Episode 49 - Witch Story (1989)

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Episode 48 - Sweet Home (1989)

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Episode 37 - Ghostwatch (1992)

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The Murder of Sgt. Macklin (1993)

 

For most movie fans the idea of finding a new film to enjoy is one of pride. While most cinephiles like to think we’ve seen it all, the sad matter of fact is that we’ve only scratched the surface. Sure, we try to broaden our pallets with foreign films and obscure shot-on-video titles from the mid-80’s to late 90’s, but the truth is that there are thousands of movies left untouched, and unfortunately, forgotten by the masses.  The past few years have shown that films once thought lost, like The Basement or Run Coyote Run, can be seen again and appreciated by new audiences.

What I’m getting at is that finding a film that has no history, or barely a mention anywhere on the internet is pretty much the bee’s knees of being a movie fan. Where was it made? What was the background?  How many copies were distributed? Was it primarily a regional release? The more questions come up, the sooner the answers arrive.

As those who have been reading the blog and listening to our podcast are aware we’re avid VHS hunters.  While following a Craigslist post for a media sale in Southern New Hampshire I found myself digging through banana boxes of analog titles, grabbing a few sealed blanks and couple other random movies. Then, I see a title released by a company I was unfamiliar with: Stage 1 Productions. With the haunting visage of a scowling man adorning the cover, the name of the movie would become a quest: The Murder of Sgt. Macklin.

The Murder of Sgt. Macklin spills the legend of a school house in La Junta, Colorado that just so happens to be built on the same ground as the horrendous Sand Hill Massacre. New owner Harry Furgeson experiences a chilling spiritual attack while walking the school, and finds drifter Mike Broderick to take on the roll of manager for his new building. Soon, Mike himself starts to experience strange goings-on inside the empty school, even seeing a ghastly apparition come out of the night. Alongside locals Ellie Franklin and Harry’s wife, Sylvia, Mike and the women get to the bottom of what exactly happened all those years ago.

“Like many of my generation, I had wanted to make movies as long as I could
remember. We bought the old schoolhouse and moved to La Junta in 1991 with the intent of making it into a film production center. Because we had very little money, I wrote a script to use the building, people and equipment available. Macklin's Sand Hill Massacre theme was a fictional adaptation of the horrendous Sand Creek Massacre committed in this area in the 19th Century. I figured anything of that magnitude should have at least one unsettled spirit hanging about.”

With smaller films you’re apt to expect and forgive a few shortcomings in terms of production value. However with Macklin, most aspects you’d expect to be lackluster are surprisingly tip-top.  The actors and actresses, while being of no significant note and without national recognition in 2015, all fit their characters well, and handle the dialogue with enough believability to bring you into the world. The story, while being a slow-burn, offers ample atmosphere with the talents of Director of Photography Vincent Gearhart with Key Grip Bill Milliken and the synth-centric soundtrack from Kevin Foster.

“The whole project took a little over a year from scripting to release. A local group here in La Junta held a Dinner Premier for us and we ultimately sold maybe 250 copies”

After I had enjoyed Macklin more questions bubbled up. I listed those questions earlier, so try to keep up.  Thankfully on the back of the film there was contact info for the writer, director and producer Bob DuBois. Through a few emails back and forth I was able to learn more about this unique little ghost story out of south-eastern Colorado.

“The actual shooting schedule was 22 days, but because of a volunteer cast and crew it took about 10 weeks to complete. Our principal acquisition camera was either a Panasonic AG 450 or the 455, I don't remember exactly when I upgraded. For a couple of scenes (such as Mike & Sylvia exploring the building in the dark) we used our DP's personal Sony (C or 8mm, I forget which) in tandem with the Panasonic. We used his for low-light acquisition and the Panasonic for recording with better audio.”

An interesting note I had learned in talking with Mr. DuBois in regards to the production of the Macklin. Key Grip and friend Bill Milliken had taken residence in the school house that was purchased for the hopeful production studio. Roughly halfway through the making of Macklin Bill Milliken suffered a heart attack, and although he survived and is living to this day, that had to make for a nervous bump in the road. One has to wonder if there were more spiritual happenings going on than just what was captured on video.

Ultimately, The Murder of Sgt. Macklin is a prime example of someone who has an idea, and goes about creating a story using the location and actual historical events to elevate the yarn being spun. While learning the background of the film is one mystery solved, I feel the bigger question is how this independently made and distributed VHS survived a trip halfway across the country to a little church book sale in southern New Hampshire. However the trip may have started, I’m happy that Macklin ended up in my hands. It was a fun, no-nonsense spiritual trip that I now aim to offer to a like-minded and wide audience.

**Thanks to Josh Schafer from Lunchmeat for the editing of this article.**

Satan War (1979)

Recently I've been on a real kick with TV shows and movies dealing with spirits, ghosts, demons, etc. Ghost and haunted house movies don't have as much of an affect on me as they used to as a kid, but I just blame that on desensitization. The real hard part as a fan of film is that I've tried to see it all, and in my 20-someodd years of doing so have seen some pretty messed up shit. No matter what though, I still seek out new stories about families or persons who become prey to otherworldly forces.

The film in topic is the 1979 film, Satan War. From a VHS collector standpoint this is a pretty hard-to-find movie, as I had never heard of it until one of the contributors of Bleeding Skull posted a picture a month or so back. The lurid cover of a leather-clad Satan was enough for me to be curious, but then upon hearing it was pretty much a Amityville Horror rip-off, I was 100% into it.

