Retribution (1987) User Reviews

Movie Review: Retribution (1987)

[LegendsofHorror · 7/10 · 7 November 2021]

In the film industry, its a huge rarity to have a cult classic come from a first time director, especially one who has worked strictly on TV episodes. Egyptian born, Guy Magar who started out working on such iconic television shows such as Hunter, Werewolf, The Powers of Matthew Star, and Buck Rogers had written this film which is a amalgamation of his love of revenge films, possession films, and the human condition.

Retribution was Guy's 1987 feature debut which starred Dennis Lipscomb (In the Heat of the Night, The First Power) who plays George Miller. Hoyt Axton (Gremlins) as Lt. Ashley, Suzanne Snyder (Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Return of the Living Dead Part 2) who is Angel the whore with a heart of gold, & Leslie Wing (Strangeland, High School Musical Series) who plays as Jennifer Curtis the shrink who befriends George.

The film opens up with depressed artist, played by Lipscomb who attempts suicide in front of a crowd of friends as he falls to his short lived death. At the same time, across town a underling gangster is meeting his demise at the hands of four mob bosses. The two men's lives clash as one is successfully brought back to life and rehabilitated and trying to get his life back on track and the other is nothing but murder on his mind, and with the help of his physical unsuspecting host - there will be vengeance and lots of blood.

Once George is brought back, his nightlife is plagued by nightmares involved a green eyed daemon who looks eerily familiar to the scared man. He begins seeing Dr. Curtis who tries to help, as the bodies pile up around town. This leads him into the crosshairs of Lt. Ashley who is determined to get his killer, all the while George's dysfunctional family try to play off his fears as its all in his head.

This movie is hands down one of the coolest and original films from the 80's era, from clothes, the music which includes a great score from John Carpenter Alumini - Alan Howardth. The colours used, the visual effects, and especially the brutal deaths and kill scenes really make this a film that has to be seen to be believed. Its sad that the director Guy Magar did two more direct to video films, I personally feel he was one talented voice in the horror genre who never really got his voice heard.

I was sent a LE bluray from Severin signed by both Magar and Howardth and was able to enjoy not just the film but the added bonus features as well. Which included some in depth and BTS stories from the set and about the film itself, Suzanne Snyder, Mr. Howardth, and several others all of which were short but informative and well worth the watch.

Another cool bonus was BINGO: Student Short By Guy Magar. This 3 disc LE release also included the Score written by Alan Howardth himself as well as the rare UNCUT Dutch version of the film!!

If you are a fan of 80's possession/revenge films then this is definitely one not to miss!!!

Santa Maria Mother of God HELP ME!

Can't go wrong with Suzanne Snyder

[BloodTheTelepathicDog · 6/10 · 22 March 2005]

The plot centers around introverted artist George Miller, wonderfully portrayed by Dennis Lipscomb, who reminds me of a good friend in the military, and his failed attempt to commit suicide. The paramedics save him, but he acquires a link with the tortured soul of a hoodlum who was brutally murdered. This dampens George's new lease on life, with a courtship of a friendly prostitute, played by B-Movie Queen Suzanne Snyder. Every time George falls asleep, the tortured spirit tales control of his body, and exacts revenge on the people who killed him.

This is a very entertaining film with believable everyday characters. Dennis Lipscomb does a splendid job transforming himself from bumbling loser George to a possessed force of destruction.

Night of The Creeps and Killer Klowns From Outer Space star Suzanne Snyder, who owns the sexiest smile in cinema history, was sensual and caring all at the same time. This role allows Suzanne to wear some crazy looking, yet rather revealing hooker outfits.

I recommend this film to people who like a little substance with their horror, but keep in mind, there is plenty of gore to go with the superior genre acting.

POSSESSED REVENGE

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 7/10 · 3 May 2022]

Made in 1987 with a very limited release it looked like the movie RETRIBUTION would fall by the wayside, making its way straight to video like so many other horror titles. Also like so many of those straight to video titles the film began to develop a following of fans who watched it repeatedly. Now it's getting a special release from Severin and treated with respect.

