Necromancy (1972)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Cheapjack shocker has Los Angeles couple pulling up stakes after the wife suffers a miscarriage; her husband has been offered a lucrative job in the rural town of Lilith, but her freaky premonitions foretell an unhappy experience, especially with fat cat Orson Welles overseeing the community and its devil-worshipping residents (all under 30). Pamela Franklin has the central role, and she's an interesting presence even if she's been directed to stare at the other actors (and into the camera) as if under a spell. Writer-producer-director Bert I. Gordon should have taken his cue from William Castle after Castle bought the rights to "Rosemary's Baby" but allowed outsiders to take the reins. Gordon's plot, despite its familiar occult trappings, does have some interest, but the presentation is inept. *1/2 from ****

Necromancy (1972)** (out of 4) Satan-worshiping cult leader Mr. Cato (Orson Welles) lures Lori Brandon (Pamela Franklin) and her husband to his small town so that he can use her special powers to bring his dead son back to life. It still blows my mind that Bert I. Gordon, the man behind countless giant insect movies, directed the one and only Orson Welles. This film is actually out there in a couple different versions and the one I watched was the 1981 re-edit under the title THE WITCHING. This version here includes a lot of extra nudity that was shot for the VHS release and it also features a new electronic score, which is downright awful. This film is pretty much just a rip-off of ROSEMARY'S BABY so with that in mind, I actually didn't think it was too bad. It's certainly much better than countless other witchcraft films that were released after the Roman Polanski film but there's still no question that it's somewhat of a wasted opportunity considering the cast. It's still hard to believe that Welles would appear in something like this but I'm sure whatever he made from the film went into THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND. His performance here certainly isn't anything special and while he doesn't exactly phone the performance in, it's still not something that would rank among his best work or even middle-tier work. Franklin, on the other hand, actually turns in a very good performance and makes you believe everything that her character is going through. I thought the actress did a very good job with the various emotions of the role and she even goes topless during a couple scenes, which add to the exploitation value. Again, it's impossible to fully judge the original version but considering 85% (or more) of this is original footage, it's easy to see that Gordon didn't manage to get much out of the story. At times it simply doesn't make too much sense and there's also the problem of it just not being that scary. Perhaps the original version works better without the new awful score so hopefully one day it will get released.

For starters and for the record, the term "Necromancy" describes the black magic art of bringing the dead back to life and it does NOT, in any way, relate to having sex with cadavers. That is called necrophilia and, yes, I know it's an obvious difference but I'm already getting a lot of remarks from acquaintances and relatives that I sport a perverted taste in movies! This movie is quite the opposite of perverted or sleazy, in fact, and merely just qualifies as boring, inept and terribly bad. "Necromancy" makes at least one top five ranking, namely in the list of most incoherent movies ever made! Now, director Bert I. Gordon is not exactly famous for delivering masterpieces (on his repertoire there are titles like "Earth vs. the Spider", "King Dinosaur" and "Food of the Gods") but he really surpassed himself here with a totally senseless, redundant and utterly nonsensical tale about witchcraft and secretive little towns. Shortly after the tragic experience of seeing their baby being born dead, Lori and her husband Frank move to the quiet little town of Lillith, where Frank suddenly got offered a prominent job in a toy factory. Lori is suspicious and senses an atmosphere of morbidity, especially with the town's patriarch and "owner" Mr. Cato behaving very obtrusive and mysterious. That's another thing. How can anybody "own" a town and everybody in it? Either way, Lori gradually discovers that everybody in Lillith is a witch and Mr. Cato exclusively lured her to the town because of her supernatural ability to resurrect the dead. Since many years already, Cato has been trying to bring his deceased son back to life and he's prepared to make any human sacrifice it takes. I honestly don't see the point of the whole movie. It's a blatant rip-off of "Rosemary's Baby" – one of the alternate titles even is "Rosemary's Disciples" – but the script is muddled and imbecilic beyond belief. Why isn't anyone allowed to have children for as long as Cato's son remains dead? That's just really selfish! When, where and how did Lori suddenly learn to resurrect the dead? "Necromancy" definitely contains a few genuinely uncanny and atmospheric moments, but these are unwarily accomplished either by complete coincidence or through a total lack of budget. The grainy photography provides the film with an eerie ambiance and the set pieces look cheap enough to be creepy. Orson Welles' performance – undoubtedly the low point of his career – is pitiable, and still it's the best aspect about the entire movie.

When I want a cheesy horror flick, I want something that is going to not just entertain, but keep me involved in the plot. This movie delivers on both parts. Not only is it visually interesting with vivid color and special (d)efects, the acting is very convincing. If you like scary movies that involve witchery, etc., then you are going to dig the kinks in this film. The special defects are great. As to be expected with any horror flick involving witchery/covens, this flick is loaded with imagery and symbolism: tarot cards,a voodoo doll, goat-headed dudes, black robes, fornication, high priest, traitor/trickster,death, fire,and naked people dancing. This film is very much old-school psychedelia. If you like weird noises and bizarre camera angles, you have got to at least see this film once. Believe me, you will remain interested. A psycho-horror film whose surreal ending will keep you up all night with nightmares is a real treat for lovers of cult film and z-grade, Necromancy is a must-see!