Memorable, crazy movie

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Midnight (1982) is an adaptation of the novel that was written by the film's director John Russo. The story is about a teenage girl named Nancy who's feeling self doubt about herself and her faith in the Roman Catholicism. One day her creepy drunk stepfather (Lawrence Tierney) gets a little friendly with her. That was the final straw. She conks him over the head and runaways from home. On the road, after a nasty encounter with a driver, she hitches a ride with two college kids driving back to school in Florida. The trio travel the back roads of Pennsylvania until they run across a very twisted and murderous family. Can the three kids make to Florida? Will Nancy's faith be put to the test? How scary is this movie? To find watch Midnight!I really enjoyed this movie. It's an old school horror film that's quite enjoyable. Despite the low budget, it's a real creepy film.Recommended

"Midnight" is a decent enough if mildly unspectacular slasher.**SPOILERS**Running away from home, teenager Nancy Johnson, (Melanie Verlin) runs into friends John, (John Hall) and Hank, (Charles Jackson) on their way to Florida. As they spend more time traveling together, the more they become friends until they make a stop over in rural Georgia. When confronted with crooked police officers Cyrus, (David Marchick) and Luke, (Greg Besnak) for an innocent charge, they are captured and brought back to their house, along with their brother Abraham, (John Amplas) and Cynthia, (Robin Walsh) who turn out to be an inbred redneck family that was taught the Satanic arts by their deceased mother. When her policeman stepfather Bert Johnson, (Lawrence Tierney) becomes worried about her being gone, he gets wind of what's going on and races to get her away from the psycho clan.The Good News: While not terrible, this one does have some good points to it. The main one is that it really does something new and original with the Satanic Cult genre, and here it's mixed in nicely with the slasher genre. It puts them together into something that resembles originality, and by using the opening the way it is into a rather traditional slasher setting makes for a fun time to be had during those scene. In fact, those are the main reasons for this one to get any sort of enjoyment, as watching them partake in the ceremonies is a little chilling, and by recalling what's already been done with them beforehand, there's a little more to be had from these kinds of scenes that there normally would. The few kills in here aren't that bad, restricted to some gory gunshots, an axe in the back, knives slitting throat, a sacrificial sword stabbed in the chest and another is set on fire. Most of these occur in the grand finale, as there's a lot more excitement and action here than anywhere else in the film and it makes for some great times. The only other part that works is the relatively interesting proposal that the film offers in the middle, where it handles the heroes that have been around for most of the film in a rather smart and refreshing manner that aren't seen in most other films. It's also a great scene in the film that has some really great parts to get some really chilling moments to it. These here are the film's best parts.The Bad News: This one does have a couple of rather big flaws. The most obvious is that there's so much time spent with the three friends that it begins to wear on after a while. It takes a while to get going out on the road as it deals with family issues, which it then completely ignores later on after a conversation detailing what's going on that changes the rules around significantly, and these here just take up time and energy away from the film when it had something other to do than the really weak beginning. Even worse is that it leaves these parts to focus on the traveling misadventures of the group and their ways, and this is even duller and more boring. When the crooked cops turn up, it gets a little better, but it's still relatively dull until it gets to the last part. This one is so short on action for a film as long as it is a huge crime, and it really takes away from the film for a big problem. The only other flaw is that there's way too many scenes that are dark beyond belief. There's a real problem where it's hard to tell what's going on in the few scenes that are supposed to provide the film's excitement. Trying to pick out what's going on when you're supposed to be enjoying the scene is a wrong reaction, and it would've helped to brighten it up a tad. Otherwise, this here is somewhat decent.The Final Verdict: This here is a really tough sell, as it's not spectacular but isn't that memorably bad either, falling more in the middle. Give it a shot if it sounds interesting, or have a predilection for these kinds of films, otherwise it won't be that memorable for others.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language, Brief Nudity and themes of incest

John Russo has long stood in the shadow of ex-partner George Romero, and "Midnight" is a good example of why. This tale of a devout Catholic girl (Melanie Verlin, possessing the tomboyish looks of a young Jodie Foster) fleeing her groping, drunken police-officer stepfather (Lawrence Tierney--"Reservoir Dogs") only to run afoul of a wacky family of Satan worshippers living in a backwoods shack (that auspiciously sits in the heart of suburbia) is equal parts "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Night of the Living Dead," but with far less imagination. While Russo gets decent mileage out of his cast of unknowns and occasionally employs a nifty camera angle (a close-up of kicking feet as a man is stabbed to death, for instance), it cannot save a plodding story that is frequently interrupted by scenes of talky exposition. I realize that low-budget films are frequently forced to tell instead of show, but Romero has proved time and again that it's a matter of directorial skill in keeping the audience hooked. Even the makeup FX (credited to Tom Savini) play on a distinctly lower tier. Yet "Midnight" isn't altogether bad...I have a feeling it would be great fodder for a drunken get-together, and Russo's use of rural Pennsylvania locales lends a bit of rough-hewn realism to the otherwise absurd tale. And hey, it's a chance to see John Amplas ("Martin"; "Day of the Dead") play one of the psychotic brothers! (Note: Lionsgate has released "Midnight" to DVD with the kind of misleading sleeve art usually reserved for a Ulli Lommel flick; the disc is full-screen and contains no extras, which might have gone a ways in redeeming the film.)

While watching Midnight it is pretty clear to me where the majority of the talent lies in the Romero/Russo relationship. Now, I'm not saying John Russo is a bad screenwriter or novelist, but he's no director. Midnight, based on his own novel, claims to be a cross between On The Road and Rosemary's Baby. That is not accurate at all. It's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...CLEARLY. It's about a crazy family who kidnaps and sacrifices young people to appease their dead mother (who they keep in the attic). It's pretty straightforward and boring. Mostly it's just bad; on both sides of the camera. Even the special effects aren't anything to write home about...and it's Tom Savini! Along with Savini, John Amplas (Martin) has also come from the Romero camp to help out, but he doesn't add anything significant. Lawrence Tierney is the only name actor in Midnight, but he doesn't have a big part. He's not the villain of the piece, but he is the only truly creepy character here. Just watch Chainsaw again and thank me later.