Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable
Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.
MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting
BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Scott LeBrun Future TV names Laurie Walters ('Eight is Enough') and Joe Spano ('Hill Street Blues') headline this obscure but reasonably amusing micro budget horror flick. Laurie plays Jenny, a college student aggressively courted by the theatrical John (Spano). After a picnic lunch in the boondocks, they end up at an isolated, run down former spa that has been closed down for four decades. They also meet a resident: affable old lady Mrs. Abercrombi (Edna MacAfee). Laurie must soon dodge attempts on her life and comes face to face with some sort of oddball ritual that must take place within a certain time frame.Written, edited, produced & directed by Bill Herbert (his only credit as a filmmaker), this is no great shakes but it entertains in decent enough fashion. It is notable for a goofy sense of humor at times: Johns' idea of impressing Jenny is wearing Groucho glasses and doing a bad Inspector Clouseau imitation. He also launches into a re- enactment of a classic horror trope in a later part of the picture, just for *beep*s and giggles. Although it has no warlocks, and the moon doesn't play into the plot (the original title, "Bloody Spa", would have been more accurate), it's got enough weirdness & atmosphere, and fun moments of grisliness to make it mildly enjoyable. Although the cast largely consists of no-names, the acting is sincere, with Walters and Spano making for an engaging primary couple. Ms. MacAfee is a gas as the supposedly harmless old biddy who does have a secret to hide. Steve Solinsky and Richard Vielle are adequate as two axe wielding goons who scowl, stalk around, and commit bloody mayhem.Before the movie / night is over, we'll also have been treated to some face painting, quail hunting, exposition, haunting, and, funnily enough, a lecture early in the picture on human "deviancy".The closing credits actually begin before the story is really over, which was supposedly an attempt by Herbert & company to get people to actually READ the damn things.Six out of 10.
jimtinder "Warlock Moon" offered B-movie suspense, coupled with a small budget. The film was made in my hometown of Livermore, CA in 1972, but was held from release until 1975 because of reasons already commented upon by another poster.The premiere was held at the Vine Cinema in Livermore. As I recall, the theater was packed with teens, mostly from the two high schools in town (Livermore and Granada). It was on a double bill with "The Other." Girls screamed in horror throughout the film, although in hindsight the film had little horror. One teen got tired of the screaming, and told the audience to shut up, which brought some laughs.It was interesting to see scenes of Livermore on the screen...the public library, the abandoned TB center, the old Vineyard shopping center. If you grew up in Livermore in the 70s, you might remember this little film.
Gafke A young college girl in hideous red bell bottoms (Laurie Walters, who bears an odd resemblance to Gillian Anderson), agrees to accompany the creepy geekwho's been hitting on her to a picnic in the countryside. The two come upon the site of an abandoned spa with a tragic history - it seems that a young girl was murdered there years ago on her wedding day and served as the main courseto the unsuspecting guests. Ew. But wait! The spa isn't as abandoned as it seems! A creepy old woman with a penchant for tea parties lives there still, and she's very eager to have the young couple join her...forever. Will our young heroine escape before dawn? Who cares?Okay, so there's no warlock, and no moon, but there is a ghost in a bridal gown, a couple of axe-wielding hippies and a lot of drugged beverages. However, none of it is enough to make this very entertaining or interesting. The camera follows Laurie as she slooooooooooooooowly wanders around the spooky oldhouse in her nightgown, the plot seems to have been made up as the film wentalong and even after the end credits stop rolling, the film keeps right on going! It refuses to end! Admittedly, the acting of both Laurie and Joe Spano as her geeky love interest isn't really bad at all, but they weren't given much to work with. There's some great shots of the Northern California Bay Area, including the small town of Livermore, where much of this was filmed. (I used to live there, it really is beautiful.) But, for the most part, this film plods along for a very long time and keeps plodding on until I finally got irritated with the final extended freeze frame and turned off the TV. Once again, the comedy commentary byJoe Bob Briggs makes this snoozefest an enjoyable experience with someinteresting trivia and some much needed sarcasm. Released before "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" it's hard to believe that TobeHooper was ever worried about the competition. 1 star and a big yawn forWarlock Moon.
Greensleeves This appears to be the only film Bill Herbert made which is a great pity as it shows a lot of promise. He wrote, produced and directed this thriller about a naive young student Jenny (Laurie Walters) who allows herself to be picked up by journalist John (Joe Spano). On a picnic date they find themselves at an abandoned health spa where the only occupant is a kind grey haired old lady Agnes (Edna MaCafee). However, nothing is what it seems and soon Laurie is in mortal danger. The two leads are excellent in this hodgepodge of witchcraft, cannibalism and axe wielding maniacs. The photography helps along the spooky atmosphere immensely and the editing is excellent. Unfortunately the bad points outweigh the good ones, the script is muddled, the music score is all over the place and the actress playing the old lady over does it dreadfully. It is much to the credit of Bill Herbert that he manages to create an atmosphere of nightmarish uncertainty despite the obvious constraints of a very low budget.
