Kim (Neith Hunter) wants to be a reporter and does a research on a woman who supposedly commited suiidice by falling off a building by spontaneous combustion and wants to do a reserch on it but no one takes her seriously.
She goes to a library on spontaneous combustion to learn about it and is bothered by a street guy Ricky (Clint Howard).
Kim encounters a woman who lived in the building Fima (Maud Adams) and joins her and her group to find out about the death of the woman but then she realises that she is sedated and is used for a witchcraft ceremony with bugs and strange parasites assisted by Ricky himself.
Fima and her group are a commitee from Hell needing a new member for their team to live for eternity.
She finds out that she was initiated and things seem to be very normal as if none of the events never happened but she tries to find a way to prove to herself what had happened was real but it may be too late for her as Kim seems to be under her Fima's power and has to do what Fima tells her which is a sacrifice on Christmas night which is the final step for the ceremony.
An interesting beginning showing a woman falling off a top of a building due to spontaneuos combust along with opening credits in an artsy form of way with the neat looking effects.
The story starts off slowly but there's lots of weird events like some weirdo named Ricky (Not the same one from the previous sequels) stalking someone named Kim in a library which does draw a mystery to the story as well as her encountering the librarian named Fima who seems a little too friendly offering her the book on black magic subjects. Right away I was thinking that she might be behind all of the evil events that are about to happen and offers her a candy which looks like a cockroach of some sort.
There's the odd strange moments too when Kim goes up to the roof and spots Ricky listening to some squeaking sounds in a metal chimney in which you think it could be a rat hiding inside and takes out some sort of a gigantic insect creature as this was believeably gross looking.
There's also moments with Kim in her apartment having dirty dishes and spotting cockroaches which is everyones fear by living alone and not being tidy but what's worst is there's encounters with gigantic cockroaches too for anyone afraid of them which looked gross and good special effects too.
There's also moments with Kim visiting her boyfriend Hank's family in which they disapprove of her along with a sacrastic father acting not caring at all which is a good look at a dysfunctional family since there's good pointers for something like this in a Christmas horror flick. There's also good disturbing moments with Hank trying to talk to Kim and she gets vulgar with him in which this situation is a good way on breaking up big time.
Another real strange moment is when Kim is drugged and Fima with her group of people putting bugs on her and other sorts of slimy objects which looked strange wondering why Kim can't move at all. There's mentioning on Fima saying she wants her child back which seems very mysterious as to what the hell she is talking about. Alot of this looked boring and stupid though.
There's some effective writing later on when Kim flips out and tries to commit suicide with Hank stopping her and trying to talk to her too. Alot of the writing and moments looked quite powerful. But then it slides down when she acts crazily lustful towards him which didn't seem to fit the story at all. However, Ricky enters the room watching Silent Night Deadly Night Part 3 which seemed to work well along with alot of creepy moments on him doing deadly deeds.
There's more freaky moments with a cult ceremony involving Ricky getting lustful with Kim and her fingers bending too. Also later on finding out that he co-workers are in on this evil cult too which makes things even more weird and twisted too.
There's effects that will trip you out like Kim about to go into spontaneus combust and showering to stop this with a nice reasonable moment on Ricky this time which was a nice change thinking that he's not such a bad guy after all.
There's even a moment with Ricky stranging someone to death with a christmas light wire since this was used in the priginal flick paying a tribute to it along with the tree catching on fire as this looked suspenseful too.
There is a final sacrifice moment that fails making it a good ending and then I was thankful that the film came to an end since it was a disaster to watch.
Bottom line is this story ignores the Santa killer series and instead is a cross between a Rosemary's Baby and Children of the Corn ripoff
It has bits of interesting moments like the cult ceremony and it does show on a TV screen the previous sequel like what Halloween III did with the first one as it didn't bear the Michael Myers series but other than that, this film bites as the story is very pointless, weird and doesn't make much sense.
The acting is not bad but not award winning either. Still for a low budgeter the cast does what they can in it.
Neith Hunter (Kim) is the best out of all the cast with great intense reactions during the ceremony and does well when she gets seductive. She also does well acting drugged and tired along with her crying emotions too bringing out a ton of energy out of what she had to do. She knew on how to portray an easy prey to a horror flick. She really drives the intensity by running into a bathroom and trying to swallow pills. She was believeably emotional when she was starting to cry. She gets in a lustful mood and acting unnormal towards her fellow actor with him acting surprised in which this was a bit wooden and needed more inspiration. She shows off great aggressive expressions while stabbing someone.
We have a good supporting role by former Moonlighting co-star Allyce Beasley (Janice) who proves worthy with her performance showing no signs of her annoying character from the TV show and is very serious in her role. She also comes across as believeably deceiving and mysterious in what she did throughout her performance acting very strange and wicked too. She proves to wear another hat with her characteristics in a show.
Maud Adams (Fima) had a nice peaceful mellow attitude in her role as well as coming across nice and smoothly with her speaking too. She portrays a good type of sorceress in her part really changing from someone nice to something stern and wicked too. She brings out the odd good intensity too. Does a good job acting sick in her apartment running to her bathroom which looked energetic. A good peaceful conversation in a room with her towards someone else and then a nice change of mode on her getting a little firm when she spills her drink as well as a nice manipulative attitude forcing her to eat something as this looked a bit intense and well performed. She shows a nice shocked and painful reaction to being stabbed.
Tommy Hinkley (Hank) really brought on a nice charming and warm attitude in his role as one of those clean cut boy next door type of personality. He brought on great characterstics showing his concerns as well as showing a good suspenseful attitude too when there's intense moments in the film all drawing into one throughout his whole performance here. There's a good cursing and intense moment with him towards his fellow actor which was hyped up and well done. A nice blocking moment on her stopping her fellow actress and trying to talk sternly towards her which was energised.
Of course, we can't forget about Clint Howard (Ricky) as he is truly good at being a crazy little guy being part of the cult as if you wonder if his role is a retarded type of maniac. He comes across with his crazy speaking and outrageous attotide as well as showing a nice soft side to what he did. He was certainly versatile in this one. He was convicning by acting like some street schizo apart from seeming someone retarded. He does a good job strangling someone.
Neith Hunter performs a sex scene with Tommy Hinkley's character and her breasts and butt are briefly exposed in her first scene too.
Her breasts are exposed dutring the ceremony events too.
A bit of blood here and there but nothing your stomach's can't take.
I wasn't wild over Richard Band's composing. It wasn't terrible or anything but it wasn't effective neither except for the ceremony as at times he adds some touches to it. There's good screechy sounds though as well as nice hissing moments too along with icy pitched synthesizer playing through alot of the scene's but some of it sounds like he used alot of it from his other composing like in the Puppet Master flicks.
Ricky: [picks up a hamburger from the street and opens it] Oww. No fucking cheese! Hank: With an attitude like that you're going to lose your job.
Kim: Oh yeah, well then fuck my attitude, fuck the job, and fuck you!
[last lines]
Kim: Lonnie? It's all over now. |
