Necromancer (1988) Poster

(1988)

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4/10
Elizabeth Kaitan is appealing, the movie is not; bad special effects, weak story
FieCrier26 June 2005
This begins with a quote attributed to the Dead Sea Scrolls and ends with a quote from Poe's "The Imp of the Perverse."

In the opening scene, a woman goes to visit what seems to be a trailer park gypsy (in fact, a necromancer operating out of her garage). The woman is there to complain about something, asking for it to stop. The necromancer causes an axe to float up in the air and chop the woman. Something of the special effects budget and limitations becomes obvious when the axe's chopping is depicted by a closeup on the axe. That way, you can't see the crew member presumably holding the axe (they could handle having it float, but having it cop while floating - too tricky). Additionally, this saved them the trouble of having to show the woman being chopped. They just put some blood on the axe and kept her out of the frame.

Three college guys steal exams from a professor's office, and also find a letter from a student to a professor indicating she'd had an affair with him. She also happens to be working late that night, and they catch her. One rapes her, while another holds her, and the third watches. They threaten to go public with the letter if she tells.

The woman doesn't report them to the police both because she is worried about the consequences to her scholarship if her affair with a teacher is discovered, and also she doesn't want her boyfriend to know about the affair either. When a friend sees an ad for a revenge service, they go to the necromancer.

Revenge comes by way of a (seeming) doppelganger that appears like the woman to the men she wants revenge on (and even others she is angry at). Blood erupts from bathroom, the doppelganger emerges to start making out with the guy, nibbles on his shoulder, the eyes glow green, and then thick red demon hands appear and the guy dies.

There's also a guy named Ernest, wearing blue jeans torn at the knees, a red t-shirt with a black pentagram on it (only one point pointing up, though), hair dyed black with green highlights, and classic horn-rimmed nerd glasses. He's worried about what the necromancer will do to the woman who hired her, and tries to warn her and do ceremonies of his own to protect her.

The woman's professor also wants to restart their affair (while he is also working on adding other women to his conquests). He's less than average-looking, overweight, with a perm and mustache, but he still gets the women somehow. A drama teacher at my high school looked about the same and accomplished the same (somehow keeping his job after having been caught having one of those affairs, too).

When the woman realizes the guys who raped her are being killed, she is alarmed. For the rest, well watch it if you must, but it's not all that great of a movie. I saw it on videotape, and the dialog was hard to hear at times, although I understand the DVD's audio is fine.

Incredibly, the video box claims the movie is "A special-effects extravaganza in the tradition of 'The Serpent and the Rainbow.'" Yeah, right! There's not all that much by way of special effects, and what there is is pretty bad. When the demon of vengeance shows its face, you'll wish they hadn't bothered.
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3/10
Weak supernatural rape revenge trash.
BA_Harrison5 May 2019
After pretty blonde drama student Julie (Elizabeth Kaitan) is raped by a trio of privileged sleazeballs, she pays a visit to a necromancer (Lois Masten Ewing) who summons a shape-shifting demon to take revenge. When the demon starts killing those who have wronged her, Julie has a change of heart and accepts help from magic obsessed weirdo Ernest (Waide Aaron Riddle).

Cheap as chips supernatural rape revenge flick Necromancer is a fairly dreadful straight-to-video bottom shelf filler, with weak performances and woeful visual effects (the demon's eyes are hilarious), the only positives being some topless nudity from its shapely star Kaitan, and one gory scene at the very end.

The remainder of the film is bloodless (unless you count the watery red stuff that erupts from the world's ugliest bathroom), totally devoid of scares, and bereft of originality. Russ Tamblyn puts in a passable turn as pervy drama teacher Charles, who abuses his position to get laid, but the majority of the cast are plain bad (and what's with those green 'horns' in Ernest's hair?).

Oh, and if you're ever called upon by a friend to help her defeat a demon of vengeance, please blow out any lit candles in your house before you leave.
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5/10
Not as bad as some others have said
jameswilliams78416 September 2014
I have read the other reviews and I just did not think this movie was as bad as many of the others are saying. No this is not a great cinematic success and yes a lot of this has been seen before. However, for this type of movie it was at least as good as many other B movies made during that same time. I do not understand how one reviewer can say that Elizabeth Kaitan in not good looking.

