_Spookies_, with a name like that, you'd think it's a kids' movie or a horror comedy... it's neither.
This movie is chaotic, but never reaches the point of being terrible. I needed to do some research after watching it, in order to make sense of what I just saw, and the making of the movie is worth learning about. Lots of behind-the-camera drama.
The film has a kitchen-sink approach to it, where it's more a collection of events and not a cohesive story. I was like, "damn, that was two movies jammed into one," and that's exactly what it was.
So, this is a dark house/cabin in the woods type of horror movie. Very obvious _Evil Dead_ (1981) influence - to the degree that a possessed character even says "join us" in her demonic tone. Another unabashed rip off is _Night of the Demons_ (1988) - wait, _Spookies_ was made before that. Is _Night of the Demons_ a better version - the intended version (Twisted Souls) - of _Spookies_?
Like so many '80s horror movies, this one is about a group of friends going to a location where they shouldn't be, and bad things happen.
The friends are an odd bunch: like, the age range, the type of people. It's just weird. The only one worth mentioning is Rich - the comic relief. Look, I hate comedy in a horror movie, and Rich became annoying quickly, but as the movie presses on, he became more likable.
Anyway, that's the main story.
There is a second story - and I mean that, because it's so disjointed, it feels as though it were just tacked on... because it was. We get a "sorcerer" - that's the way he is described, but he's not really that, whatev' - Kreon. He is resurrecting his reluctant bride - I say that, by which I mean, she vocally despises him - Isabelle. She is played by Maria Perchukas, and wow, she is beautiful. If Uma Thurman, and Winona Ryder had a daughter, she would be Maria. So, yeah, total babe, and she's great in the role. She's also wearing a wedding dress the entire movie - until it's ripped off, that is - which reminded me of _Beetlejuice_ (1988), and there are other moments within that have a clear _Beetlejuice_ feel to them - damn, did _Beetlejuice_ take inspiration from _Spookies_?
Oddly, I was more intrigued by the Kreon/Isabelle story. I'd much rather get a fleshed-out version of that.
Moving on to some of the bad parts.
Look, like I said, the movie is a mess, but some aspects are worse than others: one is Kreon's... "assistant" - doesn't look like he was given an actual name - a Doctor Moreau type werecat with a hook hand. Then we have the worst part, a trio of farting zombies - the muck men; look, this is either going to make or break the movie for you.
By the end, the main story is totally forgotten, and we're left with Isabelle running to escape Kreon, and a horde of grunge zombies. Any remaining characters in the house are completely ignored, like the movie just takes a right turn into crazy town. Wanted to know about the group of friends? Too bad! Then the movie just ends.
Ultimately, _Spookies_ is pretty good. It's held back by all the studio interference, but there's enough to make it enjoyable. Hell, I'll likely make it a point to watch it every October. It's an effects-heavy horror movie with enough charm to make most fans of 1980s horror happy.