SunnyHello Nice effects though.

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Scott LeBrun This movie begins with a violent bank robbery after which the participants meet their own nasty demises. Then, the cabin in which the participants had holed up is later rented by some lovely young ladies, who don't seem to mind too much that they're staying in what is still basically a crime scene. Two couples rent the cabin next door. It's only a matter of time after that, that everybody becomes fair game for a sadistic knife-wielding cretin.The opening with the robbers makes you think that you might actually be in for some surprises, but that proves not to be the case. "Satan's Blade" is pretty routine in terms of slasher cinema. Still, it ticks enough boxes to rate as acceptable entertainment for devotees of the genre. Sexy women (who sometimes show some skin), tacky (but not that prevalent) gore, a respectable if not great body count, and a mystery aspect to the killers' identity (which, when revealed, doesn't exactly come as a shock). Oh yeah...and there's a "legend" around these here parts, related by the lodge owners' mother, that doesn't sound particularly interesting. The music score, composed by Martin Jaquish (who also edited, and plays the bank manager), is piano and keyboard-driven stuff that is actually pretty good...for the most part. One minor novelty is the wintry, woodsy setting.In terms of our cast, we have cheesy actors giving cheesy performances, but in their defence, the cast is likeable enough. Thomas Cue, who also wrote the script, plays chow hound husband Al. Top-billed Tom Bongiorno plays his heroic buddy Tony. Director / executive producer L. Scott Castillo Jr. has a cameo right at the end of the picture. But it's that persistent boom mic that keeps fighting the human cast for screen time.Overall, "Satan's Blade" is good for some fun. It may be on the low budget, more obscure side of slasher cinema, but fans will note that it's certainly not among the worst of them; it flows well enough (once it really gets going) and has its amusements throughout.Six out of 10.

Mr_Ectoplasma "Satan's Blade" follows two separate groups of people lodging at a mountain resort in the aftermath of a bizarre murder. Local legend has it that a "mountain man" native to the area still lurks (in spirit), possessing individuals to undertake his murderous impulses via a mysterious dagger.Even by most slasher fan standards, "Satan's Blade" is a disaster, not just because it's generally shoddily-made, but because it's predictable. Bad filler dialogue played over during shots of cars meandering up the road? Check. A stilted monologue about a vaguely-sketched supernatural villain told from the front desk lady (which she happens to unload just as two large groups happen to arrive)? Check. Disparate characters (largely female) who spend inordinate amounts of time in various states of undress? Check.You get the picture. All this said, I'll admit it: I liked this film. Its cardinal sin is that it's tedious for a good deal of its middle part, but the beginning and ending are surprisingly engaging. The lull in the middle is largely laborious to watch because not only does very little happen, but what does is serviced with underdeveloped dialogue, weak acting, and little intrigue. The shoestring budget (and lack of experience) shows.The film is actually well-photographed and captures the wintry mountain setting nicely, and once things do pick up, there are some surprisingly brutal murder sequences where the effect belies the technical limitations. The film evokes a distinctive late-seventies atmosphere (it was apparently shot in 1980, but not released until 1984), featuring cabin decor that would horrify even your grandmother, but it does add to the film's charm and time-capsule appeal. Atmospherically, I'd liken it to something of a mashup between "Madman," "Ghostkeeper," and "Unhinged." As I noted before, the acting is not good, although the leading heroine does prove herself to be serviceable in the finale.Overall, "Satan's Blade" is a textbook example of an amateur horror film, but it does have flashes of charm and is no less spunky and atmospheric. Its biggest problem is that it doesn't really know what to do with itself, which is indicative of poorly-planned and/or poorly-executed writing. It feels thrown together in a lot of ways, but this is part of what makes it endearing. It's a technically bad film with enough atmosphere and well-executed set pieces to keep a select few genre extremists on board—and I suppose I'm one of them. 6/10.

