Sunday, February 21, 2010
Michael Allen
Writers: Harrison Matthews and Jon Springer.
The Hagstone Demon comes across as often amateurish in grainy black and white, while central character Douglas (Mark Borchardt) drones on of generalities. The picture comes through in beautiful hues only when Douglas sits to write. While the first person narrative does break up the mundaneness of superintendent life, the film's pacing does not kick into any sort of high gear until the sixty minute mark.
In a few short words, The Hagstone Demon involves the satanic underworld where a succubus can bring back the dead for the cruel torture of a building's maintenance man. This often annoyed, sometimes awkwardly funny character does his best to ignore the tenants he must care for, as bodies pile up and dirty his recently cleaned floors. The film then adds in a tragic love story of suicide, satanic rites, and strange orgies that create a rising soufflé of dramatic irony. Except this usually fluffy dish is slightly burnt around the edges.
Borchardt's average joe look and attitude has its appeal, but the acting of another demonic possessed tenant has a stiffness that comes across as robotic. Demons are supposed to be animated and horrifying, right? The only thing horrifying in the first sixty minutes of The Hagstone Demon is the hairless cat and his gourmet of fish scales and eye-balls. Also, one priest does his best Father Merrin impression from the Exorcism, yet these characterizations will not win any Academy Awards.
The film gets an intravenous injection of some much needed glucose in the last thirty minutes, but by this time the patient is already terminal. The last ditch attempt to add in a Ghoulies (look it up) reject comes off as less than thrilling with Douglas facing the wrong end of a gun for the umpteenth time. The quick reveals and action oriented directing creates an atmospheric climax. However, most viewers will feel like this was just a quickie rather than a raw, passionate exploration of the most vital.
Currently The Hagstone Demon is at the Nevermore Film Festival in North Carolina with the final showing this evening and fans of the very low budget might get a kick out of demons in prosthetics; others might not see the silliness of the feature. One last word, this review's intention is not to steer you away from Hagstone showings only to inform you of the slow pacing and the amateurish production values that haunt the show. Your time might be better spent petitioning for a Ghoulies V.
Details on The Hagstone Demon at the website:
The Hagstone Demon Homepage
Sources:
The Hagstone Demon Review at Pretty Scary
The Hagstone Demon Review at Boston.com
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Posted in: 2010,acting,bram stoker film festival,ghost story,homepage,horror,independent,low budget,movie review,movie trailer,plot,thriller,writing
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