Memorable, crazy movie

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I remembered seeing this when I was a kid and it scared the crap out of me. I still remember somewhat vividly some of the scenes. Going back nearly 30 years later, I was thinking that it might be good to watch again for Halloween. I thought wrong. An outcast heretic/sinner preacher goes with his family and a few other random people to find somewhere where they can live in adultery. Instead they find hostile Indians, and take refuge in a valley where they Indians are afraid to go. Always a good idea. The "mystery" of death valley is given away before they even get there (you see, the blood of all innocent animals that are killed collects in some places, and forms into a blood hungry mindless demon which is obviously the collective will of all innocent animals.) They find a deserted settlement there which was obviously destroyed and the former residents turn out to be flesh eating ghosts. Several deaths are involved. A special needs/witch/Irish girl helps them escape. Then finally, they nail the kids in a coffin and shove it into a river to save them. Bad acting. Plot that stops making sense after the first 30 minutes. Bad special effects. This might have been good if it had been on on MST3K. You will find yourself rooting for the deaths of the settlers just to get the movie over with. Most of the reviewers of this only pretend to like it because they think it's cool to like obscure movies. This one is obscure because IT'S CRAP. I would have given this a -10, but the scale was from 1-10.

The American Frontier, 1750: A motley bunch of Irish pioneers led by the meek Reverand Will Smythe (a strikingly quirky performance by Dennis Lipscomb) trespass onto sacred Native American territory that's haunted by a malevolent devil witch who turns pesky interlopers into tortured souls whose faces are implanted on trees. Although marred by a confusing story and often lethargic pacing, this compellingly peculiar horror-Western oddity nonetheless casts an effectively spooky and arresting spell on the viewer thanks to Avery Crounse's stylish direction (Crounse also wrote the idiosyncratic script), a creepily off-kilter and nightmarish atmosphere, plenty of stunningly bizarre and beautiful visuals, Brad Fiedel's fine, eerie score and the sheer fascinating weirdness of the outré story. The uniformly solid acting from a tip-top cast constitutes as another additional plus, with noteworthy turns by Kathleen Crockett as a strange mute psychic teenage girl who knows what's going on, Guy Boyd as a rugged mountain man, and Will Hare as an ill-fated old-timer. By no means a perfect fright flick (it's rather slow, sometimes unfathomable and the ending is dissatisfying), but an admirably unusual, inspired and unconventional genre-blending low-budget indie effort just the same.

Eyes of Fire is one of the most visually stunning horror dramas I've seen. The film is masterfully shot and beautifully photographed, which is a shame because I didn't thoroughly enjoy it. The story follows some pioneers forced to leave their village after being suspected of witchcraft. They settle in a valley where not even the native Indians will set foot on. That should have tipped them off to the cursed earth and set them on their way. Fortunately for us, they stay and nightmarish scenes follow. It has a creepy atmosphere and an almost drug-induced imagery. Unfortunately the pace was too uneven. It has long periods of lows and short bursts of highs. That is my main complaint. It just needed to be punched up some more in certain areas. A few characters could have been omitted altogether. I also didn't enjoy the performances. Most of the actors are a bit on the hammy side. But, I can't fault the actors. If anything they add to the overall weirdness of the film. And that is the most positive thing I can say: this is one of the most unusual and outright bizarre movies period. If you're looking for something WAY off the beaten path, check out Eyes of Fire.

I saw this film by accident back in 1983 as a rental from Blockbuster. I have been hooked ever since, turning many people on to it's original story. The movie is creepy and eerie and yes the ending is open ended by the references and the characters make up for this trust me! It is an old American settlement in the woods with references to witches and druids and the evil that lies within us all. There are some neat Hitchcock like quick pans and sounds with only references to the actual happenings allowing your brain to fill in the pieces nicely. The scenes mostly take place in a dark and omniscient woods. There are some religious references which play into the plot as well. I am looking for it on DVD, you should too.