Midnight Offerings

A very middling TV movie from a genre which is usually fantastic. MIDNIGHT OFFERINGS just feels rather weak and tame in terms of its plotting and ideas, and Wes Craven's SUMMER OF FEAR, a similarly-themed TV movie from the 1970s which predates it, was a lot, lot, better.

The storyline involves a couple of teenage witch rivals fighting over a jock in your typical American high school. Some of the fun comes from the fact that both girls come from long-running American soaps: evil witch Melissa Sue Anderson is off the back of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, while good witch Mary Beth McDonough comes from THE WALTONS. Watching these two actresses squaring up is kind of fun, but there isn't much fun overall.

Too much of the running time is dragged out with discussions involving disbelieving characters and the supernatural action, when it hits, is over and done with too quickly. It's not that MIDNIGHT OFFERINGS is a particularly bad film per se - the climax is effective and there are some genuinely spooky moments handled well on the low budget - it's just that American TV movies from this era are often much, much better (like DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW for instance).

God I loved this movie as a kid, it was like "Carrie" squared! Mary from Little House v.s. Erin from the Waltons, with Mrs Cunningham from happy days as the good mentor and Mr Carleson from WKRP as the clueless father? Throw in Vanna White as a cheerleader with only one line and Shawn Cassidys little brother as the male lead and you have a hit!

I loved the whole "good witch, bad witch" aspect, with Robin (the good witch played by Erin from the Waltons) slowly learning to use her powers. Melissa Anderson (Mary from Little house) has never been better than here, as a evil witch not above useing her powers and sexuality to get what she wants. The movie builds suspense through out, and a sense of dread for our heroes, and actually logicially (for 1981) explains why these women are witches and how there powers work. one of my favorite tv movies of all time!

After a high school teacher dies in a tragic, fiery "accident", we're introduced to honor roll student and Homecoming Queen, Vivian Sotherland (Melissa Sue Anderson). It's made clear right from the beginning that Vivian is a practitioner of the dark arts, spouting incantations and performing devilish mumbo jumbo in her bedroom.

Viv's oblivious father (Gordon Jump) is wrapped around her pinky, while her mother (Cathryn Damon) sees through her daughter's overly-sweet veneer.

When new student, Robin Prentiss (Mary Beth McDonough) enters the picture, daring to befriend Vivian's boyfriend (Patrick Cassidy), things get very interesting. Vivian is about to discover that Robin might not be an ordinary girl.

MIDNIGHT OFFERINGS is a wonderfully wicked, made-for-TV horror film, delving into deviltry, and allowing Ms. Anderson to shed her wholesome, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRARIE image. She's perfect in her delectably eeevil role!

Fearful fun right up to the final showdown...

What impressed me the most about the script writer Jaunita Bartlett (who also wrote episodes for the Greatest American Hero) was her in-depth research into the darker side of witch craft. The Demonic charges that Vivian Sutherland summons to do her bidding actually came from various text of witch craft. Star packed actors like Melisa Sue Anderson (Little House On The Praire) and Mary McDonough (The Waltons) Patrick Cassidy and Marion Ros (Happy Days) the movie was shocking for it's time. Vivian's complete lack of concern for the welfare of others is disturbing! However, in retrospect the magical show downs between Vivian and Robin are anti-climatic and appear weak and awkward by standards expected by the audiences of today. Yet it still remains a favorite of mine. I keep waiting for this movie to be released on DVD. Two other movies around this period come to mind. The original 1978 "Initiation of Sarah" similar to "Carie" and "Stranger In Our House" (also known as Summer Of Fear) staring Linda Blair. Both are recommended if you like "Witchy" movies.

Melissa Sue Anderson is surprisingly menacing as a California high school senior whose peers and teachers have a way of falling ill around her--or dying! Seems Anderson practices witchcraft and worships the Devil (or is that redundant?); she has plans to use her powers to get everything she wants, but another student (Mary Beth McDonough as the good girl) may stand in her way. TV thriller featuring television stars out of their usual element (Anderson on leave from "Little House on the Prairie" and McDonough temporarily leaving Walton's Mountain behind). Director Rod Holcomb mounts the story well, and he handles Anderson's continual slow-burn without an overlay of the expected camp, but Juanita Bartlett's teleplay runs out of ideas too soon, leaving the third act riddled with "Bewitched"-like special effects. Bartlett confuses telekinesis with witchcraft, turning her lead characters in Carrie-wannabes.