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Hack-O-Lantern (1988) / Werewolf Woman (1976)




Ahhh the good ole 80’s. This is one decade that saw some very cheesy horror films. 1988’s Hack-O-Lantern is a truly goofy offering about a Satanic cult and its usual shenanigans of bizarre rituals, blood sacrifices, murder and mayhem.













A young boy named Tommy is visited by his Grandpa (played by Hy Pyke, giving an enthusiastic, over the top performance) on Halloween. He gives Tommy a pendant with a pentagram on it, telling the boy that it’s a special gift, and not to tell his parents. Tommy’s mother doesn’t approve of Grandpa’s influence on her son, so her husband goes to warn him to stay away from the boy. Dad walks in on Grandpa and his cult in the middle of a ritual, and the Dad is killed. Years later, Tommy is now a young man who’s grown up to be rebellious and weird. It seems Grandpa is grooming him to be initiated into his Satanic Cult, while Tommy’s siblings prepare for a Halloween party. Tommy, wearing a hood, robe and a hokey mask, is going around killing people to prepare for his membership into the cult.













The flick is pure 80’s cheese, with bad to so-so acting, a few fun murders, and the usual tomfoolery of youth more interested in partying and sex to notice the strangeness happening around them until it’s too late. There’s a hilarious sequence where Tommy daydreams that he’s in a rock video, while this 80’s metal band plays a song called Devil’s Son, complete with a Satanic temptress who dances seductively and shoots laser beams out of her eyes. The climax of the movie takes place at the Halloween party, where we witness one of the tamest, lamest fights between evil Grandpa and hero, both wearing the same costume. There’s also 2 twists at the end, one predictable, the other more surprising. The plot sounds better on paper than it actually is, but it’s still an enjoyable, watchable retro b-movie. It’s available to stream on Tubi.









While the 80’s had a lot of schlocky flicks, the 70’s offered outrageous exploitation, such as the ‘76 offering Werewolf Woman, about a woman who goes on a murderous rampage, believing she’s afflicted with lycanthropy.





Daniela is living in a country home with her father. This place belonged to their ancestors, and the father came here so that Daniela could recuperate and get better. She had been raped some years ago and Dad thinks a vacation in the country will set her mind at ease. She finds a portrait of an old ancestor who was burned at the stake. Legend stated that she had been a werewolf. Daniela begins having nightmares about it. Her sister Irene arrives with her new husband, and after witnessing them making love, Daniela goes mad, luring the husband outside and killing him. She ends up in a hospital, but soon escapes (after stabbing another nymphomaniac patient). Her father seeks the help of her doctor and the police to find her, as she goes on a crazed killing spree. 













The flick is Italian but dubbed in English, and I love how these older films always manage to have such hilarious, over dramatic scripts. For instance, when Daniela gets visited in the hospital by her sister Irene (who’s husband she killed), Daniela calls her disgusting, a bitch, a whore, screaming obscenities while foaming at the mouth. Between the campy dialogue and the violent murders, the film is quite enjoyable.












Werewolf Woman is less of a werewolf movie and more like a sexploitation / slasher, filled with colorful characters, entertaining murders, lots of sex and skin, hokey dialogue, and a wild plot that goes all over the place. It reminded me of the films of Paul Naschy, which are lots of fun. It’s available to stream on Tubi, which has quite a collection of awesome retro titles.








 

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