Superstition (1985)

You won't be disappointed!

This is How Movies Should Be Made

People are voting emotionally.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

One of the few actually scary horror films made in the 1980s, SUPERSTITION pushes all the right buttons. While the uninspired plot just strings along a series of violent murders, the film manages to convey an atmosphere of terror - and of the unknown. The supernatural entity which commits all the murders is kept masked, enshrouded in darkness for the entire film, making it seem eerie and faceless, and of course all the more frightening.It's rare when an effective film like this comes along, so its not to be taken lightly. As well as the genuine thrills there are also plenty of violent, gory death scenes to liven things up, and despite the low budget these can rival (and better) any modern-day production. From the powerhouse opening where a severed head explodes in a microwave (it has to be seen to be believed) and a boy is literally cut in two by a window, you know that this is going to be an entertaining film. And it sure is.As well as the aforementioned gruesome activities we also get a show-stopping moment where a circular saw breaks, flies across the room to drill through a priest's chest. Another poor victim has a stake hammered through her chest, while a scaly hand takes care of the rest of the cast. The bleakness and pessimism of this film is summoned up by the shock ending in which the final survivor is also killed. The inappropriate musical score is probably the worst thing in this film, but luckily it doesn't intrude and detract from any of the key scenes. Influences from THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and THE OMEN are clear, but kept fresh.None of the actors here are famous, proving that you don't always need a star name to have a good film. For a change I liked a lot of characters in this film, and nobody was too wooden. The most engaging of the lot is the gruff detective who looks like a cross between J.T. Walsh and Ned Beatty. The hero is quite bland but likable, and also the father of the family living in the house, who himself is a reverend, is believable: he drinks, and when he hears his wife screaming hesitates in fear before trying to rescue her. The realistic reactions of a man in this situation.Still, there's no need to worry about the quality of acting when you have people hanging in lift shafts, severed arms grabbing the legs of a young swimmer, and a man impaled by broken glass. On top of this there's a suspenseful finale where the sole survivor is menaced by the silhouette of a monstrous witch. These factors help to make SUPERSTITION an effective, gory, frightening and above all enjoyable shocker.

An old church property is haunted by an evil spirit that will go to all lengths to drive out- or kill- whoever makes the mistake of trespassing into the house. A mother and her mute son live on the property, and act as it's caretaker. Though, the son watches over a lot more than just the house.The haunt is used as a makeout spot for the local teenagers. Things start to get out of control when a couple pranksters use the property and house to scare some of their friends...only to get hilariously murdered by some unseen force.Fast forward a little, and we find ourselves following a guy that works for the church, who has been sent out to get the house ready for an incoming minister and his family- who will be living in the old house until their new residence is ready.A man sent from the church authority tells the man that there is a dark aura surrounding this place- considering all the previous tenants had met untimely violent ends.Things are peculiar from the first time they enter the house- as they find it covered in some sort of slime. When they hear an odd noise coming from one of the rooms, they go to investigate, only to find the mute- who promptly runs away in a fit.One of the men run after him, only to be drowned in the property's pond.The man and the Priest go to talk to the old woman that resides in a small dwelling on the property. She tells them that her son watches over not only the house, but "her" as well (for as long as she needs him).Things start getting really crazy when the Priest and his family move in. While he, and pretty much everyone else who sets foot inside the building, become subject to ghostly torment- or worse- his children start to interact with the spirit of a young girl. The daughter even starts to have spooky, dreamed recollections of the past murders which have taken place in the house.It turns out that the haunting goes back over 300 years...and those who have entered the premises have been dying ever since. One by one, the people living in and working on the property start to be killed off by the angry force.The old woman chocks this up to the removal of a silver cross from the pond, which she claims was part of an unfinished ritual that effectively relegated the spirit's activity to the night- with it's removal freeing it from these limitations.The man and the minister team up with another "unsanctioned" priest and the local police to try and figure out what exactly is going on...and what can be done about it.After a little research, the man discovers that the house was used to torture and kill suspected "witches" during the Inquisition.Turns out that one of these "witches" was, in fact, demonically possessed, though. And when they murdered her, the spirit was released from her body and allowed to roam the property in a spiritual form, so that it could carry out her dying curse.The silver cross was used to seal the soul of the woman within the pond, hence why the spirit was released upon it's removal.Those who've managed to survive up until this point, start to be targeted by the demonic entity, until, of course, the final showdown takes place.Superstition is a pretty straight forward supernatural thriller akin to something like "The Entity". While the special effects are a lot more budget and cheesy, the kills are both hilarious and creative. These kills range from spikes to the head, runaway buzz-saws to the chest and an exploding decapitated head in a microwave. The film is most notable for it's atypical ending though. It's a solid and entertaining little horror with lots of deaths...and for that reason, it gets my recommendation.6 out of 10.

A witch is executed in 1692 by being drowned in a pond. Before she dies, she curses the town, including the pond and her family home. Over the years, many mysterious deaths happen on the property which has fallen into the care of the local church. A new minister and his family move into the house and all hell breaks loose. Can the witch be silenced, or does the town remain doomed? Superstition starts out with one of the most fun jump scare/pranks of the 80s and then gets right to the killings: exploding heads, murderous windows, rogue sawblades - it's a ton of fun. This movie will kill just about anyone, rolling over taboos left and right. Things slow down when hottie Reverend David starts to investigate what happened on the property, but once he comes back to rescue the Leahys, the movie finally gets back on track.Superstition is one of my favorites - it's a slasher film disguised as a witch movie and it just throws everything at you in the hopes that something will stick. It usually does. There's probably no way we could get a movie like this today, but at least we have the original.

This film also concerns a witch or "daughter of Satan" who was executed by drowning in a pond, as it was customary that witches were afraid of water during those ages...Years later the witch's curse still looms about the place were she was killed. This place is been used now as a lovers lane by teens.Some kids playing a prank on some love-lorn teens are the first ones to face the wrath of the witch. Soon the Rev. David Thompson (James Houghton) is called in to investigate.But will he be able to stop this evil? It is for you to find out.Excellent special effects and background music. The acting is adequate for a horror film. Those of you who are squeamish and faint of heart shouldn't watch this film alone.An interesting film for your horror movies collection.