The Shadow of Chikara

On Friday 14th May 1982 this was the first film I ever recorded on a VCR - thats why I remember it so vividly - and I loved it. Yesterday I finally tracked it down on DVD under the title Curse of the Demon Mountain in the UK.

This has to be the worst official DVD release I have ever seen. I was still able to enjoy the movie, it is (in my opinion) a masterpiece of the horror/western cinema subgenre, but the film transfer was awful.

Sound was poor, colours went from over exposed to faded, the film was full frame (despite being shot in Panavision) and the sound went totally muted whenever an insult was hurled! Talk about censorship! The horse fall was there, the bloody battle at the start, the arrow in the arm, but any old insult gets censored out! Unbelievable.

Its about time Chikara got the DVD treatment it deserves. Full 2.35 to 1 widescreen, with loads of extras. I would love to see it that way.

And I would happily pay good money for the chance!

After the battle in American Civil War the dying Virgil Cane tells Confederate officer Wishbone Cutter about diamonds hidden in a cave along the Buffalo River.Coming back Cutter finds his wife and her new husband.After violent fight he sets out with his Irish-Cherokee companion Half-Moon O'Brian and geologist Amos Richmond to find the diamonds.Along the journey they meet a young woman Drusilla Wilcox in a nearly catatonic state and take her with them.As they head up into the mountain Half-Moon realizes that it is the Mountain of Demons,which is cursed by the spirit of Chikara who promised to kill all who ventured into its domain."The Spirit of Chikara" is an interesting mix of ugly western and eerie horror.The acting is believable and the climax is very surprising.The scene of two horses falling down from the slope is shocking and unsettling.8 out of 10.

...that said, if you are fond of those kind of odd, strange little gems, The Shadow of Chikara may perfectly well be made/suitable for you!

In other words: Yes, be prepared, this is NOT your typical spooky horror tale!

Indeed, the director of this intense and weird "Western that turns out to be closer to other genres like a chiller, horror and even fantasy" Earl. E. Smith (who wrote The Legend of Boogey Creek too) did a great job (even, admittedly, with its own flaws): This film stats on common, well-known ground (what we call in France La Guerre de Secession/the Secession War -The American Civil War) and explores after an action-packed overture other ways: When our three leading protagonists (a Confederate, his friend and allied Indian, a geologist) try to find some hidden stones (they may be diamonds, if refereed to their owner who died on the battlefield) in a desolate mountain, things get strange and spooky: as a matter of fact, the Indian feels a "presence" following them. Things get even more complicate when these three stressed men discover the place were a real slaughter took place; they also quickly find out that only a girl (played by Clint Eastwood's former wife Sondra Locke) survived in this tragedy. Can they reasonably left her behind? Yeah, the tension grows and grows!

This is Mister Smith first and only movie, and he manages for his once and never again directorial achievement to create a realistic, menacing and scary atmosphere as they loved it in the 70. No effects of any kind, no jump scare etc... Wow!

So yep, of course, this isn't an action packed Super Hero Movie, nor even a "13 Ghosts CGI overkill" nor a gory splatter-film. It may even be somehow predictable (not too easy to find out what's going on, isn't it?). But this is a great, tense and very well acted effort. At the end, when I sit back and thought about the whole story, it made definitely even more sense and so I must admit that I found it even more profoundly disturbing. A haunting performance, indeed.

Jo Don Baker is perfect as always and Ted Neeley and Joy N. Houck Jr. Gave fine performances too. What else can a film freak ask for?

So in my humble opinion, this is all in all a real treat and really need to be revaluated.

N.b.: If you manage to find this gem somewhere, be careful: it has been reedited from 114 min to a 90 min cut with bleeps... Whatsoever, this movie is so hard to find nowadays, don't hesitate. Even then, with a poor SD quality, you won't regret it if you are fond of this kind of movie, believe me!

I spent a lot of my formative years in Arkansas, and I may have even went diamond hunting - I can't recall. The civil war soldiers in this film go hunting for diamonds in Arkansas.

The film sports numerous names. Some variation of Demon, Shadow, Thunder, or Diamon Mountain, or something indicating the presence of the Chikara.

Captain Wishbone Cutter (Joe Don Baker) of The First Arkansas Calvary returns from the war to find a Yankee Major (Bud Davis) living with his wife (Linda Dano). So he heads off looking for the diamonds some dying soldier told him about.

Along the way they find Drusilla (Oscar nominee Sandra Locke, in-between The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Gauntlet). Now, I thought this may be a gay film as they spent time discussing whether to take Drusilla along or leave her behind. Since Locke was listed as one of the top sex stars of 1969 by Playboy magazine, I found this discussion puzzling.

Well, they head to the cursed mountain, and they find diamonds along with the curse - too bad.

The tape I ordered was to be 114 minutes and titled "Curse of Demon Mountain". The tape I received was 90 minutes, words were bleeped, it was recorded in EP mode, and the title was "Diamond Mountain". Now for the bad news. The quality of this tape is basically unwatchable. It's not the first disappointment I've had with this film. I previously ordered a DVD, which proved to have no audio. Maybe the movie really is cursed? From what I can gather, it is a very different kind of western. If you wish to see it, you might want to double check what you are getting before committing to buy, as I know I will if I decide to give this a third try...... Update. I finally was able to purchase a watchable DVD copy. Still bleeped, and of poor quality, but nevertheless watchable. "Curse of Demon Mountain" is a movie that has a lot of wasted potential. It's a shame, because the story is intriguing, but the acting, editing, and lack of a quality print drags it down. - MERK