90's American Horror Part Thirty-Eight

SOULTAKER

(1990)

Dir - Michael Rissi

Overall: WOOF

 

The full-length debut Soultaker from director Michael Rissi was one of several American films released in 1990 to focus on characters interacting within some version of a parallel afterlife.  Regrettably, it is easily the lamest of the lot which should be obvious enough upon seeing only a top-billed Joe Estevez on the poster art.  Written by Vivian Schilling who also took on the lead role, it was inspired by a real life car accident that she was involved in, but the resulting film is pure accidental schlock that is undone by D-level production values, lousy performances, and embarrassing dialog.  Filmed over the course of five weeks for a quarter of a million dollars, the ambitious concept of young adults trying to outrun angels of death had to be reworked due to budgetary restraints and possibly the inexperience of Rissi behind the lens, as well as Schilling's screenwriter abilities.  Both Estevez, (as he is wont to do), and Robert Z'Dar look and act about as menacing as your parent's new age band and it plays out as a melodramatic, dopey series of set pieces that are too cheesy to take seriously.  Amazingly, a sequel was in the works or at least planned to be in the works with James Earl Jones and Faye Dunaway allegedly attached, which could have either brought some actual respectability to the proceedings or just been a wart in each of their filmographies.  We can only speculate.

 

DOLLY DEAREST

(1991)

Dir - Maria Lease

Overall: MEH

 

The ole, "supernaturally possessed doll that a child grows an unhealthy attachment to" gag is once again front and center, this time in the unabashedly schlocky Dolly Dearest.  Directed by script supervisor/occasional actor Maria Lease, this was her first offering from behind the lens that was not a porno and she helps give it the appropriate low-budget, straight-to-video tone for such a dopey genre offering, (even if this one technically had a limited theatrical release).  The star power consists of Denise Crosby, child actor Chris Demetral, and a presumably intoxicated Rip Torn with a Mexican accent who all find themselves dealing with a malevolent entity that is probably Satan, which they inadvertently let loose after unearthing an ancient Mayan tomb.  Though hardly the world's most unique premise, it serves enough of a purpose to differentiate this from every other Child's Play clone from the era.  The first two acts are a slog, Demetral's young character is an idiot, and the hackneyed plot points are bound to cause endless eyeball rolls.  When the resurrected evil starts making wisecracks and silly, animatronic puppet faces in doll form though, the movie finally picks up some campy steam, but it is hardly enough to ever want to revisit it again.

 

SERIAL MOM

(1994)

Dir - John Waters

Overall: GOOD

 

Released the same year that Oliver Stone did his over-the-top satire on societal infatuation with mass murderer celebrity in Natural Born Killers, John Waters offered up his own delightfully ridiculous commentary with Serial Mom.  Skewing cookie-cutter, domesticated Americana as something harboring various levels of hypocrisy, as well as violent acts that Church-going suburbia is all to quick to hold freaks and weirdos accountable for, (freaks and weirdos being Waters' chosen people to champion throughout his career), the movie is right on the nose with its lampooning of self-righteous values.  As the titular character, Kathleen Turner is ideally cast, playing her serial mom's dark, comedically exaggerated mental illness straight enough to be believable and allowing for the rest of Waters' purposely sugary presentation to slam home the absurdity of it all.  The gore and dialog is consistently hilarious, playing vulgarity for shock value that works not just to make the stereotypically sheepish characters gasp, but to also make the audience howl along with the jaunty, family-friendly music and everyone behaving as if they are in a Lifetime movie designed for the very soccer moms that are being sent up.  Of course being a John Waters film, there are several kitschy, pop culture references scattered about, as well as some of the director's familiar regulars that are fully in on the joke.