The story is basically about a women who gets raped at night in a collage classroom by guys she knows from school. The next day she confides what happened to a friend and instead of going to the police, they see this ad and go to this woman who turns out to be a demon. I actually think this would have been a better movie if they eliminated the demon part and just had the victim seek revenge, but then this would really be another "I spit on your grave"

Not a great movie but I think it is certainly worth a look.
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3/10
Pretty bad
TdSmth525 October 2004
While I am all for cheesy 80s horror movies and taking movies for what they aim to do and not comparing them with classic films, this one just doesn't cut it. I guess some find the main actress to be attractive, I don't. Unfortunately she is the only one who several nude scenes. The problem of course is that when all the victims are male there is not possibility of of having more female characters to put in the nude. The special effects are not very good even for the standards of the time, nor is there any suspense or excitement. The idea is not bad overall, a supernatural revenge thriller. However, the resolution of it all is just too forced and unsatisfying. The performances are atrocious except for Charles DeLonge.
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2/10
Guess what this is..
anxietyresister24 February 2006
Yep, just another trashy horror film. A young blonde college graduate gets raped, then unwittingly utilises the help of a demon to get her own back on her aggressors and anyone else she happens to be upset with. There now follows 85 minutes of ropey special effects and irritating incidental music, as our hapless victim attempts to find a way to make the slaughter stop. Some unintentional laughs lighten up what is generally a tedious affair, with fake blood & guts galore and far too many shots of blokes in their underpants. Of course it also has the requisite female kit-offery in it as well. Yee-ha! Sadly, despite the best efforts of Miss Elizabeth Cayton's double D's, the film is likely to remain as forgotten as New Coke. Or the Millennium dome. Or the Atari Jaguar. Or.. well, I think you get the picture.. 2/10
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Lovely Kaitan gets even
lor_1 April 2023
My review was written in March 1989 after watching the film on Forum video cassette.

Modest horror pic uses the ever-popular revenge motif for this supernatural tale bowing domestically in video stores.

Attractive, round-faced Elizabeth Kaitan oplines (in her biggest role to date) as an acting student who's gang-raped by classmates but blackmailed to avoid reporting it.

Her roommate talks her into answering a "revenge" adi in the paper.

Lois Masten is the gypsy-styled necromancer who places these ads. She's in touch with the devil and uses a client's revenge request as license to go hog wild killing people, with the hapless instigator unable to stop her. In Kaitan's case, Masten demonically assumes Kaitan's form, seduces the rapists and then offs them (with minimal makeup and gore effects).

Okay acting saves this low-budgeter, which spotlights Kaitan's beauty in a multiple role. Russ Tamblyn has fun as her lecherous, Shakespeare-spoutin acting performance.
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2/10
I Spit on your Spell
arfdawg-16 November 2020
Really silly movie that for a while I thought was a comedy.

Extremely poor directing.

Don't even think about the acting

The girl is cute for a 35 year old playing a student.

I's not a bucket list movie.
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4/10
With bi**h from hell
This whole affair spells amateurish, and I'm not really talking about the acting. I last saw this film, over 15 years ago, and I had seen 14 years before that, and when watching it this time, didn't realize how bad this really was. The movie has a couple of moments of bloodletting, one nasty scene near the finale. Notice how I didn't say shock bloodletting, cause the blood looked so fake, one bathroom scene of squirting spraying blood, on one of our nasty rapists, painfully evident of this. Free flowing haired Kaitan is hot stuff. She plays an acting student, in the wrong place at the wrong time, unwittingly, stumbling upon three low life campus boys stealing exam papers. If to make sure she doesn't talk, and to be sexually satisfied, two of em' give her a nice ole raping. Her friend, encourages her to see this devil witch who can put spells on those who do wrong, a solution, to mild revenge seeking Kaitan, never thinking they'll die, or be killed by a cloned, yet sexual seeking nude Kaitan. If only she put a spell on this movie, and made it disappear. Her boyfriend a jealous, clean cut guy, dumb as daisies, so he's no real help. This is a sloppy horror, from a make it, up as you go script, with a a couple of stilted acting moments, character's responses, etc. The fitting music score is kind of creepy but clumsy too. The head rapist is a real piece of..... The horny acting professor who of course has the hots for Kaitan, and was originally her older lover, recites a ever popular Hamlet piece, that being the standout moment, so the film's got a bit of cheek. The nerdy, slicked haired geek, who warns Kaitan is fun to watch too. Below average horror at best.
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4/10
From Scary To Funny.....Could it possibly be?
Stealth-530 March 2000
Okay,this film started out OK.....it was pretty spooky, and gave you the feel of actually being there,and being in that gypsies little baracade.... I thought cool,and it was an OK movie... Why you wander??Well...Elizabeth Cayton,gives a surpisingly great performance,and hell yeah blonde suites her fine, anyways back to the subject,as the film progresses,and the revenge begins to take place,the shower and bedroom scene are interesting,but you wouldnt believe what the demon looks like,ill give you a little hint,it looks like Elmo with computer digitized,really fake green eyes,thats when i burst in tears from laughing... Then the film kinda gets back to a serious verve,as she gets help from Ernest,and he well...doesnt quiet make it! Why i liked it??Cause the Elmo look alike didnt turn up,it was the gypsy herself... The death scenes were mostly really sad shadow deaths,one was really disturbing,that elmo thing was practically busting his balls! the film than progresses to where it is Cayton VS Evil Cayton,and its a very sadistic fight,where they just strangle each other,and the hardcore death appears........but which Cayton is it???Remotely interested??Go watch it.. Its a great film to watch late at night alone,and ignore the monster,just keep in the basis of the demon and witchery and you should quiet enjoy it!

