Today is the vernal equinox, though looking at the amount of snow still on the ground here in the City of Y______, one would be hard-pressed to think of Spring. Rather than discussing the vernal equinox, this post concerns an infernal Equinox, a low-budget horror movie, produced by a crew of amateurs, released in 1970. While not very scary, the film does boast some not-terrible stop-motion special effects- from a practical effects standpoint it 'punches above its weight', given the low budget and inexperience of its creators. The plot, concerning a college student's search for his geology professor, who has gone missing from his cabin in the mountains while trying to decipher a mysterious grimoire, is very reminiscent of the first two films in the 'Evil Dead' horror franchise.
I'm not a big horror movie buff, though I do rate for the 'Evil Dead' films, being a fan of Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi. It was interesting to watch Equinox with an eye to comparing the films. My primary interest in watching the movie was its casting of Bastard fave and fantasy juggernaut Fritz Leiber as the doomed professor. While not a speaking role, it was fascinating to see one of my literary heroes on the screen, even in a bit part. Here is the movie in all of its cheesy, low-budget glory:
Oh, and if you ever meet a guy named Asmodeus, run like... uhhhhhh... Hell.
I'm guessing Yonkers.
ReplyDeleteI am too chickenshit to watch even cheesy, improbable horror movies, but like out-linkage made me remember that:
ReplyDelete1.) I read A Face in the Frost months ago, and loved it as much as I did when I was 12. I never would've found it again if I hadn't seen you talk about it here.
2.) Did you know that a 3,000-year-old statue of (probably) Ramses II, née Ozymandias, was recently unearthed in Cairo? I'm choosing to believe it's a sign that an Avengers-like assemblage of ancient, undying historical monarchs have come to save us from Donald Trump.
>> "like" ???
ReplyDeleteI meant "the."
I'm guessing Yonkers.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the City of Hills, where nothing is on the level. Years ago, one of my high school chums wrote a parody of Poe- 'In the year 19__, in the City of Y______.
I read A Face in the Frost months ago, and loved it as much as I did when I was 12. I never would've found it again if I hadn't seen you talk about it here.
I'd characterize this as more of a monster movie than a horror movie, per se. It's not scary at all, though the bad guy looks creepy because of his makeup. TFitF is pretty creepy- that scene where Prospero finds himself in the fake village is unsettling, good thing there's comic relief to be had in the book.