Evilspeak [Blu-ray]

Stanley Coopersmith is a revolting, fat little nerd who gets picked on endlessly by everyone at the military boarding academy he is enrolled at.Everyone is at it (bullying that is) from his classmates, to teachers, to the padre; even down to the pigs he has to swill out and the insane, drunken Father Jack-a-like who lives in the chapel catacombs.That is until one fateful day.. when having been forced to clear out the catacombs of the chapel, Stanley investigates an old sheet and behind it he finds the secret spell chamber of the mouldering devil priest Esteban!!And soon Stanley begins to translate the secret grimoires of Esteban, with the help of his trusty Apple II, wherein he slowly becomes more and more satanically corrupt.Until he eventually goes hog wild on his enemies by turning into a sword wielding flying gargoyle, who unleashes a maelstrom of porcine chaos, straight from sties of hell...!Although mostly utter nonsense, I must confess to having a bit of a soft spot for Evilspeak..Yes, the scenario about a nerd being bullied to the point of violent revenge was an all too familiar one in these early 80s slashers but this is helped to shine over many of it's crowding contemporaries by having loads of faux Apple II computer effects, an over zealous Omen-inspired soundtrack and an ending that is packed full of gloriously gruesome set pieces.Pigs going mental. Heads getting splattered. A woman eaten alive!.............. All screaming for mercy as Coopersmith becomes possessed and flies about the place like Linda Blair after drinking a yard of Red Bull!R.G. Armstrong is totally wasted in the cast and every character is an absolutely despicable toad, except for maybe Luca Brasi, who likes to show teenage boys his puppies!!Of course nowadays one might be inclined to feel awkward about the storyline containing so much bullying and at least a little sorry for Mad Stan, but have no fear, because if you are concerned about the films inherent mean-streak don't worry, as this is set back in the olden days (1979 to be precise) when bullying wasn't so much frowned upon as it is now, but rather encouraged..!Evilspeak has just been re-released by 88 Films on Blu Ray and it looks pretty darn good. Better than I remember it anyway... Back in 1984 it fell foul of the Video Nasties List, which meant idiots like me instantly rushed to see the banned version the second I could get my hands on it.. But this new print is much better than the old Videospace VHS!Extras wise there are a few interviews with the main actors, a making of, a commentary and an extended version which looks sub standard when compared to the BR. ***UPDATE*** I have since watched the extras and thought they were really good. The interviews on the making of particularly interesting.3.75/5

Eric Weston's quirky horror is thoroughly enjoyable on blu-ray, and marks the first time I've ever seen the movie. As Clint Howard's gawky loser is bullied by the more popular students at military academy, his resentment and anger grows until he turns to a mysterious book he finds buried beneath the chapel, and decrypts it with the help of the school computers to find it's a key to ancient and evil power... The film has a fun, quirky feel - a little like a horror crossed with an 80's college movie. It's a little too in-thrall to computer technology, like a lot of films of the era, but the graphics look pretty good considering. Howard himself shoulders most of the film, and he's someone you can certainly feel sorry for as he suffers endless indignities along the way. Unfortunately he feels a bit too odd and unhinged to root for (probably intentional, given the way the plot turns), and his best friend is essentially discarded by the plot and forgotten approximately 20 minutes from the end, despite being the most likeable character. This leaves us with no real main character or hero: not necessarily a problem in itself, but it makes the film feel a bit rootless. Other characters are sometimes underdeveloped despite getting ample screen time: - a secretary appears to decide to be selfish and obstructive for very little reason, a chaplain appears knowing and worldly but then proves otherwise with his actions, and the bullies get ample chance to harm the hero but never 'go to town' on him, instead damaging his environment or things he cares about. One pivotal scene involves some nasty (faked) animal cruelty which may distress animal lovers and which I found very hard to watch - however it has a very good reason for being included in the plot. I can't avoid saying that this resembles nothing more strongly than a male version of 'Carrie' - oddball kid gets horrendously bullied by peers and adults before finally using supernatural powers to wreak a (very) delayed revenge. Those expecting a film full of horror will be fidgeting and irritated:- nothing much happens until the last 20 minutes. The rest is almost pure plot and character building. When it does happen, the violence is quite extreme and powerful. We get man-eating pigs/boars, decapitations, burnings and lots of blood in a lengthy end sequence that piles on the gore and vengeance. The effects are largely quite good except for a few rubber heads, and some very obvious wires used to suspend a character that can be glimpsed in one or two shots. It's a fun film, and I'm very glad I've seen it - just let yourself be absorbed in the plot and you'll get the best from it.

This film made it onto the DPP's notorious list of banned films in the early 1980s. It was re-released some years later on video but in a heavily-cut version. Now horror fans can watch this film uncut thanks to Anchor Bay.The film itself contains many of the `80s horror movie clichés - the nerdy kid who is always getting picked on, the naked girl in the shower, lots of daft plot elements that make no sense (how does he get all that computer equipment down to the basement single-handedly?) and masses of gruesome and over-the-top violence and gore.The plot is fairly simple - an orphaned nerdy kid (played by `Gentle Ben' star Clint Howard - the brother of Ron Howard) plots revenge on his tormentors at a military school by using a computer to summon up the ancient spirit of a Satanist (I always knew computers could be dangerous). When the computer screen displays the message "Data incomplete... human blood required" you just know that there is lots of bloody carnage in store.This film in its uncut form certainly does not disappoint on the gore front, particularly during the spectacular blood-drenched climax when Clint goes on the rampage with a huge broadsword. There is also a memorable scene where the aforementioned girl in the shower is attacked and eaten by a herd of ravenous wild boar! With this double-disc package you get two versions of this film but most horror fans will just really be interested in the uncut version. If you have not seen it, this is definitely worth checking out.