Search

» » Necromancer (1988)

Short summary

A schoolgirl is raped by three low-lifes, and is then blackmailed by her attackers to keep her quiet. Desperate for revenge, she makes contact with a necromancer, who promptly "takes care" of the boys using her magic powers.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Ƀ⁞₳⁞Ð Ƀ⁞Ǿ⁞Ɏ
    Sweet college drama student Julie Johnson (a fine and appealing performance by luscious blonde Elizabeth Kaitan) gets raped by a trio of rich scumbags. Unable to report the incident to the police due to the fear that she might lose her scholarship, Julie instead enlists the assistance of a powerful medium (well played with intensity by Lois Masten) to exact a harsh revenge of her assailants.

    Director Dusty Nelson relates the compelling story at a brisk pace, puts a fresh supernatural spin on the standard revenge for a rape premise, and delivers a satisfying smattering of mild gore and funky special f/x. William Naud's trenchant script offers spot-on stinging social commentary on how those with wealth and/or power use their status to get away with engaging in all kinds of gross behavior as well as makes a provocative central statement on the price of revenge. Moreover, the solid acting by the capable cast keeps the movie humming: Russ Tamblyn as flaky lecherous professor Charles DeLonge, Stan Hurwitz as arrogant and sadistic rich jerk Paul, Edward A. Wright as Paul's equally mean buddy Carl, John Tyler as Julie's musician boyfriend Eric, Rhonda Dorton as sympathetic gal pal Freda, Shawn Eisner as tubby wimp Allan, and Waide A. Riddle as nerdy occult expert Ernest. The sharp cinematography by Eric Cayla and Richard Calbaugh gives this picture a nice stylish look. The shivery score by Bob Mamet, Kevin Klinger, and Gary Stockdale does the shuddery trick. A neat fright flick.
  • comment
    • Author: Marige
    This begins with a quote attributed to the Dead Sea Scrolls and ends with a quote from Poe's "The Imp of the Perverse."

    In the opening scene, a woman goes to visit what seems to be a trailer park gypsy (in fact, a necromancer operating out of her garage). The woman is there to complain about something, asking for it to stop. The necromancer causes an axe to float up in the air and chop the woman. Something of the special effects budget and limitations becomes obvious when the axe's chopping is depicted by a closeup on the axe. That way, you can't see the crew member presumably holding the axe (they could handle having it float, but having it cop while floating - too tricky). Additionally, this saved them the trouble of having to show the woman being chopped. They just put some blood on the axe and kept her out of the frame.

    Three college guys steal exams from a professor's office, and also find a letter from a student to a professor indicating she'd had an affair with him. She also happens to be working late that night, and they catch her. One rapes her, while another holds her, and the third watches. They threaten to go public with the letter if she tells.

    The woman doesn't report them to the police both because she is worried about the consequences to her scholarship if her affair with a teacher is discovered, and also she doesn't want her boyfriend to know about the affair either. When a friend sees an ad for a revenge service, they go to the necromancer.

    Revenge comes by way of a (seeming) doppelganger that appears like the woman to the men she wants revenge on (and even others she is angry at). Blood erupts from bathroom, the doppelganger emerges to start making out with the guy, nibbles on his shoulder, the eyes glow green, and then thick red demon hands appear and the guy dies.

    There's also a guy named Ernest, wearing blue jeans torn at the knees, a red t-shirt with a black pentagram on it (only one point pointing up, though), hair dyed black with green highlights, and classic horn-rimmed nerd glasses. He's worried about what the necromancer will do to the woman who hired her, and tries to warn her and do ceremonies of his own to protect her.

    The woman's professor also wants to restart their affair (while he is also working on adding other women to his conquests). He's less than average-looking, overweight, with a perm and mustache, but he still gets the women somehow. A drama teacher at my high school looked about the same and accomplished the same (somehow keeping his job after having been caught having one of those affairs, too).

    When the woman realizes the guys who raped her are being killed, she is alarmed. For the rest, well watch it if you must, but it's not all that great of a movie. I saw it on videotape, and the dialog was hard to hear at times, although I understand the DVD's audio is fine.