Its Halloween night and kids are trick or treating and walking around the neighborhoods. But the most frightening thing to walk the earth that night is death and it arrives at the doorstep of two individuals. One is Vito Minelli (Mike Muscat), a small time mobster and gangster in debt to the mob who kill him over unpaid debts. The other is more complicated.

George Miller (Dennis Lipscomb) is a struggling artist. Unable to cope with life he is standing on the edge of the roof of the building he lives in. A crowd gathers, police show and he jumps. Unlike Vito he survives his encounter with death.

George goes through a painful and time involved rehab. In his case his body is working to repair itself. But it is also his mind that needs aid. He gets better physically but continues to have nightmares. These bad dreams that plague him involve mobsters and death. His psychiatrist Jennifer Curtis (Leslie Wing) feels that he has recovered enough to go home but still stay in touch with her.

George returns to his room at the Don Hotel and resumes working or at least trying to. At night the dreams continue and he begins to think there is more reality that dream to them. He walks the streets at night and then can't remember where he was. When he wakes the next morning to read the newspaper he sees a murder has taken place, a murder he saw in his nightmares the night before.

While Dr. Curtis thinks this is just a coincidence George thinks it's more. As the violent nightmares continue and as we, the viewer, see that there is indeed something going on within George it isn't long before we realize that when George and Vito technically died that night, Vito made his way into George. And now he's using George to exact revenge on those who did him wrong.

The question becomes can George overcome Vito? Can he find love in the romance he strikes up with Angel (Suzanne Snyder), the street walker who takes an interest in him? Will Dr. Curtis be forced to admit that this isn't all in George's head? Or is it?

The 1980s saw a surge in horror films that tied in directly to the video market. That this one came and went only to be discovered in that format isn't surprising. Most theaters weren't that interested in these kind of films and spent little to promote them. But the young people who scoured shelves at the local mom and pop video store found these movies and loved them. As they grew into adults they looked for them first on tape and then on disc. Those looking for this one could do no better than the release of the film from Severin.

Severin is one of those boutique companies that finds a film like this and gives it loving care, making the release to disc as fantastic as possible. In the case of RETRIBUTION they are releasing it in a newly scanned 2 k version from recently discovered pre-print elements with over 2 hours of all new special features. These include two versions of the film (the theatrical cut and the extended Dutch video release version), an audio commentary track with co-writer/director Guy Magar, "Writing Wrongs" an interview with co-writer Lee Wasserman, "Shock Therapy" an interview with actress Leslie Wing, "Angel's Heart" an interview with actress Suzanne Snyder, "Santa Maria, Mother of God, Help Me!" an interview with actor Mike Muscat, "Settling the Score" an interview with soundtrack composer Alan Howarth, "Visions of Vengeance" an interview with special effects artists John Eggett, "The Art of Getting Even" an interview with artists Barry Fahr, "Living in Oblivion" and interview with production designer Robb Wilson King, "BINGO" a student short by Guy Magar with optional director commentary, the trailer, a stills and poster gallery, reversible artwork and as a bonus a CD soundtrack. Not bad for a movie made 35 years ago and releases on a limited scale.

I enjoyed the movie and thought it was one of the more creative films to come from this era of horror. The performances were better than most, especially Lipscomb in the lead role. The photography is well done, the sets perfect and believable and the direction very well done, even more so when you consider this was Magar's first feature film. This may have been one you missed over the years but what better time than with this release to check it out. A must see for horror fans.

George came back from the dead...and he's not alone...

[cchase · 2 January 2001]

Manic depressive artist George Miller snaps one Halloween night, decides he wants to end it all and jumps from the top of the inner-city fleabag motel he calls home. Across town, small-time gangster Vito Minelli finds out the hard way, what happens when you don't pay off your gambling debts, as his vengeful cronies blow out his kneecaps, then douse him in gasoline and set him on fire.

Somewhere between life and death, George's and Vito's lives intersect, and both will be changed forever. This is not a good thing for George, and even worse for Vito's assailants, as they will each discover to their horror and dismay...

