I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

disgusting, overrated, pointless

Absolutely Fantastic

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Royce inherits a Florida farm in the middle of nowhere, and despite the warnings of local hunter, Booker T, becomes friendly, perhaps too friendly, with the shy daughter of his hired help.The Enchanted is all about atmosphere, and some would probably not regard it as horror at all - a folktale or fairytale, perhaps. Director Carter Lord goes for a feeling of magic and growing unease, which he achieves deftly by using the natural world - the forest and its creatures - to suggest an otherworldliness, a portal between reality and imagination. It is the viewer's imagination that creates the horror, and those used to more visceral kinds of scariness may well not get this movie at all. Despite its short running time, the pace is slow, as it takes time for the viewer to get the feel of this strange, isolated place and its inhabitants.Julius Harris, who plays Booker T, is the only actor here with whom I was familiar, and he delivers an understated, authoritative performance as the hunter / narrator. The rest of the cast are convincingly natural and understated, helping the illusion that this is a real place, yet a place where things are not at all what they seem. It also made me want to live there.Imagine the films of Val Lewton, or perhaps Picnic at Hanging Rock, set in the Florida wilderness, and you will have some idea. I rated this film highly because there is perhaps no other film like it, and the feeling of strangeness it creates stays with you, even years later.

I'm talking about the movie The Enchanted (1984) Directed by Carter Lord. Some movies from that year are easy to recall; Amadeus, Ghostbusters, Dune, or The Terminator.Unlike them, This movie I neither recall hearing anything about, nor do I recall seeing it playing it in any theater. Spoilers Ahead, Should you give it a chance? Sure why not, if you are in the mood for strange. Whats the story? Young Royce Hagan, played by Will Sennett, returns to the backwoods of Florida (?) To settle on the land his pappy gave to him, and to start raising livestock. He is greeted and welcomed by his long time, family friend Booker T, played by Julius Harris. Booker knows the land, and it's legends, and is not happy when he sees Royce, becoming involved with Twyla, a strange young lady, played by Casey Blanton, Daughter of an odd clan called The Perdrys' They seem to be living out of time; Vegetarian, and pagan, and willing to do a hard days work. I thought it interesting how the movie contrasted the work-a-day chores and tasks of clearing the land, with it's fantasy elements. Once Twyla decides to move in with Royce to, um, build their nest, things really do get strange. The movie excelled in strangeness for example; While shot in the wilds of Florida's backwoods, the score was totally electronic. Ultimately, the details of the plot, are for the birds. The movie succeeds brilliantly in presenting alien's posing in human form, Much like in the contemporary movie, "Under the Skin" (2013) Imitating in a sense, the ways of humans, but still being alien. As alien as the pod people from "The Body Snatchers" The ending of this movie is in keeping with the over all strangeness, Motives are meticulously concealed. Plot points left up in the air. ; The strange aliens were at one with nature, so why the need to chase the daughter from the nest? There seems to be a Paradox here; One could critique the message of the beings at peace with the earth, as opposed to the humans who slaughter of livestock, It was graphically depicted; lots of animals went down in this story, I do not recall seeing a disclaimer from the American Humane Association. That is disturbing. I do not believe the larger animals were sacrificed for this production, but I can understand those who are disturbed at the realistic depictions.The character Twyla reminded me of some Art majors I use to date, in my college days, hard to say why Royce was drawn to her. Anyway,Seven and a half stars out of Ten, for the mind blowing, "What just happened" ending.

Thank god this stunning fantasy is finally listed on the IMDb. I've been telling people about it for decades, without being able to prove it even exists! It had a couple network showings on ABC back in the late 80s and after that, vanished. Now, I only hope that someone like Anchor Bay of Janus discovers it and gets a DVD release out there for people to discover.Straight forward but intricate plot: a young rancher in the backwoods of northern Florida falls in love with a gentle mysterious woman who appears from nowhere. The rancher's best friend, an elderly woodsman attuned to the lore of the forest, warns him that something is very wrong, as his passion for this ethereal and elusive woman draws him into an increasingly mysterious series of events. The eerie finale brings both wonderment and a full gasping sense of the dread that's been growing, in this dark landscape, both natural and supernatural, that no other filmmaker has ever explored.Director Carter Lord is sparing with dialogue, telling much of his story with visuals, and a truly hypnotic sense of atmosphere. Rarely has a local indy filmmaker made better use of his surroundings, in building unease -- a perfect awareness of how his local countryside might appear to a stranger in those parts, lost and frightened and uncertain, and that's exactly the mood "The Enchanted" captures and sustains. When there's a sudden cut, to a hooting owl in the darkness, then a far off window lit up, it doesn't feel arty -- it feels like, "This is a scary place, and what am I doing outside?" This movie is the closest I've ever seen to what could be called "latterday Val Lewton", something completely in the spirit, and artistic precision, of that long ago series of quiet horror movies for thinking people, like "Cat People", "I Walked With a Zombie" and "The Body Snatcher". Those films, from producer Lewton, weren't appreciated at the time of their early 1940s releases, but have since become landmark horror classics.Please, some distributor, hunt down and discover "The Enchanted", and get it out there. If I'm half as film literate as I imagine myself to be, I couldn't recommend a neglected gem more highly than this one.