    Incredibly, the video box claims the movie is "A special-effects extravaganza in the tradition of 'The Serpent and the Rainbow.'" Yeah, right! There's not all that much by way of special effects, and what there is is pretty bad. When the demon of vengeance shows its face, you'll wish they hadn't bothered.
  • comment
    • Author: PC-rider
    Yep, just another trashy horror film. A young blonde college graduate gets raped, then unwittingly utilises the help of a demon to get her own back on her aggressors and anyone else she happens to be upset with. There now follows 85 minutes of ropey special effects and irritating incidental music, as our hapless victim attempts to find a way to make the slaughter stop. Some unintentional laughs lighten up what is generally a tedious affair, with fake blood & guts galore and far too many shots of blokes in their underpants. Of course it also has the requisite female kit-offery in it as well. Yee-ha! Sadly, despite the best efforts of Miss Elizabeth Cayton's double D's, the film is likely to remain as forgotten as New Coke. Or the Millennium dome. Or the Atari Jaguar. Or.. well, I think you get the picture.. 2/10
  • comment
    • Author: Yramede
    While I am all for cheesy 80s horror movies and taking movies for what they aim to do and not comparing them with classic films, this one just doesn't cut it. I guess some find the main actress to be attractive, I don't. Unfortunately she is the only one who several nude scenes. The problem of course is that when all the victims are male there is not possibility of of having more female characters to put in the nude. The special effects are not very good even for the standards of the time, nor is there any suspense or excitement. The idea is not bad overall, a supernatural revenge thriller. However, the resolution of it all is just too forced and unsatisfying. The performances are atrocious except for Charles DeLonge.
  • comment
    • Author: Todal
    That's it. Literally. It doesn't hold up at all. When it was released, it was pretty cheesy, but rewatching this movie 30+ years later, it just doesn't hold up.

    The acting is not atrocious, as some say, but it's prettt bad. The fx are are so poorly done. Some early horror movies one can understand that, but this is from the mid/late 80's and any film that didn't use decent fx was either extremely low budget or simply chose not to spend the money on them. Not sure if the answer for this flick but the fx are birtually non-existent.

    Just not a good flick. Fake blood and gore (and very little of it at that), bad acting, and just all around poor movie.
  • comment
    • Author: Felhann
    Okay,this film started out OK.....it was pretty spooky, and gave you the feel of actually being there,and being in that gypsies little baracade.... I thought cool,and it was an OK movie... Why you wander??Well...Elizabeth Cayton,gives a surpisingly great performance,and hell yeah blonde suites her fine, anyways back to the subject,as the film progresses,and the revenge begins to take place,the shower and bedroom scene are interesting,but you wouldnt believe what the demon looks like,ill give you a little hint,it looks like Elmo with computer digitized,really fake green eyes,thats when i burst in tears from laughing... Then the film kinda gets back to a serious verve,as she gets help from Ernest,and he well...doesnt quiet make it! Why i liked it??Cause the Elmo look alike didnt turn up,it was the gypsy herself... The death scenes were mostly really sad shadow deaths,one was really disturbing,that elmo thing was practically busting his balls! the film than progresses to where it is Cayton VS Evil Cayton,and its a very sadistic fight,where they just strangle each other,and the hardcore death appears........but which Cayton is it???Remotely interested??Go watch it.. Its a great film to watch late at night alone,and ignore the monster,just keep in the basis of the demon and witchery and you should quiet enjoy it!

    Is it worth the rent? Well...its worth the try,you either like it or not,and to me i liked it,kinda borderline,but i recommend you check it out!

    Is it Something you can watch over and over again?? Well....No,not really,2 times should be enough,then you'd be bored outta your boots!

    Rating out of 10? Well fairly confusing,and pathetic special effects,good acting,and some great nude scenes,and you can get a few chills,i repeat a very few.

    5 out of 10
  • comment
    • Author: Uriel
    I have read the other reviews and I just did not think this movie was as bad as many of the others are saying. No this is not a great cinematic success and yes a lot of this has been seen before. However, for this type of movie it was at least as good as many other B movies made during that same time. I do not understand how one reviewer can say that Elizabeth Kaitan in not good looking.

