One of the great joys of tracking down older films is seeing where it all began. Legendary special effects men Dennis Muren, Jim Danforth, and Dave Allen made this film which has inspired the likes of George Lucas and almost directly a little known horror film called Evil Dead. A classic midnight monster film from 1970, EQUINOX is a horror film made by those men who truly love making special effects films and the genre.
Four friends head out to a cabin in the woods for a weekend. There they discover the cabin in ruins and the owner missing. They see what looks to be a medieval castle on the horizon and curiosity gets the better of them. Giants, trolls, and tentacled terrors attempt to kill them, successfully in some instances. They discover a tome deep inside a cave, a book capable of conjuring demons and opening a gateway to Hell.
A weekend in the woods becomes a harrowing tale of survival, one leading into Hell itself. The demon Asmodeus and his minions try to retrieve the book, killing anyone who stands in their way. Asmodeus reveals his true form, that of a red skinned skeletal winged demon. The last survivor of the four friends faces down the demon, seemingly defeating the monster but not before being told a prophecy: In one year he will meet his death. Dave, the only one of the four friends to live, loses his mind and ends up incarcerated in an asylum. One year later he is visited by one of his dead friends... but its not her. It's something else.
Equinox is a special effects extravaganza the likes of Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and King Kong. By today's standards the film is a little dated. I will admit that you have to be a fan of the genre to enjoy this movie or a cinematic historian. But maybe not. The acting is a little hard to stomach (then again horror film acting isn't?) but once the plot gets going and you see the Evil Dead parallels you can't help but be drawn in. The special effects too show a lot of potential and give you a glimpse of what these men would eventually contribute to cinema history... Jurassic Park anyone? How about Star Wars?
This film is responsible for some of the greatest genre films ever made. Fans of Evil Dead and monster movies owe it to themselves to see where many of their favorite films and characters came from. The film was released on DVD by The Criterion Collection in a fantastic two disc set loaded with special features, audio commentary, and much more plus two cuts of the film! Check it out.
Overall Ranking: 5 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
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