Blu Release – 3/5
Teenage Exorcist
Director – Grant Austin Waldman (The Channeler, Gator King)
Starring – Brinke Stevens (The Slumber Party Massacre, Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity), Eddie Deezen (Dexter’s Laboratory, Critters 2), and John Henry Richardson (Munchie Strikes Back, Vice Academy 4)
Release Date – 1991
Rating – 3.5/5
Tagline – “She’ll turn your head… all the way around”
Several months ago Retromedia Entertainment announced that Makeflix.com would be releasing limited runs of their films. I snagged Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers from Amazon sometime before and was looking forward to extending my Fred Olen Ray collection. Since then I’ve enjoyed releases like Dark Universe, Evil Spawn, Scalps, and The Phantom Empire just to name a few. A few weeks back Makeflix announced that they would be doing a 30 day preo-order for the Retromedia Entertainment release of the 1991 horror comedy Teenage Exorcist on blu. This was a must own release for me so I was quick to snag the release and after watching a couple big budget releases I was ready to finally check this one out.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows the young Diane (Stevens) who moves into a house with a sorted past. The landlord was quick to rent it at an unbelievable price so she jumps at the opportunity. Her sister and her boyfriend decide to pay her a visit and discover that she is not acting herself. She is now smoking, drinking, and overly sexual and they deduct that she is possessed. They try to rid her of the demon and learn that the demon and his undead minions are living in the basement and need them as sacrifices.
**Spoiler Alert**
Several years ago, I believe I was in college at the time, I snagged a copy of the film on DVD but I never got around to watching it. I always thought it looked fun and would often think about watching it at random times when I just couldn’t work it into my schedule. I was able to use this release as an excuse to finally check it out and I’m glad I was able to after all these years. I had fun with it and I’m confused as to why genre fans don’t talk about this one more.
The acting in this one is extremely fun and probably the most playful I have ever seen Brinke Stevens. She brings a lot to the film with her sexuality and playful demeanor. You can really tell she was having fun on set and that transferred well in the scene. Also, John Henry Richardson’s character was a lot of fun. I had never really noticed him in other films but now I’m going to actively be looking for them. The remainder of the cast is just as entertaining with a small performance from character and voice actor Eddie Deezen. I was expecting him in the film more than he was but it was still fun to watch him as the quirky pizza delivery virgin.
The story for this one is a solid mix of horror and comedy with so much thrown into it. We get Demons, possession, zombies, Eddie Deezen portraying every other character he has ever portrayed, and a priest who doesn’t speak Italian all in one of the oddest films I have watched…and I loved it. It does start out a little slow and drags its feet at times but the humor and atmosphere is brilliant enough to hold your attention through these scenes. The movie is a bit predictable but it’s still able to have fun unlike so many other films like this one.
Finally, the film doesn’t have a body count but it does have a cheesy looking demon and some zombies that were surprisingly well done. The make-up effects look great and watching Brinke dance around in a leather dress was worth the price of the film. Overall, Teenage Exorcist may not be the bloodiest or goriest horror movie to ever be released but for a horror comedy it was a lot fun. The blu release is not perfect but it’s better than the DVD release I grabbed many years ago. I highly recommend it.
The Channeler
Director – Grant Austin Waldman (Teenage Exorcist, Gator King)
Starring – Dan Haggerty (Elves, Abducted), John Henry Richardson (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, Beverly Hills Vamp), and Robin Sims (Hunter, The A-Team)
Release Date – 1991
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “His mind is their only way out!”
When I started collecting Retromedia Entertainment releases several months back I was excited for all the sleazy horror releases that I had never seen before. I’ve really enjoyed these films and I check makeflix.com often to make sure I didn’t miss a new release. When Fred Olan Ray announced the blu release of Teenage Exorcist I was extremely excited to check it out. However, once I received the release in the mail I was surprised to see another Grant Austin Waldman film was included in the special features. The film, The Channeler, starring Dan Haggerty was a movie I had never heard of before. I was extremely curious about this one and as soon as I finished TE I was quick to hit play on The Channeler.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a pair of young adventurers who are venturing into the mountains in order to explore an old mines. The locals try to warn them about the legend of the mines but they refuse to listen. However, the closer they get to the mines they discover that the legends are true and all their lives are in danger. **Spoiler Alert**
I found it extremely odd that I had never heard of this one before and that only fueled my desire to watch this one even more. After finally getting to see it I was surprised by how much I liked it. It wasn’t an amazing film by any means but it was a lot of fun.
The acting in this one wasn’t as fun as Teenage Exorcist. The characters are more grounded than TE and the cast really gets into their roles but when it’s all said and done we are given cliched and generic characters that blend into the background. The same can even be said about Dan Haggerty who’s is typecast bigger than shit. The story for this one is fun but it does fully submerge itself in horror stereotypes especially those of 80s direct to video titles that take place in the woods. It’s not a bad film but it’s pretty predictable and the cliches do create an unintentionally funny moment but I actually liked it. It’s not a film I could revisit often but if it was on or I couldn’t make my mind up about what to watch next I could spin it.
Finally, the film has some blood and some make-up effects but don’t expect some gnarly kills and gore. The deaths are not the pay off in this film like with other horror films that it borrows from. Overall, The Channeler was surprisingly fun but not the most memorable film. I enjoyed it especially as a secret bonus film in the special features but I won’t be visiting it again any time soon. I recommend it especially for a late night watch.
Special Features
The Channeler – Feature Length Film
