Superstición

A 17th century executed witch kills anybody who enters a house that was built on the site of her execution. Supernatural horror that plays out like a slasher movie with many inventive deaths every 10 minutes or so. This is well paced and there is plenty of good gore, including an exploding head in a microwave, death by an escaped circular saw, spike through forehead, and so on. This was made during the Golden Age of the slasher movie and certainly gives good value for money. Give me 1980's effects and vibe any day over 21st century CGI and remakes! Original title in 1982 was Superstition. It did appear on the seizure list during the Video Nasties farce but was given a rerelease as The Witch in 1985. Sadly this film appears to be something of a forgotten one, I can't even reference in it in my collection of horror movie books. It really does deserve a DVD/BR release so that a new audience can see it.

Brought to us by producer Ed Carlin and co-producers Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, who gave us haunted house horrors The Evil and The Changeling, Superstition is yet another supernatural offering set in and around a creepy old property. This time around, the spooky shenanigans are accompanied by a whole handful of creative, bloody deaths, and lots of jump scares (probably in an attempt to draw in the slasher crowd)—a good job since the plot is an often illogical mish-mash of hoary old horror clichés.

In 1692, a witch is executed—drowned in a pond, and trapped there with a crucifix. For almost three hundred years, the evil woman's spirit is the cause of violent deaths in and around the nearby church-owned property. When Reverand George Leahy (Larry Pennell) and his family move into the old house, the witch soon starts to cause trouble, now even more powerful thanks to the removal of the crucifix during the dredging of the pond. Reverand David Thompson (James Houghton) discovers the truth behind the killings and tries to put an end to the witch once and for all.

The film opens in terrific style with a juicy double death scene: having played a prank on a courting couple (thereby providing the film with the first of many jump scares), a pair of pranksters meet their fate in the creepy property, one being decapitated, his severed head exploding inside a microwave oven, the other getting chopped in two by a sash window. Several other macabre set-pieces follow in quick succession, including the hanging of an electrician in an elevator shaft and the death of a priest, a circular saw blade spinning into his chest and exiting through his back.

Also adding to the fun: Sheryl and Ann (Maylo McCaslin and Heidi Bohay), sexy teenage daughters of Reverand Leahy, going down to the pond for a spot of fun in the sun (wearing bikinis, naturally), only for one of them to be grabbed around the ankle by a severed hand; a flashback to the trial of the witch that allows for some silly Exorcist style guttural utterings, a few cool facial bladder effects, and the sight of a priest being crushed in a wine press; some memorable visuals with impressive lighting effects (somewhat reminiscent of Argento); Reverand Thompson's surprised expression every time he uses the crucifix to open (or blow up) a locked door; George having his face lacerated by flying shards of glass from an exploding mirror; Sheryl getting nailed through the head with a big spike; and blonde daughter Ann (Heidi Bohay) running around in skimpy silk night-gear.

This movie has all of the elements that you expect from a horror film--and I mean that in the best way! All right, it's admittedly low budget, but the frequent deaths, presented with almost metronomic spacing, are inventive and entertaining. Plus, it is a delight to see a film that really does have a supernatural grounding, instead of the so-tired slasher bit.

You should definitely watch this movie when you are alone at night--watching it with friends or in the daytime gives you too much chance to let the low budget distract you from the flow...

'Superstition' is a 1982 supernatural slasher movie that may not have any sort of originality, but makes up for some of its short comings by having some inventive death scenes, cool gore and a creepy atmosphere. The movie is rather entertaining and does deliver on the carnage.

The plot = In the 1600's where a witch is sentenced to death by crucifixion in the black pond as she swears vengeance on her persecutors. Then we flash forward to the present day of 1982 a series of bizarre murders plague the house near the lake as the witch is haunting the property from beyond the grave.

The direction by James W. Roberson is quite decent as he doesn't shy away from the shock factor, the film feels very much in the vein of the 80's slashers due to the sheer over the top murders that occur throughout which thankfully helps distract you from the utter haphazard pacing, uneven acting performances & a fairly by the numbers story. This is by no means a plot driven flick but the mystery element is sustained long enough to keep you interested.

Overall this is a fun ride dripped in pure cheese with sheer enthusiasm for its gruesome set pieces, but doesn't really offer much more than that with no characters to really root for mainly because they're just cannon fodder & none of the performances really stand out to be honest, but if you're looking for nothing more than a fun ride, then 'Superstition' is the movie for you.

What at first feels like a creatively impaired Amityville Horror rip off quickly spirals into a balls-out, splatter fest that's a lot more fun than you'd think. The story is that a house has been cured ever since a witch was executed in the lake that surrounds the property and anyone who enters has come to a bad end. A priest and his family move in and begin to experience creepy things until the vengeful witch returns to kill them all one by one.

Superstition doesn't waste any time in getting to the good stuff. The opening of the film alone features a body being torn in half by a shattered window and a teenager's head exploding in a microwave. Once the main victims move in, the witch doesn't spend her time making chairs move or opening doors - she just goes right for the jugular and starts killing people in creatively bloody ways.

In some ways, Superstition feels more like a slasher movie than a ghost story, but it's not a bad thing. It certainly makes the film stand out from similar films from the time and it mixes subgenres quite well. If you're looking for a spooky good time, Superstition will hook you up.