    The story is basically about a women who gets raped at night in a collage classroom by guys she knows from school. The next day she confides what happened to a friend and instead of going to the police, they see this ad and go to this woman who turns out to be a demon. I actually think this would have been a better movie if they eliminated the demon part and just had the victim seek revenge, but then this would really be another "I spit on your grave"

    Not a great movie but I think it is certainly worth a look.
  • comment
    • Author: Kadar
    Necromancer is set in Los Angeles where three friends Paul DuShane (Stan Hurwitz), Carl Caulder (Edward A. Wright) & Allan (Shawn Eisner) break into Professor Charles DeLong's (Russ Tamblyn) office to steal the answers for an important test, what they don't know is that they are not alone. Fellow student the attractive Julie Johnson (Elizabeth Kaitan) is finishing some work when she spots Allan who isn't meant to be there, it's not long before Paul shows up & decides he wants a bit of fun with Julie. Paul has Carl hold her down while he pulls out a butterfly knife, threatens to cut her, cuts her underwear off & rapes her as Carl & Allan look on. The next day & Julie is distraught, she confides in her best friend Freda Lurch (Rhonda Dorton) who says she must tell the police but Julie refuses. Later that day Freda spots an advert in a local newspaper advertising 'Revenge', after making some enquiries herself & Julie find themselves at an innocent looking house owned by a sinister woman (Lois Masten) who casts a magical spell to summon a demon to extract vengeance against those who have wronged Julie, but at what cost...

    Directed by Dusty Nelson Necromancer is just about worth a watch but not much else. The script by William T. Naud doesn't quite know what it wants to be, is it a supernatural horror? Is it a rape/revenge film? Is it exploitation? Is it a drama dealing with the after effects of a rape? The film becomes lost in it's various sub-plots about character's relationships with each other, the strange guy Ernest (Waide Aaron Widdle) who pops up every so often, the blackmail aspect & the breakdown of Julie's relationship with her boyfriend Eric (John Tyler). All these bitty underdeveloped little story lines don't quite come together & have minimal impact. The film moves along at a fair pace but it can drag a bit in places. If it's one thing I don't really enjoy watching it's sexual violence towards women, it's merely a personal view & I am no prude but watching a woman scream as she is raped at knife point doesn't do anything for me at all. Most of the male character's are nasty, blackmailing, jealousy ridden idiots who think women like being raped.

    Director Nelson tries to convey the impact rape has on someone but in a silly film with such a weak script, bad acting & poor character's there's no credibility to any of it. The sporadic supernatural elements are naff, the red monster looks very rubbery & it's eyes are glowing green blobs. The film is poorly made, has no tension, excitement or atmosphere & is also very bland, flat & forgettable. Forget about any decent violence or gore, every single death except one is off screen. The one that isn't has someone get a knife in their throat & then in their forehead, apart from that Necromancer is as dry as a bone.

    Necromancer must have had a really low budget & it shows, the whole production looks cheap throughout. The acting was poor & since Necromancer deals with the sensitive issue of rape it makes it stand out even more.

    Necromancer really isn't a very good film, it's just about watchable & I think most would make it to the end but overall this is pretty poor stuff all-round. Not particularly recommended.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Elizabeth Kaitan Elizabeth Kaitan - Julie Johnson (as Elizabeth Cayton)
    John Tyler John Tyler - Eric Freiden
    Rhonda Dorton Rhonda Dorton - Freda Lurch
    Stan Hurwitz Stan Hurwitz - Paul DuShane
    Edward A. Wright Edward A. Wright - Carl Caulder
    Shawn Eisner Shawn Eisner - Allan
    Russ Tamblyn Russ Tamblyn - Charles DeLonge
    Lois Masten Ewing Lois Masten Ewing - Necromancer (as Lois Masten)
    David Flynn David Flynn - David
    Lisa Randolph Lisa Randolph - Mary
    Lisa Beth Wilson Lisa Beth Wilson - Linda
    Scott Harrison Scott Harrison - Romeo
    Keith Burns Keith Burns - Gus
    Carla Baron Carla Baron - Gail
    Jimmy Williams Jimmy Williams - Lecherous Guard
    All rights reserved © 2017-2024 hd.thomson-multimedia.com