As low-budget supernatural thrillers go, RETRIBUTION manages to strike a nice balance between the yen of those horror fans who like character-driven stories, and the gorehounds who like to see "folks git blowed up real good." TV and movie vet Dennis Lipscomb, who very rarely gets to carry a picture, delivers a scary and sympathetic performance as the troubled George. He has the chameleonic ability to disappear into his character, which is both a blessing and a curse to the best character actors. They make it look so easy, most people don't even consider what they do to be "work," and that's the trouble.

Another out-of-print, hard-as-hell-to-find but worthy entry into the B-movie hall of fame.

A solid little horror flick

[rdoyle29 · 7/10 · 26 November 2017]

Dennis Lipscombe is a depressed artist who throws himself off the roof of the hotel he lives in on Halloween. He survives, but starts having visions of a small time gangster who died the same night. Soon he is having nightmares about stalking and killing strangers, and the murders he dreams of are really happening. His psychiatrist and his hooker girlfriend try to help him figure out what is going on, while cop Hoyt Axton investigates the murder spree. This is a pretty solid mid-80's horror flick with colorful photography, creative, gory deaths, and a really solid cast of recognizable character actors.

Solid 80s horror film

[udar55 · 6/10 · 20 January 2010]

Starving artist George (Dennis Lipscomb) decides to end his life by jumping off his apartment building on Halloween night. As he lays dying, his body receives the spirit of a man who shares his birthday and is killed at the exact same time (confused?). He lives and the spirit takes over when George goes to sleep and seeks retribution on folks who burned him alive (Freddy who?). Of course, his psychiatrist Dr. Curtis (Leslie Wing) thinks he's crazy and Lt. Ashley (Hoyt Axton) thinks he is the killer. This is a pretty solid horror flick that I liked even more watching it now than back in the 80s. You can hear the filmmakers whisper, "It is like ELM STREET, see?" (the burned villain even looks like Freddy), but writer-director Guy Magar does enough to make it stand apart. The only misfire is a visit to one Doctor Rasta, a Rastafarian voodoo doctor. Oh, and lots of 80s neon. Was it really that prevalent? Lipscomb, looking like a nerdy Christopher Walken, is an interesting choice for a leading man and I like that casting. On the technical side, there is lots of great camera work and some interesting use of lighting. The gore appears to be cut, but is still plentiful. Magar cut his teeth on TV work and this was his first feature. He went on to do THE STEPFATHER III, which I also thought had great cinematography, and one of the CHILDREN OF THE CORN sequels.

Completely insane

[TheOldGuyFromHalloween3 · 5/10 · 18 December 2022]

A gangster is torched until he looks like Freddy Kruger while a dork who looks like Lloyd Christmas but even nerdier jumps out a window. He survives and gets a doctor who looks like the chick from Flashdance and who cares more about him than any doctor ever cared for a patient in real life.

The gangster's ghost decides to use this loser to get revenge on the guys who killed him and has a guy stuck inside a pig carcass and sliced in half. A mechanic who looks like Quentin Tarantino gets his hand cut off by a blowtorch etc. The nerdy guy gets superpowers and his eyes turn green like the Hulk when he's killing people. He also has the power to give people nosebleeds for some reason. Halfway through the fat dude from Gremlins shows up. He must've been short of cash that week.

There is a cool scene in an art gallery with the chick who played Papi's daughter on Seinfeld. For some reason chicks find this guy irresistible. In fact everybody loves this pumpkin pie haircutted freak and cries like babies when he dies. As if.

very well done death scenes, and an unusual lead actor

[FieCrier · 7/10 · 7 September 2005]

Surprisingly good!

A plain, somewhat overweight, nerdy-looking man stands on the edge of the roof of the Don Hotel (no "tiny bubbles" jokes in the movie, though). From the masks on the people below, we can tell it's Halloween. He jumps, and the monsters below look sad. We see the tunnel of light, but a burnt or mutated face appears as emergency responders try to revive him.