Is it worth the rent? Well...its worth the try,you either like it or not,and to me i liked it,kinda borderline,but i recommend you check it out!

Is it Something you can watch over and over again?? Well....No,not really,2 times should be enough,then you'd be bored outta your boots!

Rating out of 10? Well fairly confusing,and pathetic special effects,good acting,and some great nude scenes,and you can get a few chills,i repeat a very few.

5 out of 10
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7/10
Elizabeth Kaitan is hot!
dlmyst-298136 July 2020
The movie did remind me of I Spit On Your Grave a bit but with a "necromancer" in the film. They should of said the "necromancer" was more of a witch because she wasn't raising any dead bodies in the movie. Though, the story flowed nicely and you can tell in advance who's next to go down. Still Elizabeth Kaitan looks amazing and her acting was believable too. I would recommend this movie.
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3/10
Does not hold up
That's it. Literally. It doesn't hold up at all. When it was released, it was pretty cheesy, but rewatching this movie 30+ years later, it just doesn't hold up.

The acting is not atrocious, as some say, but it's prettt bad. The fx are are so poorly done. Some early horror movies one can understand that, but this is from the mid/late 80's and any film that didn't use decent fx was either extremely low budget or simply chose not to spend the money on them. Not sure if the answer for this flick but the fx are birtually non-existent.

Just not a good flick. Fake blood and gore (and very little of it at that), bad acting, and just all around poor movie.
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8/10
Nifty little horror item
Woodyanders1 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Sweet college drama student Julie Johnson (a fine and appealing performance by luscious blonde Elizabeth Kaitan) gets raped by a trio of rich scumbags. Unable to report the incident to the police due to the fear that she might lose her scholarship, Julie instead enlists the assistance of a powerful medium (well played with intensity by Lois Masten) to exact a harsh revenge of her assailants.

Director Dusty Nelson relates the compelling story at a brisk pace, puts a fresh supernatural spin on the standard revenge for a rape premise, and delivers a satisfying smattering of mild gore and funky special f/x. William Naud's trenchant script offers spot-on stinging social commentary on how those with wealth and/or power use their status to get away with engaging in all kinds of gross behavior as well as makes a provocative central statement on the price of revenge. Moreover, the solid acting by the capable cast keeps the movie humming: Russ Tamblyn as flaky lecherous professor Charles DeLonge, Stan Hurwitz as arrogant and sadistic rich jerk Paul, Edward A. Wright as Paul's equally mean buddy Carl, John Tyler as Julie's musician boyfriend Eric, Rhonda Dorton as sympathetic gal pal Freda, Shawn Eisner as tubby wimp Allan, and Waide A. Riddle as nerdy occult expert Ernest. The sharp cinematography by Eric Cayla and Richard Calbaugh gives this picture a nice stylish look. The shivery score by Bob Mamet, Kevin Klinger, and Gary Stockdale does the shuddery trick. A neat fright flick.
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7/10
Still holds up today.
treakle_197811 August 2020
Even though it's cheesy but for a low budget Horror Movie its very entertaining. Love the demons look and I highly recommend you check it out.

