Witchouse 3 : Demon Fire

Witchouse 3 : Demon Fire

J R Bookwalter has never been someone to shy away from a challenge or be restricted by budgetary restraint so when he unwittingly put himself forward for yet another Full Moon low budget production would he be able to achieve his goal?

'Demon Fire' is a very different 'Witchouse' presentation from what has gone before. Yes, the main 'evil' lead from the series Lilith does make an appearance but this time round in a more of a supporting role. The story opens with poor clean cut Annie (Tanya Dempsey) who has just made a quick exit from an abusive relationship and heads to her old friends Stevie and Rose's home for some support and comfort. Stevie and Rose are film makers working on a documentary on Witchcraft and as part of their research they decide to film themselves holding a seance. Admittedly they initially see this as a bit of fun but when things get a bit scary they soon discover that they may have went too far! Soon all sorts of spooky and mysterious goings on happen at their home and uneasiness spreads within the girls. Are the blood-splashed messages on the wall really the result of witchcraft or is it in fact Annie's abusive boyfriend stalking the girls to get to his estranged love?

As I said, 'Demon Fire' is a very different kind of movie from its counterparts. This small production has a very insular and claustrophobic feel and once again J R Bookwalter can stand proud at being able to work a low budget production into a 'real' movie feel. Shot on digital video in nine days, the film is a well rounded (if perhaps all too brief) production very much in the vein of the true modern American horror genre scene that Hollywood seems to forgot about in a sea of mainstream dross. The cast (of five!) also deliver the goods obviously attentive to the fact that they are very much in profile with their prominent casting. Particularly impressive though are Debbie Rochon (who really deserves to be cast lead in a big gothic horror drama), Paul Darrigo (who comes across as a small stage actor that really deserves more) and Tina Krause (well, just for being so damn cute!)

So another low budget horror drama, now why should you bother spending your hard earned on movies like these? Well, if you haven't discovered the wonder of the current Independent US genre scene then its time you came onboard. Tempe seem to be flying the flag in this area and the industrious work of J R Bookwalter is worth paying some attention too. Another great reason is they way that these films are delivered to us on the shiny DVD format. This particular movie nearly didn't make its way onto DVD and I'm at least thankful that Bookwalter declined his production fees towards the production of this disc.

And what of the disc? Well, have you got a week? It's quite incredible when you consider that the film itself runs for around 75 minutes or so the full content of this disc must run into several hours!! First off the film itself, the anarmorphic widescreen print looks gorgeous (well it should do being a new production) and the audio is a pleasant 5.1 surround sound mix. But here's where things get welcomingly crazy...as there's not only a fun (as ever) commentary track by director Bookwalter and lead Debbie Rochon but there's another two separate commentary tracks also - one with the remaining cast members and another with producer Tammis Sutton, Danny Draven (of Horrorvision fame) and crew madman Spud. Perhaps some might three commentaries for a low budget production is pushing the boat out a bit but to be honest they're a lot of fun, more so when you flick between them!

This kind of sets the standard for the rest of the bonus material included on the disc - next up is the 'Home Movies' documentary which is a 30 minute behind the scenes of the films nine day production, which is both fascinating and funny as you get right under the skin of how films like these are produced (interns beware!) Also included are two interview segments - one with lead Debbie Rochon (lasting about 25 minutes) talking about her career that will be essential viewing to fans of her work and another with fellow leads Tanya Dempsey, Paul Darrigo and Tina Krause. Not enough yet? Well how about a selection of bloopers and out-takes? Or the bizarre 10 minute home video opus 'The Eyes of Debbie Rochon' (or should that be the lovely eyes of the badger!?) Bookwalter also unearths one of his early shorts 'Burning of the Salem Witches' that he made as a kid which is interesting in a curious sorta way! Finally there's the usual smorgasbord of expected extras in the form of some nice stills gallery, bio pages and a selection of forthcoming Tempe DVD releases (many of which I'm very excited about!)

'Witchouse 3: Demon Fire' is by no means a genre classic but an entertaining slice of low budget viewing. This DVD release though takes the film to another level and brings us a great jam-packed all round package that will keep you entertained for a long time. Get under the skin of the new wave of genre movie making and check this baby out!

Review by Alan Simpson


 

'Witchouse 3 : Demon Fire' can be ordered direct from Tempe by clicking here.

Released by Tempe/Retromedia
Region 1 (NTSC)
Running time - approx 77 mins
Ratio - Anarmorphic 1.85:1 Widescreen
Audio - Dolby 5.1
Extras :
Three full audio commentaries, Home Movies, Cast interviews, Bloopers & Out-takes, Debbie Rochon video short, J R Bookwalter vintage short, Trailer selection, Stilsls galleries and more!
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