In the hospital, he's rehabilitated, though he now walks with a cane and limp. The people in the Don Hotel, a somewhat strange bunch, are sympathetic, as is a neighborhood hooker he's friendly with. However, he has horrible vivid nightmares involving murder. Additionally, while he paints blood appears out of nowhere, and does at other times too and isn't just a hallucination it seems.

In the nightmares, he visits people and brutally kills them with some sort of telepathic abilities while his eyes glow. In the morning, the deaths are in the paper. Though there aren't a lot of murders, the scenes are pretty strong. One begins with some particularly graphic (possibly real) shots of a slaughterhouse. The way a man dies there is quite memorable.

While a Catholic priest works at the hospital, and the main character visits a church, the one attempt at exorcism is done by a "Dr. Rasta"! Perhaps more surprisingly, he's a friend of the hooker.

Revenge? Let George do it.

[BA_Harrison · 4/10 · 10 April 2018]

Depressed painter George Miller (Dennis Lipscomb) chucks himself off a hotel roof, his suicidal act most likely prompted by either his terrible haircut (I'd want to die too if I sported that style) or his complete lack of artistic talent. As medics bring him back from the brink of death, George is possessed by the vengeful spirit of gambler Vito Minelli (Mike Muscat), who was shot and burnt alive by the men to whom he was in debt.

Retribution could have been a fairly reasonable supernatural potboiler, but George Miller is such a dour, whiney loser that it makes for seriously hard going. I found myself increasingly irritated by the man's persistent hang-dog expression, so-much-so that I began to wish that the emergency team who revived him had been held up in traffic.

The film does deliver one or two reasonably well-executed scenes of violence - the brutal demise of Vito, the manager of an abattoir being cut up the middle by a circular saw, a guy having his hand removed with an acetylene torch - and there is an impressive sense of style throughout, director Guy Magar making particularly good use of colour and lighting. However, the unbearable protagonist and an overlong runtime of 107 minutes means that the film as a whole is far from great.

No surprises, but still a solid "B".

[gridoon · 6/10 · 18 September 2002]

Solid B-movie with OK performances and slam-bang special effects. This is one of those neglected little thrillers that set out not to offer anything new to the genre, but at least to give fans of those movies their money's worth. And this one generally seems to know its business (although it does get a little too loud near the end). (**)

Thumb-twiddling and gore

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 17 March 2018]

RETRIBUTION is a low budget and rather gruesome horror film of 1987, given a splendid DVD presentation by the team at Code Red. The story is nothing special and sees Dennis Lipscomb's mild-mannered protagonist being possessed by the spirit of a gangster which causes him to go on a supernatural killing spree. It's one of those films where you end up twiddling your thumbs in between the kill scenes, but the gory special effects are imaginatively used and there are some bizarre highlights here, which I won't go into. I did find Lipscomb to be a rather creepy character even before the supernatural stuff takes place and the budget isn't perhaps quite up to the job at times, but this is reasonable fare for horror fans.

NEON NIGHTMARE

[lordcorneliusplum · 10/10 · 30 October 2019]

I think i'd like to live in this world - all low rent film noir, new wave neon, coloured gels where your best friends are bikers and hookers and its full of Rastafarian mystics and cliched cops in shiny suits and dogs in sunglasses.

can i own this on DVD?

[jacob-singer · 7/10 · 17 April 2005]

i watched this film years ago, and was pleasantly surprised how effectively scary it was because i'd never heard of it. i can remember the lead character with scary eyes at the end, and a sexy suzanne snyder as prostitute i think. i would love to watch this movie again, just to see if it has the same effect now as it did then. i doubt it though as most of these eighty's films usually age badly, it would be good to know if i can own this film on DVD. this film if i remember rightly does not deserve to to b washed up and never seen again like a lot of the mindless tosh being produced at the time. there was a few little gems that slipped through the net that are half decent additions to the genre. I'm sure this is one of them.

