Scalps

This movie does have some lighting problems and editing probs, but it is still a great horror movie. Anyone that is a true genre fan should see this movie. It really does have a nice creepy atmosphere and who cares if the make up and effects aren't up to Hollywood standards, this is true 80's horror. The acting is great, the music is great, there is some great gore scenes and a very convincing rape scene. I dont know why this movie has such a low rating, this movie is definately worth the price of the rental and the time to watch it. SEEK IT OUT!!!!!!!!

"Scalps" is a bloody Native American slasher with a nice supernatural angle.Six archeology students head to the desert to search for Native American artifacts.Despite the warnings of DJ,the students disturb the ancient Indian burial ground and unleash the vengeful spirit of Black Claw.After possessing Randy,Black Claw hunts down the others with an arsenal of stone-age weapons.Despite its crude cinematography and editing "Scalps" is an overlooked slasher with some nasty bits of gore.The throat slashing and scalping sequence truly made me squirm in my seat.A combination of desert landscapes and sinister soundtrack gives "Scalps" a raw and nihilistic atmosphere of fear and despair.Unofficial sequel "Demon Warrior" was made in 1988.

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Scalps; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 0.75 Direction: 0.75 Pace: 0.50 Acting: 1.00 Enjoyment: 0.75

TOTAL: 3.75 out of 10.00

Scalps is an early Fred Olen Ray joint, and it shows. Both the story and filmmaking had potential. Sadly, Ray misses out on all the evident opportunities, Only to deliver a half-baked tale, an undercooked movie stuffed with overcooked and hammy performances. Hhmm...why do I feel hungry?

In essence, the story should have been enough to grab the audience by the hair and hold their heads steady so their eyes were glued to the screen. However, what could have been a profound story about Native Americans and their abuse at the hands of the land thieves and their subsequent revenge, becomes nothing more than another slasher flick with supernatural overtones. It's a shame, as at the start of the picture, it's apparent the narrative could have taken a more esoteric trail. What we do get is fifteen minutes of filler travelogue as we ride with the students in their clapped-out station wagon to the dig site. However, we get to meet an obliging Native American who kindly recounts the dark legends of the area, so we know what's coming later...much later. And that's one thing about this tale - There's a lot of dead space, which required packing with factual, relevant, and gripping information about the tribes of the area. Then there are the characters who are about as vacuous as the story. Here's a note to all the prospective writers-come-directors out there: If you're going to have a slow story, populate it with exciting and credible individuals - and should the characters be insubstantial, then make the story captivating - of course, both would be perfect.

I felt tricked by the opening sequence of the movie. The cinematography, though too slow in pace, is quite decent. It builds up an eerie atmosphere. And the archaeologists forced suicide is superbly filmed. But, sadly, once the opening credits have ceased rolling, the filming style slips down the slippery slope of averageness. The worst scenes are in the so-called university and the teenager's journey. You can tell the university is nothing but rooms in somebody's house. And the repartee between Professor Machen and his secretary is shot separately. They're obviously not in the same area. Watch as the secretary passes the Prof a file. He doesn't take it from her hands but lifts it off his desk and thanks her. And, when we're on the car trip, Ray gives us some dire panoramas of oil derricks and powerlines, with the customary rough road bounce and shake. The rest is your standard point and shoot. On the plus side, the special effects are passable, except for the full rubber mask of the Native American; surely it wouldn't only be the guy's head that transforms under the possession(?) It should be a full-body mutation. It looks fake because the masked face and body colourings are so varied.

The cast is the prime element in this production, and these actors and actresses are not brilliant. However, thanks to the poor script and below-par direction, they shine a smidgen brighter. Regrettably, it's not nearly enough to keep the audience's attention.

I cannot recommend this missed opportunity of a movie to anyone - not even the die-hard Native-American Horror Lovers dotted around the globe. There is so much wrong with Scalps that I could write a book, and sadly, only enough good to fill out the back of a match-book cover. Don't waste your time collecting this Scalp.

Drop that bloody knife and put your wig back on, it's time to check out my Absolute Horror and Killer Thriller Chillers lists to see where I ranked Scalps - or to find something better to watch.

Take Care & Stay Well.

"Scalps" is an extremely predictable and boring early eighties movie. Looking back, the only good thing about this movie is the special effects, but unfortunately, all of the gore takes place either in the very beginning or the very end. This movie is a very good example of a movie with a good premise that has gone bad.

The "plot" of this movie is as follows: A group of students goes out to a Native American burial ground to try to find artifacts. Predictably, the group of students begin to see signs of ancient spirits, who eventually start to attack and overcome the group.

Aside from being almost plotless beyond the first fifteen minutes, this moviesuffers from bad acting, extremely annoying characters, bad pacing, and horrible quality. The spirit effects actually look cool, but eventually they get annoying when the same shots are played repeatedly. I suppose that the gore effects are decent, but there are very few of them.

Try to miss this one. My rating: 2 out of 10

The movie starts with a guys head being chopped off, this happens in the very first scene so i guess it's a reminder of the movies R certification. Some students go on a expedition or as their teacher prefer to call it a field-trip. Close to their destination the car breaks downs and they go to a near by gas station, there they come across an native-American old man that warns them about the hills, about the killings that went on in the past. As you can expect, they aren't concerned with the warnings and continue their search for artifacts at what they now know to be an native-American burial ground. After a successful afternoon collecting artifacts, one of the guys is possessed by an native-American spirit, that gradually transforms him physically... let the scalping begin.

i found the gory scenes by far the best aspect of the movie. the location is also nice, reminding me of movies such as the "hills have eyes", the hot, dry california desert helps create some tension, the vulnerability of the open spaces. there's not much acting going on but the actors did a reasonable job. a good way to spend 80 minutes, if you're a horror fan.