Der Teufelsschrei

This craptacular piece of 80's horror is especially recommended in case you're interested seeing Clint Howard star in a leading role for a change. You know him, he's the irritating and goofy looking dude who often appears as a meaningless side-character in even more meaningless horror films (The Dentist part two, the Humanoids from the Deep TV-remake etc…) I doubt many people are fascinated by his career but 'Evilspeak' is amusing to watch, nevertheless. The plot is an umpteenth variant on the favorite 80's theme where the nerdish school kid who always gets picked on avenges himself. Clint shines as the loser in this case, an unfortunate military cadet always punished by his teachers and an easy target for the other, more successful cadets. 'Evilspeak' goes beyond the standard horror format when ancient demons are summoned through a computer in the basement (?) and the whole thing becomes completely hilarious when hungry, filthy-looking pigs are used as murder weapons. Although not an intended trump for a horror film, 'Evilspeak' is incredibly funny! Especially the last 10 minutes are a must in case you're in desperate need of a laugh. The climax is exaggeratedly gore, with an outrageous Clint Howard chopping off heads in a church and unleashing pigs upon his hated classmates. Cheesy make-up effects and a deranged protagonist. Sometimes that's all there is needed to brighten up your mood.

Just how bad can a film be when the main force of evil is a herd of killer PIGS from Hell???? The story is way too silly to be horrifying, the dialogue is pretty laughable, the acting mostly reeks, and the production values are super-cheap! In other words, it's bad movie heaven....one of those "so bad, it's good!" guilty pleasures that you laugh AT as much as WITH.

And of course, it stars Clint Howard....what more needs to be said?

What surprises me most about this title is that I haven't seen it up until recently, as it's right up my alley... dark, nasty, and messed up.

This is the story of Stanley Coopersmith, a strange gawky kid who finds it hard to make friends and so ends up as a joke and punching bag for the other cadets at military school. However, while he's being punished by having to tidy up the chapel's basement he finds a secret room and a book of Satanic spells and worship. These were hidden away by a rogue priest Father Esteban, who had been banished to the Americas.

Unable to read the scriptures in the book, Coopersmith uses the schools' computer to translate them. and when he finally carries out the Black Mass all hell breaks loose at the school and the chapel.

One of the better aspects of this film is the cast as it stars Clint Howard as Coopersmith and it's really nice to see him in a lead role and not just playing a strange and creepy secondary role. Though he's young here, he does a good job.

Then there's R J Armstrong who plays Sarge, the drunk janitor looking after the school and chapel, who hates kids and has it out for Coopersmith. Armstrong is great in this portrayal, he gives the air of a man you just wouldn't trust.

Charles Tyner does a brilliant representation of a prig of a Colonel who finds it demeaning and below him to run the military school.

Finally, Richard Moll is excellent in the role of the Evil Father Esteban. He adds the right amount of power, menace and violence to the character to make him believable as being the hand of Satan.

For the time, the special effects would have been superb, especially the computer graphics (which today are cringeworthy and laughable) and most are still passable today. The climax of the film in the destruction of the God's house is very well done and created.

All in all, this is a pretty decent horror movie with a lot of the right elements and well directed by Eric Weston. A definite watch for a horror nut and if you're not, it's still worth a look-see on a dark night...

The much maligned "Evilspeak" actually struck me as an excellent horror movie in the early '80s, shortly before it was banned in the UK and listed on the infamous "nasties" list. Watching this again last night in its uncut format, my view of the film has changed significantly over the years! The film still has a few things going for it. The performances aren't bad and Clint Howard is always interesting to watch, there's a touch of nudity to appeal to the "t&a fans", the effects are bloody and the soundtrack by Roger Kellaway is impressive. On the downside, the film's pace is somewhat plodding and the film could have been edited down to a leaner and meaner tale.

Sexy Miss Friedemeyer (Lynn Hancock) remains a most watchable screen siren and her demise at the jaws of hungry pigs is a delightfully gruesome set-piece.

6 out of 10. Not as bad as people make out but still a turkey.

An army cadet is bullied by four other students and some authority figures. One day he is sent to clean the old church basement as a punishment and, while there, he finds a secret room which contains an ancient Satanic Mass book. He discovers that passages from it can reincarnate a 16th century Satanist called Esteban. Using a computer, he revives Esteban and has bloody revenge on all those from the academy who have wronged him.

Evilspeak was another early 80's horror movie that found itself onto the UK video nasty list. These were the films considered so offensive that they threatened the moral fabric of Britain back in the day. As a result it was banned and, naturally, has benefited ever since from the notoriety. Like most on that list it's difficult to understand what all the fuss was about with this one. If anything it proves that the censors back then were a spectacularly over-sensitive and humourless group of people. Because it's well-nigh impossible to see how they could have thought anyone could have taken this film seriously enough to then go out and commit acts of violence. This is a film about a possessed computer after all. It features a horde of man-eating pigs and has a climax where the hero floats through the air wielding a big sword. To my knowledge, none of these things has ever cropped up in the news in the years since Evilspeak was released.

How is it as a film? It's fun, if nothing too impressive. It takes it's time to get to the horror stuff to be fair, although this does allow for more character development. The main guy Clint Howard (Ron's brother) is pretty decent and is a guy that's easy to root for. The film is essentially a nerd revenge flick and the bullies are an appalling bunch of cretins. So you are willing them to be dispensed with in as nasty a way as possible. And to be fair, the climax is pretty good with all manner of gory mayhem ensuing. Evilspeak is kind of a hybrid of Carrie with early 80's computer technology...with demon pigs thrown in for good measure. It's one of those horror films from the time that is kind of crazed but pretty imaginative, so it's easy to get onside with this one.