A DAY OF JUDGMENT (1981)
Directed by Christopher Reynolds
Thorn/EMI VHS
THE FILM
A little pancake make-up can('t) go a long way.
On first glimpse, the most compelling aspects of A Day Of Judgement are its cosmetic choices (White Face -- everywhere!), swiftly followed by its score, which appears to have been cobbled together by a Viking with an ARP Synthesizer, Harry Nilsson, and someone who loves it when a banjo string is plucked once or twice. On last glimpse, those attributes are still formidable.
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Truth be told, the only joys I could glean from this bloated Christian scare film were the White Faces and weirdo soundtrack. That's kind of a shame. Because Judgment, for all of its exhaustive meandering, is a delicate abstraction from the height of Slasher-Mania. It's an ambitious film, but quietly so. Perhaps, with some critical editing, or more distinct direction, the actualization could have met the aspiration halfway. Instead, a winning concept (The Grim Reaper visits a small 1920s town to give sinners the what-for) gets snuffed out by a 100 minute runtime, overwrought thespians arguing and pointing guns, and a camera that may have been cemented to the ground. Jesus does not save.
Forgoing a discernible plot, Judgment shares a series of vignettes chronicling the dirty deeds of cantankerous townsfolk. There's the old lady who poisons a goat. A son jilting his parents out of their estate. A fat, sweaty banker that causes foreclosure-suicide. Adulterers. Scorned husbands. You get the idea. Once in awhile, The Grim Reaper shows up in a swirl of mist, colored lights, and silhouetted gloom. He's got a black hat and a scythe. And possibly, a gelatin-face. These appearances would be great, if not for the fact that they last for approximately .5 seconds each. The whole thing wraps up with a gory beheading and a march to hell (plastic skeletons, background paintings from Filmation's vaults), followed by a pre-credit prayer roll. There is also a Fat Sheriff. His appearance here, in the 1920s, may cause academics to reassess their theories on the bigger-than-life origins of this influential American folk-effigy. But that is another study for another time.
Less seething than Ron Ormond's early 1970s Christ-Gore epics and predating The Carrier's pursuit for thrift store morality, A Day Of Judgment is the Christian scare film that cares. Possibly, a bit too much. Less reliance on "characterization" and more faith in structural weirdness would have gone a long way. Just like all of that pancake make-up.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Have you ever heard The Shangri-Las' "Dressed In Black"? It's pretty great, one of their final Shadow Morton-produced, soap-operatic triumphs. I bring it up here because the utter blackness of this tape engaged that song's chorus in my head. Plus, it's a lot more exciting to talk about than the audio and video quality of this film. Go listen to it. You'll see what I mean.
EXTRAS
A guy threw the best "I'm trying not to hit you" punch that I've ever seen. Way more alarming than anything in The Devil Master or Desperation Rising. Then, I fell back asleep.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Read 'em and reap. The ambitious A Day Of Judgment will be a revelation for people who are into prolonged Dickensian slashers with little-to-no pay-off. For the rest of us, it's mostly an uphill battle, save for Mr. Reaper's ten seconds of facetime. And the Fat Sheriff. Choose wisely.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 11.18.10 |
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