Equinox (1970)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Jack Woods

Writers:

Mark Thomas McGee (story)
Jack Woods (writer)

Release Date:

October 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Adventure | Mystery

Tagline:

Supernatural Color by De Luxe

Plot:

Four friends are attacked by a demon while on a picnic, due to possession of a tome of mystic information. Told in flashbacks by the sole survivor.

Plot Keywords:

Skeleton | H.P. Lovecraft | Supernatural | Book Made Of Human Skin | Book

Cast

Edward Connell	...	David Fielding
Barbara Hewitt	...	Susan Turner
Frank Bonner	...	Jim Hudson (as Frank Boers, Jr.)
Robin Christopher	...	Vicki
Jack Woods	...	Asmodeus
James Phillips	...	Reporter Sloan
Fritz Leiber Jr.	...	Dr. Arthur Waterman (as Fritz Leiber)
Patrick Burke	...	Branson
Jim Duron	...	Orderly
Sharon Gray
Louis Clayton
Norvelle Brooks
Irving L. Lichtenstein

Also Known As:

The Beast
The Equinox... A Journey Into the Supernatural (USA) (restored version)

Runtime:

80 min | 71 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 | UK:X (1971) | Norway:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:Open (rating surrendered) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Tonylyn Productions Inc.

Trivia:

The sound effect used in the transition scenes is the saucer sound from Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Support wires are visible on the Taurus figure and rocks during the rock-throwing sequence.

Quotes:

[first lines]
David Fielding: Susan? Susan! Su - !

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nightmare Theatre's Late Night Chill-o-Rama Horror Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

Check Out The Criterion Edition

Bad, good, it doesn't matter. This is one of the great film labors of love. Rent the criterion edition and do as I did. Listen to the commentary over the Muren cut of the film. Then Switch to the Jack Harris, Jack Woods commentary over their cut. I was under the false impression as I watched the kids cut that Woods did not add much when he made his cut. Watching Woods cut you see how much effort went into shaping the final theatrical cut. It's amazing that the actors, unpaid for 2 years, already constantly returning to remote sets to incrementally add to to the shot count, would ALL reassemble for the extra shots that Woods would want to add. Listening to Muren, Danforth and McGee knock their own acting and talent is a real crack up. Everyone involved obviously loved the doing of this film. I am still impressed by the high quality of illusion achieved, especially the forced perspective work and the matte painting by Danforth.