"What Are You, Some Kinda Kook?!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 1 December 2019]

After an incident that should have been fatal, starving artist, George Miller (Dennis Lipscomb) begins exhibiting odd behavior and certain mental abilities. George sets out to use these powers to enact grisly RETRIBUTION on a few "old friends", even though he's never met them before. What's going on? Is George possessed? Cracking up? Both?

As 1980's horror cheeeze goes, this is a double mozzarella masterpiece!

IT CONTAINS: #1- Supernatural, telekinetic terror! #2- George's romance with Angel (Suzanne Snyder), the proverbial "prostitute with a heart of gold"! #3- Hoyt Axton as Lt. Ashley!

EXTRA POINTS FOR: George's glowing green eyeballs!

Drop everything and watch this right now!...

It's creepy Miller Time!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 23 July 2006]

"Retribution" is odd and unusual 80's horror, but it's often very scary and you got to admire how director Guy Magar breaks with all the dreadful clichés and stereotypes that marked the decade. The filming locations are hideous, the violence is raw & explicit and the characters are extremely anti-Hollywood. Especially our lead actor Dennis Lipscomb is someone who you'd normally NEVER see as the protagonist in a 80's horror slasher. His character George Miller is an introvert, unattractive and rather pathetic looking loner who lives in a sleazy hotel room and paints macabre stuff for a living. That's something else than the high school prom queen who's stalked by a ridiculously masked killer for being too popular, isn't it? The movie opens with George ready to take a dive from the hotel roof top to end his sad life with suicide. He survives the attempt because, at the exact same moment, his body becomes possessed by the furious spirit of a murdered gambler. When George returns home from the clinic, everyone is very caring and concerned (he even scores with a warm-hearted prostitute that's way out of his league!), yet the homicidal spirit homing inside him makes him commit repulsive murders when he sleeps. "Retribution" is a brave little horror movie, albeit slightly overlong and sometimes focusing too much on the human interest aspects. The special effects, however, are great and the murders are incredibly gory and sadistic! The ghost inside creepy George Miller is obviously VERY upset, as he crushes people's heads with elevators, processes bodies with frozen animal carcasses and slices stomachs. Quite a few sequences in this film definitely aren't for the squeamish! The flashback scene near the end, enlightening us about the gambler's death, is quite shocking and you immediately understand why he's so angry! If I were George, I would even have volunteered to complete the murder cycle! The music and camera-work are also very effective and there are excellent supportive roles for Hoyt Axton ("Gremlins"), Suzanne Snyder ("Killer Klowns from Outer Space") and Leslie Wing ("the Dungeonmaster"). Recommended to fans of solid B-horror.

Above Average, But Could Have Been Better

[ObscureCinema101 · 6/10 · 1 June 2012]

One really good episode of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE that I remember is "Dead Man's Shoes," where an average Joe finds a pair of shoes and decides to put them on. The shoes, however, belonged to a recently deceased mobster, who decides to possess the man and seek revenge on those who sent him to his grave. RETRIBUTION is just like that, only a lot bloodier.

George is a depressed painter who's had it with life. On Halloween night, he jumps off the roof of his apartment building and dies. However, he is brought back by some paramedics, but something isn't quite right with him. Whenever he falls asleep, he has dreams of killing people in gruesome ways, and when he awakens, these people are actually dead. You see, he is now possessed by a mobster who not only shared his birthday, but he was gunned down at the same time George realized he can't fly, so now, the mobster is killing those who killed him. Can George stop him before the killing begins again?

RETRIBUTION is a decent enough watch, but it could have been a whole lot better. Considering this was released in the trash-tastic year of 1987, they managed to have a really intriguing plot, great actors, and good gore effects. Unfortunately, they underplay everything except the actors.

Yes, there is a lot of talking and a lot of character building, which is both a good and a bad thing. Good, because we actually begin to like and connect with the characters. Bad, because it keeps us away from the good stuff.

The kills in RETRIBUTION are all gory, all inventive, and there aren't many of them. There are only four people who gunned down Vito (the mobster), and he doesn't even get his revenge on all of them. There is some great build-up and suspense with the deaths and the "possessed George" is frightening enough to work.