Cujo108 A pair of female bank robbers make off with $50,000 after they kill two bank tellers in cold blood. They lay low at a snowy mountain cabin while waiting to rendezvous with their partner, George. As they wait, one of the robbers gets greedy and shoots the other. She plans to do the same to George when he arrives, but she doesn't get the chance, as she's stabbed in the back by an unseen assailant while dragging her ex-partner's body. The next day, two married couples and a group of college girls show up to a mountain ski resort. As it turns out, the cabin where the criminals hid out is part of the resort. Despite being told of the murders and a local legend about a murderous mountain man who comes from the bottom of a nearby lake, the college girls decide to take the cabin, which is right next door to where the married couples are staying. As the two groups settle in, it isn't long before the unseen assailant returns to continue his killing spree. Is it the mountain man from the legend or just someone who has taken the tale a little too far?This incredibly low budget slasher is rarely talked about. Perhaps there's a reason for that, be it the film's obscurity or the general consensus that it's a rotten entry into the genre. Personally, I really enjoyed it as a cheesy treat when I first got the tape a few years back. I was admittedly a little bored with it on my second go around, but I still had a fun time with it for the most part. The director just threw in too many scenes of people walking or driving as the synth score plays in the background. These bits make the film seem a tad longer than it is, which perhaps was the intention since there clearly wasn't a lot of money to work with. I would certainly be surprised if the rumored million dollar budget were true. The resort seems deserted except for the two main groups, and we never get to see any skiing or ski slopes for that matter. We also get a lot of blood without wounds and, in one case, blood on the wall behind a girl before she's shot to begin with.That said, "Satan's Blade" has it's charms. There is an eerie vibe throughout, enhanced by the aforementioned synth score and a surprisingly unsettling dream sequence midway through. In fact, I would say that the limited locations used actually enhance the mood as well. If we had seen an active resort or a bunch of ski slope high jinks, I don't think the film would come off as effectively downbeat as it does. I think even the lack of gore effects works in the film's favor, as it appears that director L. Scott Castillo, Jr. attempted to compensate by having the victims writhe around in pain as they slowly succumb to their wounds. This makes for more disturbing death scenes than one would typically expect to see in a slasher.The acting actually isn't all that bad. I've seen far, far worse, but some of the characters are grating. The scene of the two husbands getting drunk was a sterling example of just how grating the people in this movie could be. The constant lawyer puns (the lead character recently passed his bar exam) also get old really quick. To hell with really quick, they're old from the get-go.My favorite part of the film is undoubtedly the scene where the lone survivor runs into the killer. This entire sequence with the revelation, the voice effects and the motive worked very well for me. It's one of my favorite reveals in any slasher. The ending is also quite something, like a surreal take on "Excalibur".I like this one, but it's not a great film under any circumstances. It has it's upside, but if nothing else, it's worth seeing for the revelation scene and an out there ending.

anxietyresister For once, I won't give a plot summary. It really isn't worth me trying to decipher the mad series of events that leads to the slaughter of everybody in a snowy mountain lodge, because the director doesn't care. He only wants to cut straight to the raspberry jam and nudie shower scenes, of which there are plenty. Amazing though, that despite all the action the film would turn out to be as boring as this, with a LONG period of boring talk before the 'fun' starts and even then, the slashing and stabbing is strictly amateur hour. The BBFC didn't help either with it's apparent decision to cut over 3 minutes from the film back in 1987, which makes some parts of it unwatchable. Though I doubt it would have been any better, it's hard to review a film when so much has been lost.Does your copy of the video have a picture of a skeleton on it? Well prepare to be disappointed, there's nothing here related to the undead, supernatural or otherwise. It's just a ploy to get you to buy the film by putting on a nifty front cover! Shock, horror! Who would have thought a reputable company would be capable of something like that? I would also like to know why the screen flashed red for about ten seconds before the movie began. I thought there was something wrong with my TV. I drove all the way down to the repair shop for nothing. Oops sorry, I know I'm droning on but to be honest, this paltry offering doesn't give me much to talk about, so I'm doing the best I can. Anyway, I'm off. Er.. final comments?! Stick with Freddy and Jason and.. don't do drugs, kids!! Can I go now?! 1/10