Satan War starts off with a narration describing how the stories you are about to see are based off of real life events in the realm of the supernatural. Louise and Bill, a newlywed couple who have just moved into their new home, start experiencing strange occurrences right after moving in. Their emotions fly abandon as they realize something is changing their surrounding. As Louise hangs the crucifix from their wedding cake, strange events start to occur. Like the cross turning itself upside down to the coffee pot and kitchen cabinets spewing out foul slime. Suddenly they're prisoners in their own home by an unseen entity that will do anything to have them out!

The second story within the credits of Satan War revolves around a tribe that does the mambo, a religious dance that is designed to have the spirits of demons, or whomever, enter your body to allow for their wishes to be realized.

 

So, yeah. That's basically Satan War. If it sounds like it was a bit trying to get through, it was. This isn't to say it's the worst film I've seen recently (that title still goes to Lunchmeat), but the biggest detractor to a film like this is the constant and ever present music in the film. The synth score, while repetitive, isn't the worst. What is the worst about it is that the film is never able to create its own tension and atmosphere as we're always waiting for the next scare based on the music cues. Over the 60-minute run time of the first segment, there were only maybe 2 minutes that did not have music over it. It just got to the point where it would have been better on mute.

The other big issue I had with the Satan War was, much like the music, the repetitive scares. We get the demon doesn't like crucifixes. We get that it can make lightning, thunder and an earthquake when it's mad. We get it can make animal smelling diarrhea come from every point in your kitchen. That's it. These are basically the only things that happen while the newlyweds move in. Well, Louise also finds herself at the end of 2 sexual assaults by an unseen entity.

Now what's interesting is that some versions of the film appears to have an extra scene prior to the Amityville Horror rip-off that involves a Black Mass. I have included that full, 92:00+ version below.

At the end of the day, Satan War is nothing special. I respect what Bart La Rue was trying to accomplish, but due to the repetitive score and the unwillingness to go balls-out with the scares, this is a film only for those really searching for rare and hard to find movies. I don't think you'll hate yourself after watching it, but you may want to have The Changeling, Legend of Hell House or The Evil as a good pallet cleanser.

Rating: 2 out of 5 Trash Bags

Satan War IMDB

Satan War Wiki

Episode 12 - Twice Dead (1988)

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Twice Dead DVD on Amazon

V/H/S 2 (2013)

Since 'The Blair Witch Project' broke box office records back in 1999 it seems like everyone under the sun has tried to put their own spin on the found footage sub-genre. From zombies and ghosts to Sasquatch and Nessie; pretty much every producer could put in a little financial backing and receive a pretty solid ROI.  The truth is that most of these films were shoddily put together with little foundation of creating an entertaining film.

Last year, horror website Bloody Disgusting ventured into the original film department with their horror anthology release, 'V/H/S'. The film fared rather well in terms of audiences and critics, so inevitably a sequel would manifest itself in no time. I enjoy the first film immensely as it was a fresh take on the tired found footage formula, but I did have my issues with the film. The wraparound story of the group of men trying to search for a wanted tape was the first films biggest downfall, as the acting and characters weren't anything to envelop the stories in-between. The other issue, as with any anthology movie, is that you're going to be left with films you really like, maybe some you're impartial to, and others that you just didn't care for at all. A lot of people didn't seem to enjoy the Ti West offering in the last installment, but I enjoy a slow burn.

As with the previous 'VHS' film, the sequel starts off with a wraparound story to envelop the found footage horrors. This time round we follow a group of private investigators who are sent to find a woman's missing son. As they enter the apartment, they find TV sets stacked in a wall with dozens of VCRs and tapes haphazardly strewn about the room. As one investigator goes searching through the house, the other starts looking through the man's tape collection.

Now here is where I should provide details of all the tapes that are viewed, but that would take away from the fun of the film. Each of the four stories are so different, but compliment each other rather smoothly. The basic premise for the films are: Ghosts ('Clinical Trials'), Zombies ('A Ride in the Park'), a cult ('Safe Haven') and an alien abduction ('Slumber Party Alien Abduction'). Whereas the first film had a few mediocre segments this sequel finds all the right beats from the first one, and amplifies them to the umptenth degree. Laughs, gore and atmosphere are all present in each segment, and the crowd I saw it with was laughing and screaming the entire time.

Honestly, I'm pretty hard pressed to find any issues with 'VHS 2'. It was exactly what I wanted from a sequel, and had a great sense of fun with each offering. The directors involved all did a wonderful job of staying within the horror genre, but allowing for comedic elements to ring throughout to offset the violence and scares. I don't even have a favorite segment, but if there was one that the audience seemed to respond to the most it was Gareth Evans 'Safe Haven'. This is the gentlemen who directed last years fantastic 'The Raid'.

While found footage may not have been reinvented with 'VHS 2', it certainly was well crafted in how to entertain an audience. For whatever faults there may have been in the previous installment, all have been eradicated with this new outing. The best thing about a budding franchise like 'VHS' is that it's a venue for up and coming directors to showcase their talents in a condensed form. They can churn out one a year like any other horror franchise, but the difference here is that we'll never see the same movie twice.

'VHS 2' will be released by Magnet Releasing on VOD July 6th with a limited theatrical run July 12th.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Trash Bags