Specters - Mächte des Bösen

First of all I enjoyed Marcello Avallone's masterpiece "Maya" from 1989, because it was stylish,well-produced and gruesome."Specters" is his first acclaimed horror film. While a team of archaeologists lead by Donald Pleasence are digging through some ancient ruins the subway being built above causes some cave ins and new catacombs are found.This leads to the burial ground of a legendary demon who then rises to the occasion and starts dispatching his victims in gruesome ways."Specters" is obviously influenced by Lamberto Bava's "Demons".The plot is silly and offers many annoying sub-plots which lead absolutely nowhere.The photography is beautiful,but the action is slow and there is almost no gore.Only for Italian horror completists.A very generous 6 out of 10.

Poor Donald Pleasence! He's been in a lot of really awful films, and this is one of the worst. He was known for putting in good performances even when handed a bad script, but in this disaster, he doesn't even try. In addition to the apathy of the cast, the scriptwriter obviously didn't care too much since this film makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. There are fissures bursting open at random, men running around in Creature from the Black Lagoon costumes, a gratuitous song, a mysterious dagger, lots of tunnels, but no logic.

...and I mean that sincerely. I don't truly understand all the hate this film has received. It honestly puzzles me. I have found it much better than the low rating it has garnered here. Maybe I just have a soft spot for 80s horror (or a hard-on, whichever way you want to perceive it).

I won't discuss the plot. It's already been dissected on here, so there really is no need. I will say this however; it is not nearly as inept as some would have you believe. The film does move at a slow pace and it is cheesy. I'll give them that, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it is that lovable 80s charm that makes this film worth watching. I will also admit it could have used a good dose of gore, but the lack of it really doesn't hinder the film as a whole.

So if you're a fan of 80s horror, specifically Italian in this case, then give it a shot. It's not a bad way to pass 90 minutes. If, on the other hand, you aren't very fond of 80s horror, then by all means give it a pass. Your loss.

This disastrous Italian horror brings the late great Donald Pleasence along for the ride and surely didn't do his career any favours.

With not only a low rating but barely 250 ratings on IMDB this clearly fell into obscurity and I can see why.

Italian horror during the 80's was generally fantastic, this was a rare miss and quite a big one at that.

It tells the story of a crew investigating unexplored catacombs and the ancient demonic evil that they unleash.

With a messy plot, shoddy audio and camera work and a forgettable cast this is pretty bad stuff saved to a degree thanks to Pleasence and an interesting setting.

If you seek Italian horror look elsewhere.

The Good:

Donald Pleasence

Neat setting

The Bad:

Poor sound editing

Donald Pleasence looks like a big fish in a small pond here

Awful ending

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Donald Pleasence must have been short on cash

My review was written in May 1987 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.

"Specters" is a disappointing shaggy-dog Italian horror film, technically okay but not delivering any scares and hardly any action until the finale. Helmer Marcello Avallone gets the technical side right but has a lot of stylistic (and pacing/construction) lessons to learn from the maestros of horror.

Story is similar to Nigel Kneale's classic "Quatermass & the Pit" (a/k/a "5,000,000 Years to Earth"): work on the subways in Rome disrupts an archaeological dig nearly run by Professor Lasky (who else but Donald Pleasence), opening an ancient vault. It takes a full hour of red herrings until the monster shows up, a barely shown imitation of the tacked-on crfitter in Jacques Tourneur's "Night of the Demon".

Topnotch lenser Silvano Ippoliti provides some nice travelling shots through the catacombs but pic is all buildup and no delivery. Pleasence hams it up as the only cast member whose English language voice fits his mug.