There are a lot of scenes where George's possession takes hold, like when they go to a spiritualist, or when he paints several portraits of the charred Vito (which looks eerily similar to Freddy).

Don't get me wrong; RETRIBUTION is from being a bad movie, it's just not all that great. I liked all the characters, I liked the gore, and the scares were good, it's just that each of these is either underplayed or overplayed. It's "technically" a lot better than most late-eighties direct-to-video garbage; it's just not as entertaining as it should be.

Still, it's worth watching.

Great at Times But in the End Falls on its Face

[CMRKeyboadist · 6/10 · 2 April 2006]

I first saw this movie years ago when it was released on Virgin Video and I seem to remember that it was a pretty scary movie. Years later, in 2006, I finely get to see it again and unfortunately it wasn't as good as I remember it. The premise is a man called George (Lipscomb) decides to commit suicide on Halloween night. He jumps off of an apartment building and barely survives. After spending 3 months in a hospital, George has a new lease on life and kind of starts off with a fresh new start. The problem is when George falls asleep his body is taken over by a spirit with demonic powers and the spirit is out to kill the people who murdered him in life. This is actually a well directed movie with some great acting and good cast. The problem I had with the movie was for one, it is a very dated film. For instance, the music for the movie was so typical of the era it takes away from the seriousness of the story. And the ending seemed way to rushed. This movie runs almost two hours with some great build up to the climax but in the end the movie falls on its face. It is to bad because this really had some great potential and the makers of the film probably could have easily made this a 2 and a half hour movie and still keep your attention. I do, in the long run, recommend this movie because it is still an enjoyable experience. 6/10 stars

You get your money's worth with this effective B picture.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 4 August 2012]

Co-writer / director Guy Magar offers up a sufficient amount of razzle-dazzle in this low budget revenge saga. It's got plenty of atmosphere and special effects, plus an always grim feel to its story. It also gives a rare starring role to Dennis Lipscomb, a veteran of supporting and character parts (in movies like "WarGames", "A Soldier's Story", "Crossroads", and "Under Siege") who'd previously headlined the independent productions "Union City" and "Eyes of Fire". While his performance might not be to all tastes, it can't be argued that he truly gives his all to the role. He plays George Miller, a wimpy, depressed painter who survives a suicidal jump off a building only to find out that there's a scary reason that he survived. Somebody else who perished at the same time (on Halloween night, no less) is determined to get back at those that messed him up, using George's body as his instrument of revenge. Magar makes this a visually arresting experience at all times. For one thing, staging the opening sequence on Halloween night is great because it's a weird image to see a bunch of Halloween masks taking in the spectacle in front of them. Some strong violence is suggested without being shown in any great detail, which could understandably frustrate and disappoint some genre fans, especially as there's a little bit of invention here: one victim is shoved inside an animal carcass and sawed up. The score by John Carpenter associate Alan Howarth is very nicely done. Overall, the story is still reasonably entertaining no matter how familiar its theme may be. Better performances than usual for this sort of thing help, with Leslie Wing as a caring psychiatrist, Suzanne Snyder as your friendly neighbourhood hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold, and singer / actor Hoyt Axton as an investigating detective. (However, if you're an Axton fan, be advised that he doesn't get to do all that much and doesn't even show up until over an hour into the movie.) You may also recognize George Murdock ('Barney Miller') and Harry Caesar ("The Longest Yard" '74) among the supporting cast. At an hour and 49 minutes, this does go on longer than your typical horror movie, but it's nice that Magar actually cares about his characters, making them more than one-dimensional and focusing on adult protagonists and antagonists instead of teenagers. This is a true horror movie, and a fairly intense one, and deserves another look from devotees of the genre. Eight out of 10.

One of the best original horrors produced!

