Necromancer

My review was written in March 1989 after watching the film on Forum video cassette.

Modest horror pic uses the ever-popular revenge motif for this supernatural tale bowing domestically in video stores.

Attractive, round-faced Elizabeth Kaitan oplines (in her biggest role to date) as an acting student who's gang-raped by classmates but blackmailed to avoid reporting it.

Her roommate talks her into answering a "revenge" adi in the paper.

Lois Masten is the gypsy-styled necromancer who places these ads. She's in touch with the devil and uses a client's revenge request as license to go hog wild killing people, with the hapless instigator unable to stop her. In Kaitan's case, Masten demonically assumes Kaitan's form, seduces the rapists and then offs them (with minimal makeup and gore effects).

Okay acting saves this low-budgeter, which spotlights Kaitan's beauty in a multiple role. Russ Tamblyn has fun as her lecherous, Shakespeare-spoutin acting performance.

While I am all for cheesy 80s horror movies and taking movies for what they aim to do and not comparing them with classic films, this one just doesn't cut it. I guess some find the main actress to be attractive, I don't. Unfortunately she is the only one who several nude scenes. The problem of course is that when all the victims are male there is not possibility of of having more female characters to put in the nude. The special effects are not very good even for the standards of the time, nor is there any suspense or excitement. The idea is not bad overall, a supernatural revenge thriller. However, the resolution of it all is just too forced and unsatisfying. The performances are atrocious except for Charles DeLonge.

This begins with a quote attributed to the Dead Sea Scrolls and ends with a quote from Poe's "The Imp of the Perverse."

In the opening scene, a woman goes to visit what seems to be a trailer park gypsy (in fact, a necromancer operating out of her garage). The woman is there to complain about something, asking for it to stop. The necromancer causes an axe to float up in the air and chop the woman. Something of the special effects budget and limitations becomes obvious when the axe's chopping is depicted by a closeup on the axe. That way, you can't see the crew member presumably holding the axe (they could handle having it float, but having it cop while floating - too tricky). Additionally, this saved them the trouble of having to show the woman being chopped. They just put some blood on the axe and kept her out of the frame.

Three college guys steal exams from a professor's office, and also find a letter from a student to a professor indicating she'd had an affair with him. She also happens to be working late that night, and they catch her. One rapes her, while another holds her, and the third watches. They threaten to go public with the letter if she tells.

The woman doesn't report them to the police both because she is worried about the consequences to her scholarship if her affair with a teacher is discovered, and also she doesn't want her boyfriend to know about the affair either. When a friend sees an ad for a revenge service, they go to the necromancer.

Revenge comes by way of a (seeming) doppelganger that appears like the woman to the men she wants revenge on (and even others she is angry at). Blood erupts from bathroom, the doppelganger emerges to start making out with the guy, nibbles on his shoulder, the eyes glow green, and then thick red demon hands appear and the guy dies.

There's also a guy named Ernest, wearing blue jeans torn at the knees, a red t-shirt with a black pentagram on it (only one point pointing up, though), hair dyed black with green highlights, and classic horn-rimmed nerd glasses. He's worried about what the necromancer will do to the woman who hired her, and tries to warn her and do ceremonies of his own to protect her.

The woman's professor also wants to restart their affair (while he is also working on adding other women to his conquests). He's less than average-looking, overweight, with a perm and mustache, but he still gets the women somehow. A drama teacher at my high school looked about the same and accomplished the same (somehow keeping his job after having been caught having one of those affairs, too).

When the woman realizes the guys who raped her are being killed, she is alarmed. For the rest, well watch it if you must, but it's not all that great of a movie. I saw it on videotape, and the dialog was hard to hear at times, although I understand the DVD's audio is fine.

Incredibly, the video box claims the movie is "A special-effects extravaganza in the tradition of 'The Serpent and the Rainbow.'" Yeah, right! There's not all that much by way of special effects, and what there is is pretty bad. When the demon of vengeance shows its face, you'll wish they hadn't bothered.

Okay,this film started out OK.....it was pretty spooky, and gave you the feel of actually being there,and being in that gypsies little baracade.... I thought cool,and it was an OK movie... Why you wander??Well...Elizabeth Cayton,gives a surpisingly great performance,and hell yeah blonde suites her fine, anyways back to the subject,as the film progresses,and the revenge begins to take place,the shower and bedroom scene are interesting,but you wouldnt believe what the demon looks like,ill give you a little hint,it looks like Elmo with computer digitized,really fake green eyes,thats when i burst in tears from laughing... Then the film kinda gets back to a serious verve,as she gets help from Ernest,and he well...doesnt quiet make it! Why i liked it??Cause the Elmo look alike didnt turn up,it was the gypsy herself... The death scenes were mostly really sad shadow deaths,one was really disturbing,that elmo thing was practically busting his balls! the film than progresses to where it is Cayton VS Evil Cayton,and its a very sadistic fight,where they just strangle each other,and the hardcore death appears........but which Cayton is it???Remotely interested??Go watch it.. Its a great film to watch late at night alone,and ignore the monster,just keep in the basis of the demon and witchery and you should quiet enjoy it!

Is it worth the rent? Well...its worth the try,you either like it or not,and to me i liked it,kinda borderline,but i recommend you check it out!

Is it Something you can watch over and over again?? Well....No,not really,2 times should be enough,then you'd be bored outta your boots!

Rating out of 10? Well fairly confusing,and pathetic special effects,good acting,and some great nude scenes,and you can get a few chills,i repeat a very few.

5 out of 10

Yep, just another trashy horror film. A young blonde college graduate gets raped, then unwittingly utilises the help of a demon to get her own back on her aggressors and anyone else she happens to be upset with. There now follows 85 minutes of ropey special effects and irritating incidental music, as our hapless victim attempts to find a way to make the slaughter stop. Some unintentional laughs lighten up what is generally a tedious affair, with fake blood & guts galore and far too many shots of blokes in their underpants. Of course it also has the requisite female kit-offery in it as well. Yee-ha! Sadly, despite the best efforts of Miss Elizabeth Cayton's double D's, the film is likely to remain as forgotten as New Coke. Or the Millennium dome. Or the Atari Jaguar. Or.. well, I think you get the picture.. 2/10