Warlock Moon (1973)

Warlock Moon (1973). 1h 29m | PG

“The premise of Warlock Moon is actually pretty simple: girl meets intriguing boy, boy courts her, takes her to a mysterious building, strange things happen, mystery becomes terrifying and then not so, and then ends in a scream. In effect, this is a Gothic Mystery!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGothic stories always center around an old ruin or haunted building which acts as a center of mystery. The plot device serves to ratchet up the tension by challenging the heroine (sometimes a hero, but not often) to distinguish between what is real, and what is a result of their own nervousness. H.P. Lovecraft used the same sort of device in his famous horror stories. A proper Gothic creates its own atmosphere of mystery and creeping terror. Unlike a mystery, however, a Gothic tale also has an element of romance in it; if, however, the romance can survive the fear that ensues.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWarlock Moon fails, however, because the characters never really emerge from their cardboard-cutout status. Itu0026#39;s hard to root for the heroine, Jenny McAllister, because you always want more from her. She foresees the poisoned drink, but never quite breaks free from the mysterious events surrounding her. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCompounding the problem is the stultifying pace of the film. Sometimes it seems as though the actors themselves are deliberately moving slowly so as to use up time blocks. It doesnu0026#39;t help that at times the picture seems to have a u0026quot;frosted glassu0026quot; effect on the fringes of the screen, adding to the Gothic feel of the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFilmed in the small town of Livermore, California, the movie still has a bit of celebrity status in that community. When Warlock Moon had finished production, it had a Grand Opening show at the local Vine Theater. All the local residents including notables like the mayor made a great show of attending the premiere screening. Of course the film bombed, which made the event all the more enjoyable, sort of in the style of MST3K!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe setting for the filmu0026#39;s climax was at an abandoned tuberculosis treatment facility, which burned down about ten years later. That area is now the site of Camp Arroyo, and is almost unrecognizable from the mysterious ruins shown in Warlock Moon.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA member of the Livermore Heritage Guild, a local historical society, is looking for a copy of Warlock Moon for posterityu0026#39;s sake. He has asked me to relay word to any other filmmakers that heu0026#39;s also looking forward to seeing a much better film made in Livermore.”