[DjLee-Manchester · 10/10 · 21 September 2004]

Retribution may look a little bit dated compared to up-to-date films, with it's cheesy 80's feel, but that was just the sign of the times.Dawn of the Dead by Romero, is just the same in the out-dated department-but anyone who's seen it will agree it's still one of the best Zombie films to date! Retribution still has an un-beatable original story-line. It is a little known, rare classic. If you enjoy the horror genre, and have not yet seen this classic- try and get a copy. It is an absolute must see for ALL horror enthusiasts.Well recommended. Everyone i have shown it to was well impressed.It's a treat-especially with todays appalling excuses for Horror films. I really do highly rate and recommend this film, and so does everyone i know.

George Miller is possessed by vito Minelli who has homicidal tendencies

[babydave201183 · 9/10 · 9 February 2005]

BY FATE TWO MEN ARE BORN ON THE SAME DAY. BY DESTINY THEY DIE AT EXACTLY THE SAME MOMENT BY A SUPERNATURAL ACT, THEY BOTH COME BACK TO LIFE. ONE GOOD ONE EVIL ONE BODY. George Miller is a timid, gentle man whose failure as an artist drives him to attempt suicide by leaping off the roof of his seedy hotel. Vito Minelli is a small time crook whose treachery results in his brutal execution at the hands of his underworld associates.

Being a true horror fan i have come to know whats the difference between a good horror film and a bad one, and this is a great horror film. A real rare gem of a film. Probably one of the best horror films i have seen and delivers frights and gore at the barrel full. A pretty rare film now and just as hard to get hold of but i recommend anyone who enjoys this genre as much as me to do what you can to get hold of a copy.

Deeper Than You'd Think

[davidkennedy-91087 · 8/10 · 24 January 2020]

Going into Retribution, all I expected was a reasonably entertaining 80's gore fest about some guy with glowing eyes. Those expectations were definitely met, but it gave me a lot more than I'd bargained for.

Retribution will wet anyone's 80's horror whistle, but it also offers an in depth, moving portrait of social isolation and mental illness with an Oscar worthy performance from Dennis Lipscomb. Lipscomb plays a struggling artist who is sent to an asylum after a botched suicide attempt. Little does he know that he died at the exact same time that another man across town was shot and set on fire for owing debts to a bunch of shady characters. Soon, he begins having dreams about this man and that he's going around town, killing all the people responsible for the death.

On the surface, Retribution might seem like another in the long list of Nightmare on Elm Street knock offs. After all, it has the inventive death scenes, the dream sequences, and the burnt man looking for revenge, but it's about so much more than that. This is much more character driven than most horror films of the 80's and you might end up being really moved when all is said and done. It's definitely worth your time.

Nifty 80's indie horror revenge winner

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 15 February 2022]

Depressed loner artist George Miller (a fine and credible performance by late, great character actor Dennis Lipscomb in a rare lead role) attempts to commit suicide by jumping off a building only to survive said suicide attempt. However, George''s body is now possessed by the vengeful spirit of a murdered hoodlum who starts gruesomely bumping off the folks responsible for his untimely death.

Director/co-writer Guy Magar relates the familiar, but still absorbing and effective story at a steady pace, ground the fantastic premise in a believable workaday reality, presents a neat array of colorful secondary characters, makes nice use of various seedy urban locations, stages the kill scenes with grisly aplomb, and delivers a few strong moments of super brutal and gory violence. Moreover, Magar brings a fierce driving urgency to the narrative that gives this picture an extra invigorating kick along with plenty of hair-raising tension.

The excellent acting from a sturdy cast rates as another substantial asset: Leslie Wing as concerned therapist Jennifer Curtis, Suzanne Snyder as sweet hooker Angel, Jeff Pomerantz as meddlesome jerk Dr. Alan Falconer, George Murdock as the no-nonsense Dr. John Talbot, Hoyt Axton as hard-nosed homicide detective Lt. Ashley, and Pamela Dunlap as noisy drunk Sally Benson. Both Alan Howarth's moody synth score and the slick cinematography by Gary Thieltges are up to par. A real sleeper.

Overdone, overly famiiar horror opus

[lor_ · 21 March 2023]

My review was written in October 1987 after watching the movie at a Times Square screening room.

"Retribution" is a hyped-up supernatural horror film, substituting a noisy soundtrack, gore and a fidgety camera for any substance. It stands an okay chance at attracting less discriminating horror audiences during the Halloween season.

