Leofwine_draca One of the few actually scary horror films made in the 1980s, SUPERSTITION pushes all the right buttons. While the uninspired plot just strings along a series of violent murders, the film manages to convey an atmosphere of terror - and of the unknown. The supernatural entity which commits all the murders is kept masked, enshrouded in darkness for the entire film, making it seem eerie and faceless, and of course all the more frightening.It's rare when an effective film like this comes along, so its not to be taken lightly. As well as the genuine thrills there are also plenty of violent, gory death scenes to liven things up, and despite the low budget these can rival (and better) any modern-day production. From the powerhouse opening where a severed head explodes in a microwave (it has to be seen to be believed) and a boy is literally cut in two by a window, you know that this is going to be an entertaining film. And it sure is.As well as the aforementioned gruesome activities we also get a show-stopping moment where a circular saw breaks, flies across the room to drill through a priest's chest. Another poor victim has a stake hammered through her chest, while a scaly hand takes care of the rest of the cast. The bleakness and pessimism of this film is summoned up by the shock ending in which the final survivor is also killed. The inappropriate musical score is probably the worst thing in this film, but luckily it doesn't intrude and detract from any of the key scenes. Influences from THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and THE OMEN are clear, but kept fresh.None of the actors here are famous, proving that you don't always need a star name to have a good film. For a change I liked a lot of characters in this film, and nobody was too wooden. The most engaging of the lot is the gruff detective who looks like a cross between J.T. Walsh and Ned Beatty. The hero is quite bland but likable, and also the father of the family living in the house, who himself is a reverend, is believable: he drinks, and when he hears his wife screaming hesitates in fear before trying to rescue her. The realistic reactions of a man in this situation.Still, there's no need to worry about the quality of acting when you have people hanging in lift shafts, severed arms grabbing the legs of a young swimmer, and a man impaled by broken glass. On top of this there's a suspenseful finale where the sole survivor is menaced by the silhouette of a monstrous witch. These factors help to make SUPERSTITION an effective, gory, frightening and above all enjoyable shocker.

a_baron Just as a big budget does not guarantee a film will be worthwhile, neither does a small budget mean it will be rubbish. This has a small budget, and it is rubbish. We've seen this sort of thing before the 1980s and not infrequently since. Here we have a fairly enigmatic if not mysterious piece of real estate including a pond, and a series of accidents and/or murders that have a clear supernatural connection. The big question is, do we have a plot? Well, sort of. We have a priest who dresses in a rather unpriestly fashion, and a cynical detective who is in no mood to arrest a ghost, but that is about it. And yes, and the old woman who warns of a long dead witch.The script isn't that bad, and there is a fair amount of gore, but once you've said that, you've said it all. Will our valiant priest triumph over the powers of darkness? More to the point, who cares?

RecceR A family moves into a condemned New England house where a witch was executed by drowning in the pond on the property. I had never heard of this movie until a few days ago, but it seemed very interesting. Unfortunately, this movie was a big letdown considering the positive things I've read about it. Superstition is basically 90 minutes of bad acting and bad storytelling with some very gory (and surprisingly well crafted) death sequences. There were a few interesting parts of the movie, but they are overshadowed by this poorly executed film. I heard the score was changed, so the one in the version I watched may not have been the original. However, the score was an exact rip-off of The Shining (1980). I feel like I probably gave a rating slightly higher than it deserves, but I can't help but think about how much potential this movie had. I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but if you stumble onto it for free and are bored, go for it.

FilmFatale A witch is executed in 1692 by being drowned in a pond. Before she dies, she curses the town, including the pond and her family home. Over the years, many mysterious deaths happen on the property which has fallen into the care of the local church. A new minister and his family move into the house and all hell breaks loose. Can the witch be silenced, or does the town remain doomed? Superstition starts out with one of the most fun jump scare/pranks of the 80s and then gets right to the killings: exploding heads, murderous windows, rogue sawblades - it's a ton of fun. This movie will kill just about anyone, rolling over taboos left and right. Things slow down when hottie Reverend David starts to investigate what happened on the property, but once he comes back to rescue the Leahys, the movie finally gets back on track.Superstition is one of my favorites - it's a slasher film disguised as a witch movie and it just throws everything at you in the hopes that something will stick. It usually does. There's probably no way we could get a movie like this today, but at least we have the original.