Tim Treakle
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4/10
Not enough
Leofwine_draca14 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
NECROMANCER is a typically low budget and cheesy supernatural horror flick from the late 1980s. The story is about a young woman who suffers a gang rape and decides to get revenge by some very bizarre methods: visiting a witch woman with a line in supernatural murder. What follows is a series of deaths meted out to the usual goonish characters, before a supposed twist ending. The film is entirely predictable and quite devoid of depth; instead, it's reliant on sex and violence, as are so many. The gory special effects are limited and unfortunately the quality of the direction just isn't enough to hold your attention on this one.
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So bad, I had to write my first review!
dsfreud15 January 2021
I'm not a very critical person, at least when comparing myself to those who regularly review movies but I found myself painfully aware of watching acting. These actors were not able to suspend my disbelief for even a short time. The actors seem stiff and fake. The script didn't do any favors for the cast either. I really have to be honest here and recommend that everyone is better off staying far away from this abomination!
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3/10
Poorly made supernatural I Spit On Your Grave...
poolandrews27 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Necromancer is set in Los Angeles where three friends Paul DuShane (Stan Hurwitz), Carl Caulder (Edward A. Wright) & Allan (Shawn Eisner) break into Professor Charles DeLong's (Russ Tamblyn) office to steal the answers for an important test, what they don't know is that they are not alone. Fellow student the attractive Julie Johnson (Elizabeth Kaitan) is finishing some work when she spots Allan who isn't meant to be there, it's not long before Paul shows up & decides he wants a bit of fun with Julie. Paul has Carl hold her down while he pulls out a butterfly knife, threatens to cut her, cuts her underwear off & rapes her as Carl & Allan look on. The next day & Julie is distraught, she confides in her best friend Freda Lurch (Rhonda Dorton) who says she must tell the police but Julie refuses. Later that day Freda spots an advert in a local newspaper advertising 'Revenge', after making some enquiries herself & Julie find themselves at an innocent looking house owned by a sinister woman (Lois Masten) who casts a magical spell to summon a demon to extract vengeance against those who have wronged Julie, but at what cost...

Directed by Dusty Nelson Necromancer is just about worth a watch but not much else. The script by William T. Naud doesn't quite know what it wants to be, is it a supernatural horror? Is it a rape/revenge film? Is it exploitation? Is it a drama dealing with the after effects of a rape? The film becomes lost in it's various sub-plots about character's relationships with each other, the strange guy Ernest (Waide Aaron Widdle) who pops up every so often, the blackmail aspect & the breakdown of Julie's relationship with her boyfriend Eric (John Tyler). All these bitty underdeveloped little story lines don't quite come together & have minimal impact. The film moves along at a fair pace but it can drag a bit in places. If it's one thing I don't really enjoy watching it's sexual violence towards women, it's merely a personal view & I am no prude but watching a woman scream as she is raped at knife point doesn't do anything for me at all. Most of the male character's are nasty, blackmailing, jealousy ridden idiots who think women like being raped.

Director Nelson tries to convey the impact rape has on someone but in a silly film with such a weak script, bad acting & poor character's there's no credibility to any of it. The sporadic supernatural elements are naff, the red monster looks very rubbery & it's eyes are glowing green blobs. The film is poorly made, has no tension, excitement or atmosphere & is also very bland, flat & forgettable. Forget about any decent violence or gore, every single death except one is off screen. The one that isn't has someone get a knife in their throat & then in their forehead, apart from that Necromancer is as dry as a bone.

Necromancer must have had a really low budget & it shows, the whole production looks cheap throughout. The acting was poor & since Necromancer deals with the sensitive issue of rape it makes it stand out even more.

Necromancer really isn't a very good film, it's just about watchable & I think most would make it to the end but overall this is pretty poor stuff all-round. Not particularly recommended.
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5/10
Wacky
BandSAboutMovies24 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I thought I knew what a necromancer looked like. I kind of thought it would look like Orson Welles in robes for some reason, but now I know that it looks like an 80's girl in a unitard and a red headband and I feel much safer with that knowledge. Said necromancer is practicing her magic in a garage, slicing up women with axes and making the bikes of nerds go bye bye.

Her skills will come in handy when our heroine, Julie (Elizabeth Kaitan, who slasher fans will tell you was in Silent Night, Deadly Night 2 and Friday the 13th Part VII, but some people will blush and whisper, "She was also Candy in Vice Academy 3 through 6.") is assaulted by a trio of horrible folks in a movie theater while the security guard is sailing a solo voyage down the seas of mayonaisse in the rest room. She refuses to go to the cops, but when she and her friend Freda see an ad that catches their eye: "Sometimes revenge is the only justice. I, and not others of this world can help. Contact the power. Call (213) Revenge."*

Lisa the Necromancer only charges $20 for her services, which will come in handy when our heroine has to go to a party at the home of one of the men who assaulted her, Paul. Why she'd go to this, much less put up with the sexual harassment of her professor Charles DeLonge (Russ Tamblyn!) is beyond me. Let's blame 1988 direct to video movies and the fact that they were made to get young boys to rent them more than being concerned with changing the language and actions that we use to interface with one another. Actually, this one does more than most to advance the conversation - while still featuring plenty of nude male ass and female breasts.

