Night of the Bastard (2022) User Reviews

Not bad, not good. Just a fun surprise.

[r_manmdy · 5/10 · 31 January 2023]

I went into this without knowing one thing about it.

And it turned out to be pretty good fun.

Ok, it's not the biggest surprise. But the movie kept me entertained the whole time.

The anti hero Reed had his heart in the right place.

Starting of as a grumpy, lonely, alcoholic nobody somewhere in a dessert. With fresh reluctance he's going to help the damsel in distress Kierra.

Trying to save her, and himself, from some sort of cult with strange rituals (who don't believe in guns)...

The story isn't flawless and the members of the coven/cult are indeed pretty dumb. But the story kept the pace going. With a little bit of humor sprinkled into it.

I wish they did more with Creed's OCD... The practical fx are alright And the last scene gave me a big smile, all though pretty grimm.

You go Marlon!!!

Fun old style horror

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 18 January 2023]

Reed (London May, yes, the drummer/bassist in Danzig's band Samhain) lives in a trailer in the middle of nowhere, getting bombed on his homemade mead and hanging out with his only friend, Marlon the turtle. He has a lot of land and just wants left alone, so when he kicks Pete (Cesar Cipriano), Kiera (Mya Hudson) and George (Philip Rossi) off his property, it's on brand. And then they stumble into a Satanic ritual and things go south -- of Heaven -- for everyone.

Only Kiera survives and the high priestess Claire (Hannah Pierce) and her followers give chase all the way to Reed's place. As they start to attack his trailer, he has to get out of this night alive and hopefully protect this stranger he barely knows.

Directed by Eric Boccio and written by Christian Ackerman and Chuck Foster from a story by Boccio and May, Night of the Bastard is a violent and fun throwback to the Satanic shockers of the 70s, opening with a ritual by hippies, one that isn't completed and must wait until now to be recast. May's character is just caught up in it -- or so it seems -- and his survival skills come in handy when dealing with an army of hooded devil lovers.

As you know, I love movies like The Devil's Rain!, so this film was pretty much made for me. It has some nice practical effects, a bad ass hero and an intoxicating villain who sadly has some pretty dumb coven members. What can you do? Finding the right people these days is so difficult for everyone.

Bonus points for the last shot and the triumphant return of Marlon.

Low-Key Gory Throwback to the late 70's...

[KolobosRexx · 10/10 · 28 February 2024]

...Stumbled across this on Tubi and Loved it! Gritty, fun homage to the 70"s and 80's Satanic/Cult- panic films of that time period, such as "The Devil's Rain", "The Devil Rides Out", and "Hack-O-Lantern", along with "siege"-films like "The Hills Have Eyes" and "Assault On Precinct 13"!

Reed plays a troubled loner living in isolation in the desert, who gets pulled into a mess of epic consequences when a wounded camper-lady forces her way into his home, following the Slaughter of her friends by the zealot demon-worshipping cult, now hot on her heels and determined to "include" her in their ritual,.. For Worse!

Led by the vivacious and hopelessly mad Claire, the cultists aren't the most competent or Intimidating, but make up for it with sheer fixated determination! What follows is a harrowing night of violence and hopelessness, with a surprising (but not ultimately unexpected) revelation and display of mad depravity, and a bleak but ironically humorous finale.

This was a surprisingly impressive feature directorial debut, with great performances and a ton of gory practical effects! Highly recommended!