This brave little $6,500 budget student movie plays out like the Evil Dead’s great uncle. The special effects consist of god-bless’em-they’re-trying stop-motion animation which, while never convincing, is always praiseworthy simply because of the hard work and long hours that go into it. (I’m still waiting for the digitally remastered DVD of Octopunk & JPX’s awesome teenage project “Jeff & Jeff’s Pandemonium”.)
The story is told backwards as a young man named Dave reveals how he ended up in his straight jacket. The plot meanders and frequently loses focus but the good shit makes it all worthwhile. Actually, the more I think about it, a good portion of the film makes no sense whatsoever.
Two couples hike to a remote cabin in the woods only to find that it has been razed to the ground. If only they arrived a little sooner, they would have seen the giant octopus-like creature that tore it to pieces. Disappointed, they are about to head home but spot an enormous gothic castle in the distance that’s just begging to be explored. On their way the group gets distracted by very large, disturbing footprints. They wind up in a cave where they meet a crazy old man who looks and sounds exactly like Ross Perot. He hands them a sacred book, laughs maniacally and sends them on their way.
The text concerns an unknown Persian civilization, an ancient sorcerer and the spirit of the dead. After reading the cursed words aloud (it’s just too tempting), they discover a portal that leads to an alternate unholy world whose inhabitants include skeletons with pitchforks, the green giant below and the badass winged devil at the top.
Despite its flaws, I will almost certainly watch Equinox no less than 3 more times.
2 comments:
That first picture if hilarious! That devil looks like he is having far too much fun.
This sounds like a lot of fun and Sam Rami should be ashamed for such obvious plagerism - not very "groovy", Mr. Rami. I want an action figure of that last picture.
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