The Dark Power
I’m not going to say there’s a night-and-day difference in “The Dark Power” with the other Phil Smoot film Kino Cult is releasing at their launch, “Alien Outlaw,” but of the two films the director made back-to-back in the mid-’80s, “The Dark Power” is a movie I can see myself putting on again and appreciating the cheesiness of, and “Alien Outlaw” was simply awful. Neither film is what I would consider “good,” exactly, but “The Dark Power” at least feels as though it has an internal logic to it.
Shot in North Carolina, “The Dark Power” is very much a product of the 1980s, with a plot right out of the 1950s. It begins with the death of a local Native American, John “Four Eagles” Cody, whose last word was simply, “Toltec.” The Toltecs were a civilization that is thought of as Mexican, but evidently- according to the movie- there were some in the Americas a thousand years ago. They practiced some dark magic, evidently, and- when buried alive- a curse was put on the land. A reporter is using Cody’s death to explore the legends of the land, with the assistance of a local ranger (Lash LaRue), while a relative of Cody’s is looking to exploit the land, leasing his house to a group of local college girls.
I feel like, if one were to listen to the commentaries by Smoot and the cast and crew on “The Dark Power,” there might be some genuine affection for this film, which does have some of the same exploitative kick “Alien Outlaw” did- especially as we see the girls in the house- but also has a story that doesn’t lean on it. “The Dark Power” has a bit of a detective angle in terms of figuring out the mystery of Cody’s final word, even when the college girls become a bit more of a focus. As I was watching the film, I couldn’t help but think of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” episode, “Pangs,” which also dealt with Native demons with a grudge. This film doesn’t have the interest in being politically correct when it comes to ancient demons attacking white people- and with racism this direct towards the Black girl living in the house, it’s not really interested in being politically correct period- but the Toltec demons are ridiculously silly in a way that brings to mind the 1950s monster movies this film is obviously inspired by. I don’t know if I needed a bullwhip duel between LaRue’s character and one of the demons that goes on for 3-5 minutes, but it’s a goofy enough scene to keep this film crazy and entertaining.
In addition to the commentaries, there’s a featurette about the film including director and cast interviews, as well as a separate interview with the film’s editor, Sherwood Jones. “The Demon Power” is not high art, but it was fun to watch. It’s worth checking out if you enjoy a good, silly horror film.