As implied by the title, pic concerns the standard revenge from beyond the grave plot. Dennis Lipscomb plays George Miller, who commits suicide, almost dying, jumping from his hotel roof in the pic's protracted (8-minute) prolog. A man who is brutally murdered at the same time (and who shares Miller's April 1 birthdate) seemingly possesses Miller's body, meting out sadistic, gory deaths to his killers while Miller sleeps. Pic's protagonists, including Miller, his kindly and beautiful shrink (Leslie Wing) and stone-faced cop on the case (Hoyt Axton in a bored walk-through) are much slower than the audience in picking up on the obvious clues.

Padded film runs at least two reels too long for its own good, as feature-debuting filmmaker (after tv experience) Guy Magar dwells unwisely on boring plot recap scenes, a silly excursion to a rastaman witch doctor and overly cutesy filler involving Miller's neighbors at the hotel. Film's biggest fault is that despite Lipscomb's technically okay, twitchy performance, the central character is thoroughly unsympathetic and it remains unbelievable that he has so many friends looking out for his welfare.

Explicit gore and blood is laid on to delight the fans, but pic is needlessly ugly, with Fuji color (by United Lab) that is garish with a greenish tint even in "normal" scenes (plus ugly color filters and lighting for effect). Alan Howarth's score is way overdone in a vain attempt to supercharge the visuals, which consist of familiar horror effects. Acting is tolerable, though Suzanne Snyder, playing Miller's prostitute girlfriend, is shrill and campy for the second time in a row, following her "Prettykill" shriekathon role. Finale and some of the effects are overly reminiscent of "The Exorcist", with a very corny final twist.

Underrated B-Horror Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 27 May 2022]

In Los Angeles, the depressive painter George Miller (Dennis Lipscomb) tries to commit suicide, jumping off the roof of the low-budget hotel where he lives. However, he survives and is sent to a mental institution, where the psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Curtis (Leslie Wing) recovers him. But Miller is haunted by dreadful nightmares and Dr. Curtis gives strong sleeping pills to help him. Miller has a surprising welcome party organized by the prostitute Angel (Suzanne Snyder), who is his best friend, owners and other guests. He has a nightmare with a frightening murder of a woman and he wanders through the city and has a sensation of deja vu when he sees a boy and his mother. George visits Dr. Curtis believing that he is possessed by a killer but she does not believe. But he is indeed possessed by a vengeful gangster that was killed by his associates and now is seeking revenge using George Miller.

"Retribution" is an underrated B-horror movie, with a great storyline and performances. The plot does not use clichés, despite the spoiler of the Brazilian title. The cinematography is melancholic most of the time, and George's welcome party is bizarre. The conclusion is sad and fans of films with happy ending will certainly not like. Unfortunately this film was only released on VHS in Brazil. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Possessão Vingativa" ("Vengeful Possession")

COVERS OLD GROUND BUT EXTREMELY ENTERTAINING NONETHELESS

[monstermonkeyhead · 29 November 2004]

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN. This one teeters on the edge of pure cheesiness, and does fall wonderfully overboard into it, but is saved by Dennis Lipscomb's magnetic performance. I couldn't help myself chuckling at much of this movie- and really, that's a good thing. I was especially tickled by its portrayal of streetwise hookers, whose attire resembles that of circus clowns. I also enjoyed the fat lady in curlers with her dog dressed up in human clothes. The plot of someone being possessed by someone else from beyond the grave to exact revenge is as clichéd as they come, but it's still a fun ride here- and that's what I'd compare this movie to: a fun ride. The ride could've been quite unbearable if Dennis Lipscomb did not make it worth getting through. Something about his performance reminded me of Barnabas Collins. Perhaps, it was his walking stick, or maybe his strange haircut. The beating of a dead horse ending was truly ridiculous, and was the perfect way to end this affair. I have to give everybody an A for effort here. I'll definitely be checking out more efforts by Lipscomb and the director. Enjoy!