In this occult horror film, director
John Russo, best known for
Night of the Living Dead, has created a few twists on the plot of a heroine escaping one evil, only to encounter another, even worse. Some asides on the nature of racism are thrown in for good measure. After Nancy Johnson (
Melanie Verlin) runs away from home because her drunken stepfather (
Lawrence Tierney) tried to rape her, she is given a ride by two men who are actually thieves, and they all end up prisoners of a Southern family of Satanists. They plan on offering Nancy to the Devil himself at midnight on Easter Sunday. Some cinematic goofs -- Easter Sunday apparently falls in autumn since the leaves are turning color outside, and the "South" looks a lot like Pittsburgh -- are somewhat off-set by the make-up artistry of
Tom Savini and a lively performance by
Lawrence Tierney. Yet the pace is slow and the lesser protagonists solidly one-dimensional, tipping the balance more toward the minus -- which may be a plus to some viewers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide