Most fans of Ray Harryhausen movies and schlock horror films have at least heard of a little cult gem titled Equinox. I first caught this one on cable outlet AMC, back when they were actually showing classic movies, and hastily threw a tape into the old hi-fi VCR. Now I’m happy to report that I can finally retire that poor VHS recording because Criterion today released its special 2-disc DVD of this low-budget thriller featuring stop-motion monsters and other ingenious visual effects by kids who would grow up to become some of the biggest names in the industry.
Armed with a 16mm Bolex camera and about $6,500, a young Dennis Muren and a handful of friends set out into the wilderness outside of Los Angeles to make an ambitious, Harryhausenesque epic in the late 1960s. Muren would, of course, go on to win multiple Oscars for his visual effects work with ILM on such seminal films as Star Wars: Episode V’The Empire Strikes Back, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Abyss and E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial.
Equinox‘s impressive lists of credits also includes master stop-motion animator and matte painter Jim Danforth, who received Oscar nominations for his effects work on the 1964 favorite 7 Faces of Dr. Lao and the 1970 prehistoric classic When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. Helping out with the stop-mo effects in Equinox was Dave Allen, who would later be nominated for an Oscar, along with Muren, for his work on 1985’s Young Sherlock Holmes. Allen, who passed away in 1999, also lent his talents to Ghostbusters II and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids before spending his later years bringing stop-motion monsters to life for successful schlock king Charles Band, producer of such cult faves as Puppet Master, Robot Jox, Demonic Toys and Subspecies. In addition, Equinox‘s assistant cameraman was a young Ed Beagly Jr., who went on to star in TV’s St. Elsewhere and numerous films.
Equinox centers on a group of college students whose innocent afternoon picnic becomes a harrowing fight for survival when they come upon ancient book and inadvertently unleash otherworldly horrors. Many films have been accused of ripping off Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, but this is the film The Evil Dead ripped off! Though Raimi has never copped to it, the similarities between the two films are too striking to chalk up to mere coincidence.
Though technically less impressive than the Evil Dead films, Equinox is a monument to what can be achieved with little money and a whole lot of imagination. It’s just one of those movies you have to see to believe. The acting is pretty bad, the voices are all dubbed in and you can literally see the strings on some of the effects. But who cares about all that when you have teenagers fighting a lumbering giant, a winged demon and a massive, purple, ape-like creature from another dimension? Some viewers will find the achievement impressive while others will simply laugh, but most will find it entertaining, which is more than you can say of many of today’s overblown Hollywood money pits.
Muren eventually sold Equinox to producer Jack H. Harris, who shot additional footage and cut out some of the original effects before getting it a theatrical release. That version and the previously unreleased, original version are both included on the DVD, along with commentary by Muren, Danforth, Harris and others. Bonus features also include a video introduction by legendary publisher Forest J. Ackerman (whose voice is heard in the film), interviews with Muren and cast members, deleted scenes and outtakes, an extensive gallery of rare stills and promotional materials, a trailer and radio spots for the original release. On top of all that, you get a short film titled Zorgon: The H-Bomb Beast from Hell (1972), made by the Equinox cast and crew, as well as Dave Allen’s rare animated fairy tale The Magic Treasure and his acclaimed King Kong Volkswagen commercial. There’s also a 32-page booklet with tributes from George Lucas and Ray Harryhausen, and an essay by Brock DeShane.
Like most Criterion releases, the list price is a bit steep at $39.95, but you get a lot of bang for your buck with all the extras. Fans of mainstream movies will probably want to take a pass, but those who appreciate bizarre cinema, stop-motion animation and low-budget, creature feature drive-in fun (you know who your are!) will definitely want to add this one to their collection.
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