A Day of Judgment

The object of this movie was to impress upon its audience the importance of repentance when persons are brought to the knowledge of their sin. It gave examples of various sinful situations and how the people responded when shown the ultimate results of those sins. Most of the actors in "A Day of Judgment" were not professional actors, as is obvious; and for some, it was their first time acting in a movie, as was the case for my mother who played Mrs. Clay. She had been a stage actress from a child and reveled in playing comedy. This was not her 'cup of tea' but she was willing to be a part. The movie has an important message which can get lost in the shuffle of arrogant criticism by those who have no spiritual insight.

IMDb erroneously lists Christopher Reynolds as the director of Day of Judgment. The actual director is Charles Reynolds (C.D.H. Reynolds), no relation to Christopher Reynolds. I contacted the site some years ago about this, but they seem loathe to correct the mistake. IMDb also lists the filming location as Wilmington, NC. The film was actually one of many made at Earl Owensby's studios (E.O. Corp) in Shelby, NC, in the western part of the state, hours from Wilmington. Presumably the mistake is that Wilmington would later enjoy something of a filming boom, but this has no relation to the film or to the E.O. Corp. User reviews have consistently commented on the lousy ending. Here's the real story. The original screenplay had a different ending that avoided the horror genre, and was prompted by the recent success of a Johnny Cash film that was playing well on the church circuit. But when the shooting phase was complete, and C.D.H. Reynolds (director) had left town, the marketing department determined that the film really needed to be a horror film to be successful. Following this decision, a different director was quickly brought in to re-film a horror ending.

What an oddity… although while I didn't think it entirely comes together it still stormed up an imaginatively off-kilter, if not totally realized concept within an under-produced low-cost production. I wanted to like it more than I actually did, as where it disappointed was its lame, if cop-out ending in what feels like nothing more than pushy church propaganda. In the end, it didn't make me see the light. Forgive me for my sins.

In the 1920's, reverend Cage leaves his church as the people don't attend his sermons, which sees them no longer god-fearing in their abandonment of the ten commandments as greed, jealousy, and murder finds its way in the lives of the town's folks. While leaving the secluded rural town Cage encounters a dark, forbidding figure with a scythe that moves on to the town visiting those corrupted souls.

Labelling it under horror might feel misleading, as while the moments with the Angel of Death are ominously atmospheric and daunting (like the excellent introduction, where the church organ music makes way for a bellowing, uneasy spook score filled with a grim-like intensity)… however most of the time is spent on the soapy episodic dramas (five sets) of sinful town's folks breaking the ten commandments and then during a dark, windy night getting a visit from the reaper. These moments are subtly done in a visual sense --- concentrating on imagery like shadows and angles, but upon each death it gets nastier, especially the graphic fate of the final victim. Still the reaper sees too little time, but alone his appearance (that's the few glimpses) manages a cold shiver.

Director C.D.H Reynolds static handling has some pacing issues and it can look makeshift, but there's an authentic period style created and some eerie passages are etched. The material is thoughtfully written, painting the many dark facets of the human psyche with a cautionary irony to its developments. Nonetheless the tone is all over the place, making it feel somewhat half-baked and too black and white. The performances are quite raw, but acceptable. While you could say there was room for improvement, it still delivered a fascinating pitch even with its limitations.

From Earl Owensby, the North Carolina-based producer / distributor of various independent horror & exploitation pictures of the 70s & 80s, comes this interesting, well-intentioned film. It takes place in a rural town in the 30s, and the local pastor (played by the director, Charles Reynolds) is packing up and leaving because he feels that he's failed to inspire the citizens. And these citizens are a pretty rotten lot, committing some of the seven deadly sins and basically being unpleasant to be around. Then a mysterious character in black begins materializing and punishing them for their sins.

'A Day of Judgment' is more of a melodrama, that spends a lot of time detailing these characters' lives, than true horror film. Touches of supernatural horror only come along at select points, although the finale does get pretty dark. The film is light on gore, although there is one highly amusing decapitation. A good part of the appeal lies in the hope that we will see some of these despicable people get the comeuppance waiting for them: a grouchy old widow (Helene Tryon), a stereotypical, greedy banker (William T. Hicks), adulterers (Larry Sprinkle, Careyanne Sutton), a paranoid drunk (Brownlee Davis) who feels persecuted, etc. The no-name cast is generally pretty good, especially those playing the less-than-honorable individuals. The film is also well-made, and atmospheric, but goes on a little long, losing a little momentum during its final third. It may test the patience of some viewers who hope for more actual horror during the run time. But it IS worth watching, especially for those people who like discovering genre entries like this that are a little more off-the-beaten-path. It's up to the individual viewer how much they respond to the way that the story is resolved.

Jerry Rushing, who plays the Sheriff, was also the coach in the slasher "Final Exam"; in real-life, he helped to inspire the main characters in the feature "Moonrunners" and the subsequent series 'The Dukes of Hazzard'.

Six out of 10.

A series of vignettes relates how a group of townspeople during the 1920's have strayed from God. The Grim Reaper turns up and cuts them down to size. Slow at times and the ending is a bit preachy but I enjoyed it. I liked the scene where the banker got his comeuppance after being locked in a cold cellar. The cast is made up of regulars from the EO Corp studio.