Just recently at the place where I work I changed my shift from the eight to five days to the ten to six nights, simply because it pays 36% more money. The only problem was that I just couldn't get to sleep when I returned home at half past six in the morning. After two weeks of mind numbing insomnia and wandering around like an extra from Zombie Creeping Flesh, I finally gave up and went to the doctors. Even though I begged and pleaded, she told me that she wouldn't risk giving me any medication because it's addictive and all I should do is try watching a relaxing film or listening to some mellow music. And so like an angel sent from heaven, I found the answer in A Day of Judgement a bizarre and virtually forgotten slasher flick that's also a struggling insomniacs dream. It arrived on my doormat around four months ago and right up until I took the time to write this review, I had never even got past the thirty four minute mark! When you consider the fact that I bought it for around £3 and a seven day packet of sleep aid would cost me around £7.50 watching this every morning has saved me a fortune.
It tells the tale of a small Southern town in the 1920s, where the local church congregation has been reduced to three elderly pensioners and the Reverend. Pastor Cage blames himself for the lack of attendance and the townsfolk's unethical attitude. Unable to come to terms with the fact that the villagers would rather live in sin than hear his weekly sermons, the priest packs his horse and cart and heads for the city. On his way out of town, he passes a cloaked figure shouldering a scythe and realises that it's too late for him to save the sinners from a gory punishment.
There's really not too much to put in to words about this one, simply because nothing actually happens. It's best described as a redneck soap opera with a cloaked killer lurking around just for good measure. Over the 101 minutes runtime we are treated to the town's residents 'sinning' and trying their hardest to look like they're interested in the dire script, whilst the plot moves along at the pace of a snail crossing a drawbridge. The story revolves around an unappealing group of characters, including a greedy bank manager played by William T. Hicks, who true slasher fans may recognise as the lard-ass sheriff from Death Screams. Also on the cast list we have a mechanic who wants to send his mother and father to the old people's home so that he can use their house for his debauchery. We also have an adulterous wife and her lover, an elderly moaner and finally a paranoid loaner that believes that his ex-wife has cheated on him. Ho-hum. Each of the heinous cast members gets twenty or so minutes to show why they should be punished by the grim reaper, before he turns up and puts the viewer out of his misery in various boring ways. I'm probably making the movie sound a lot more interesting than it actually is, but you should note that the killer is only on screen for thirty seconds tops and aside from one hokey decapitation, the 'horror' is a plot point that seems to have slipped by the wayside very early in to the production. Just when you think that you have survived the worst that this mongoloid dog has to offer, up pops the horrendously cliché-ridden ending. Obviously I wouldn't spoil it for you here, but suffice to say, it'll have you cringing in disbelief.
One thing that did interest me was the use of period costumes, horse and carts and automobiles. These must've eaten heavily into the budget and it's inexplicable that they didn't invest funds in a stronger cast selection. I'm sure that they would have made more in box office receipts had they drafted in a stronger group of actors to handle the script. There was one or two inadvertently amusing 'bad movie scenes' that brought a smile to my lips on occasion. I especially liked the part when Ruby danced to some Glen Miller-like 20s pop, blissfully unaware how stupid that she looked. But unfortunately, even if it had been Carmen Elektra belly dancing in a see-through Arsenal football kit, I still don't think it could've saved this movie from my persecution.
Slow, boring and blessed with acting that is at times nauseating; A Day of Judgement should be avoided by one and all. To call this a horror film is almost a redefinition of the word. In fact the most horrific thing about Reynolds's slasher is the fact that it was given clearance by the producers in the first place. Director Christopher Reynolds would return to the genre 8 years later with yet another slasher throwaway, the awful Halloween clone 'Offerings'. Ironically enough, this was released in the UK as Stormbringer, which makes a damn site more sense than the US title. Amusingly, the'day of judgement' takes place over a week or more! Recommended only to those that have trouble sleeping
It tells the tale of a small Southern town in the 1920s, where the local church congregation has been reduced to three elderly pensioners and the Reverend. Pastor Cage blames himself for the lack of attendance and the townsfolk's unethical attitude. Unable to come to terms with the fact that the villagers would rather live in sin than hear his weekly sermons, the priest packs his horse and cart and heads for the city. On his way out of town, he passes a cloaked figure shouldering a scythe and realises that it's too late for him to save the sinners from a gory punishment.
There's really not too much to put in to words about this one, simply because nothing actually happens. It's best described as a redneck soap opera with a cloaked killer lurking around just for good measure. Over the 101 minutes runtime we are treated to the town's residents 'sinning' and trying their hardest to look like they're interested in the dire script, whilst the plot moves along at the pace of a snail crossing a drawbridge. The story revolves around an unappealing group of characters, including a greedy bank manager played by William T. Hicks, who true slasher fans may recognise as the lard-ass sheriff from Death Screams. Also on the cast list we have a mechanic who wants to send his mother and father to the old people's home so that he can use their house for his debauchery. We also have an adulterous wife and her lover, an elderly moaner and finally a paranoid loaner that believes that his ex-wife has cheated on him. Ho-hum. Each of the heinous cast members gets twenty or so minutes to show why they should be punished by the grim reaper, before he turns up and puts the viewer out of his misery in various boring ways. I'm probably making the movie sound a lot more interesting than it actually is, but you should note that the killer is only on screen for thirty seconds tops and aside from one hokey decapitation, the 'horror' is a plot point that seems to have slipped by the wayside very early in to the production. Just when you think that you have survived the worst that this mongoloid dog has to offer, up pops the horrendously cliché-ridden ending. Obviously I wouldn't spoil it for you here, but suffice to say, it'll have you cringing in disbelief.
One thing that did interest me was the use of period costumes, horse and carts and automobiles. These must've eaten heavily into the budget and it's inexplicable that they didn't invest funds in a stronger cast selection. I'm sure that they would have made more in box office receipts had they drafted in a stronger group of actors to handle the script. There was one or two inadvertently amusing 'bad movie scenes' that brought a smile to my lips on occasion. I especially liked the part when Ruby danced to some Glen Miller-like 20s pop, blissfully unaware how stupid that she looked. But unfortunately, even if it had been Carmen Elektra belly dancing in a see-through Arsenal football kit, I still don't think it could've saved this movie from my persecution.
Slow, boring and blessed with acting that is at times nauseating; A Day of Judgement should be avoided by one and all. To call this a horror film is almost a redefinition of the word. In fact the most horrific thing about Reynolds's slasher is the fact that it was given clearance by the producers in the first place. Director Christopher Reynolds would return to the genre 8 years later with yet another slasher throwaway, the awful Halloween clone 'Offerings'. Ironically enough, this was released in the UK as Stormbringer, which makes a damn site more sense than the US title. Amusingly, the'day of judgement' takes place over a week or more! Recommended only to those that have trouble sleeping