as entertainment. As someone who rarely dips his toes into this world, it was the right decision to check out Ninja Scroll.