From a scene with a band playing music, as all great 80's movies must have, to blood coming out of faucets, castrations and spray painted pentagrams, nearly every frame of this movie seems calculated to please me.

What put this in front of my eyes instead of another film was that it's basically a demonic I Spit On Your Grave and the fact that it was directed by Dusty Nelson, who made Effects, and written by William T. Naud, who directed Island of Blood/Whodunit.
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6/10
Dumb Fun
ellenmorrison-1248523 December 2020
A college student is attacked by a handful of men on campus and, with the help of her friend, she calls upon a necromancer to help her get revenge on them.

Necromancer can seem almost painfully low budget at times. There's just enough of a budget to almost deliver the gory goods, but it always seems to cut away just before it's going to get good, leaving it feeling more like an edited for TV version of a much gorier film. There's plenty of nudity however (including a lot of surprise male nudity).

Acting is about what you'd expect from a film of this sort. It's never brilliant, but it's not terrible either. Russ Tamblyn seems to be having fun as a perverted theatre professor. Necromancer still offers the viewer a lot of fun along the way and it moves at a decent clip.
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6/10
Russ Tamblyn's best movie
Very necromantic. There's a hot redhead named Freda who unfortunately keeps her clothes on. Elizabeth Kaitan is good looking for a Hungarian but can't compare to Freda. There's also a nerd who skateboards (as if) and an evil witch and some jerks who rape women. I like the title song.
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6/10
The Demon of Vengeance
claudio_carvalho9 June 2022
The theater student Julie Johnson (Elizabeth Kaitan) is in love with her boyfriend, the musician Eric Freiden (John Tyler). One night, Julie is studying in the college when the students Paul DuShane (Stan Hurwitz), Carl Caulder (Edward A. Wright) and Allan (Shawn Eisner) break in the office of the teacher Charles DeLonge (Russ Tamblyn) wearing animal masks to steel the questions of their test. The notorious Paul finds a letter that Julie had wrote for Charles when she had a crush on her teacher and reads for his friends. When Paul sees Julie in the corridor, he and Carl gang rape her and Allan does nothing to help her. Before leaving the college, Paul blackmails Julie with her letter, promising to disclose to the board if Julie goes to the police. Julie confides her secret to her friend Freda Lurch (Rhonda Dorton) that takes her to a Necromancer (Lois Masten) that she found in an advertisement, to seek out revenge. Soon a demon uses Julie' shape to seduce the rapists and kill them, and Julie learns from the apprentice of magic Ernest (Waide Aaron Riddle) how dangerous this demon is.

"Necromancer" is another good horror movie from the 80's. The storyline is based on a demon of vengeance summoned from hell to revenge a girl that was raped by two fellow students. There are nude and trash scenes, and the special effects may be dated in the present days, but they were great in the 80's. The gorgeous Elizabeth Kaitan quit her career very early to get married. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Necromancer - Vingança do Inferno" ("Necromancer - Revenge from Hell")
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6/10
Better titled "The Sorceress" or "Demon of Vengeance"
Wuchakk10 April 2022
After a horrible crime, a young woman at a SoCal university (Elizabeth Kaitan) consults a practicing witch (Lois Masten Ewing) and the perpetrators start dying one by one.

"Necromancer" (1988) combines the plot of "I Spit on your Grave" (1978) with the tone of "Christine" (1983) and the deal-with-the-devil angle of the future "Shock 'Em Dead" (1991), not to mention the colorful effects, which smack of (fun) 80's cheese. It lacks the grim seriousness of "I Spit" and isn't as effective as the latter two, but it has its entertaining moments.

It tries to be a serious movie about the crime in question, and is to a point, yet this is contrasted by the over-the-top black magic, which is shown right out of the gate. Meanwhile the killer doppelganger angle is reminiscent of "From Within" (2008). The most glaring issue is that the title is a misnomer since no soul is culled from the dead.

Elizabeth Kaitan is winsome on the female front. You might remember her as Robin from "Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood," which was made the same year. On the other side of the gender spectrum, Stan Hurwitz is formidable as the main antagonist while John Tyler works well as the girl's noble beau, a musician.

The movie runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot at Pepperdine University on Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California.

GRADE: B-/C+
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