Highly Overrated But Still Good

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I heard about and saw The Dark Power film today as it seemed to be a little different from other horror films that were produced around the mid 1980's.Here is my review which shall contain some spoilers throughout!The Dark Power is set in what seems like southern America and in a location where four American Indians have died many centuries before. A reporter and her cameraman are conjuring up a story for their college project about the history of the area and the curse that it has left behind along with some support from the local ranger Girard.A house where the Indians known as Toltec sorcerers where laid to rest has been built over the same area. A group of sorority girls decide to rent out the house whilst carrying out their studies at a cheap price.Out of the four girls whilst Beth gets a recommendation from reporter Mary her very annoying friend Lynn constantly interrupts their conversation. When Beth and Lynn get to the house and meet up with their other friend Susan and it is not until Lynn meets the fourth girl Tammie, the only black girl we are further annoyed by her outspoken racist and spiteful behaviour. I have to say Lynn's character was probably the most racist one I have ever seen in a horror film although the way the the other girls respond to her is with maturity and dignity.Lynn then plans to pester her enemy Tammie once more by inviting her equally annoying and irrelevant brother Craig to stay at the house and have a party with his friends. When night falls the evil sorcerers rise from the ground and terrorise the sorority girls, Craig and his friends. The ranger Girard arrives at the house to help put an end to all the havoc.I know this film is marketed as a horror film but i didn't really feel as though it was one for the most part it was like a drama mixed with some horror, a little blood and then became quite funny or even silly towards the end. I think the film lost any initial serious tone it had by the half way point however the killers did do some interestingly random things that were not always intentional and were curious as to some of the decisions they would make.It was worth the watch for something out of the ordinary and to see what happens to two very unlikeable characters being the brother and sister Craig and Lynn!I would rate this film 5 out of 10.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to introduce to you …. The Toltecs! This ancient Latin American tribe, even preceding the Aztecs, supposedly had the most malevolent and bloodthirsty sorcerers, yet they get their asses whooped by a couple of college floozies and a one-hundred-and-seven-year old lawman with a whip! But before you get to see this, however, you have to struggle through more than 40 minutes of sheer boredom, infantile pranks and sleazy sequences that don't contain any actual sleaze. In case I haven't made myself entirely clear yet: "The Dark Power" is an indescribably cheesy and inept piece of 80's horror crap that still manages to be amusing because of its sheer and somewhat charming stupidity factor. Writer/director Phil Smoot's intentions were obviously admirable, but he – as well as the rest of the cast & crew – lacked the talent and financial means to deliver something even half-decent. Smoot carefully watched "The Evil Dead" and other similar demonic-themed movies, and somehow must have thought he could pull this off as well. The movie opens with an old Indian guy dying in his isolated countryside house; barely speaking out his last word above a whisper … Toltecs. His grandson promptly rents out house to a bunch of college chicks, including a typically 80's aerobics babe, a cute black girl and a racist redneck gal. Soon they will discover why exactly the old Indian lived like a hermit, as he was actually the guardian of an ancient Toltec burial ground. Toltec sorcerers buried themselves alive, only to emerge again thousands of years later and feed on the flesh of the living. And, honestly, is there any better tasting flesh than that of bimbos? As hinted at before already, the first half of "The Dark Power" is terribly lame and sleep-inducing. The clichéd pranks, the retarded dialogs and the ridiculously overlong footage of Lash LaRue swinging around his whip seem to go on forever. Then, the movie loses its last smidgen of credibility when the Toltec sorcerers emerge from the ground. Instead of menacing, they look like drugged out hard rock stars with imbecile masks and drunken gestures. Exactly ONE gory moment is worth mentioning, when a guy's lips are stretched out over his entire skull, but overall even the carnage aspect of this movie is disappointing. The only remotely worthwhile moments are utterly senseless, like when a 9-year-old kid (named Cletus!) goes joyriding with his uncle's truck or when the vulgar naked chick sips beer in the bathtub after working out. Seriously, unless you get turned on by the sight of a 1940's western veteran swinging around his whip at nothing, I'd advise to skip this film.

A group of unsuspecting college coeds move into the house on Totem Hill,a cursed place where four Toltec Sorcerers buried themselves hundreds of years ago-alive and still breathing!On the coming of the Evil Days,the ancient demons arise to feed on the living.Now only one old Ranger with a whip played by western veteran Lash LaRue-fashioned out of materials from the four quarters of the world-stands between the girls and the mystical zombies from the past."The Dark Power" is clearly Phil Smoot's answer to Raimi's "The Evil Dead" with an isolated house,resurrected bloodthirsty demons and lots of POV camera-work in the woods.What surprised me the most are the racist remarks of several characters.The Confederate flag also pops up with alarming frequency.The four Indian monsters are fun to watch and there is a bit of gore including the scene where a man's head is torn apart.Lash LaRue is great with a non-sexual whip action.It's really a shame that the first 45 minutes are so criminally boring.A generous 6 out of 10.

When a group of dumb kids (including an unlikable. racist bitch) stay at an old house, it awakens four murderous Toltec spirits. Can Lash La Rue save the day? Will you be able to watch until the end due to the horrible comedy on display."The Dark Power" is the kind of really bad horror/comedy hybrid Troma used to release regularly. Thing is, they didn't. release this. That doesn't excuse the whole thing, as it has a dreadful synthesizer score (including bad attempts at Native American music and even worse "comedy" music), bad make up effects (basically Halloween masks), and atrocious acting (Ok, the fat guy was alright, though everyone else is terrible, and La Rue, a Western movie vet, seems embarrassed to be there-not that I blame him really.)The worst thing though, is the comedy aspects. Sure, dumb teens is one thing, but when the movie keeps talking about the Toltec spirits as if they are the ultimate evil, only for them to turn out to be horribly annoying, bumbling fools, all hope is dashed. Combining horror and comedy takes at least some skill. There is no skill on display here, as it all is just stupid, and not "so dumb it's fun" either. I mean "smoking pot and listening to bad Punk Rock aren't I dumb" dumb.Not even a decent ripped off face and a chick in little clothing can save this disaster. Terrible movie, and not even worth a rental.