1992 Directed by Eric Swelstad
Single father Paul Henson purchases a newspaper in the small town of Copperton, Ohio and moves there with his teenage daughter Christina. The two soon come to realize the townsfolk, led by the evil Reverend Donovan, are actually Satanists.
USA
USA
This feels a bit too long and it needed way more Linnea Quigley, but at least she has two (2) topless scenes
A reporter moves into a small town and discovers EVERYONE IS A SATANIST. Features an altar "Made of bones of newborn babies sacrificed to Satan for his gift of power, and the hope of his gift of strength."
BLOOD CHURCHis most famous for being an unreleased film and has finally been unleashed on Blu-ray under the title HEARTLAND OF DARKNESS (Its original title was FALLEN ANGELS) by the tremendous Visual Vengeance label (After years of people trying, including Jim Wynorski), and the result is... Pretty solid! It's a little long in the tooth, and the set pieces sometimes leave something to be desired, but the way it goes off the rails in the finale put a smile on my face…
“Your sick game is over.”
“No, my foolish friend. It’s just begun.”
Not sure if it’s because I’m tired tonight and my brain is only half charged, but I couldn’t figure out of this movie is just plain bad or a self aware goof. Either way, there were tons of head shaking laughs to be had, so it’s entertainment value is pretty high regardless. Watch for any scene involving the f-bomb dropping constantly angry sheriff and the the young satanic reverend giving his best Laurence Olivier performance. Also try to disregard the fact that the newspaper editor and his daughter appear to be within the same age group. Movie magic.
The Visual Vengeance BD is packed with physical goodies. VHS stickers, a mini Linnea Quigley poster and an official movie tie-in prayer cloth!
"I want their souls"
This small town evil dripping regional thriller sees Nick Baldasare from the almighty Beyond Dreams Door as a walnut cracking Satanic priest with an entire town in his grip and it's pretty fucking awesome. Birthed of blood rituals on an altar of bones and dead babies the dark magic released churns out a cult full of vile intentions and sunglasses wearing henchmen gutting, mutilating and slitting anyone who puts their plan at risk. A constant mixture of thriller, horror and action with some decent gore and plenty of trash dramatics keeps it lively and entertaining throughout as well as Linnea Quigley in a small role stripping down like only Linnea Quigley can do. Great to see Visual Vengeance digging this lost treasure up and putting on the final touches so those who dare dwell to its depths can witness its glory.
There is much joy to be found in inept regional horror, and there is an even greater elation to be had in cheap, regional horror where the production tried hard enough to mask their inherent limitations that it almost resembles a real movie... as long you ignore the stilted acting (Linnea Quigley excluded). It's such a loss that the original 16mm footage is likely MIA, because while this was a major boon for WildEye's Visual Vengeance line, I can just imagine the potential of Heartland of Darkness as part of the Vinegar Syndrome Pictures label, with all the spit and polish that comes with it. The best way to sum it all up is that this was the movie John De Hart wanted to make, and not the movie he ended up making.
Apparently this was the "lost" Linnea Quigley horror film originally made in 1989 and never officially/fully released until last year....and it's pretty much what you'd expect from a 1989 Quigley flick, both the positives and negatives of that qualification. It's a good thing that it was released because I'd guess that most horror fans (and no one else) would enjoy this as a solid if unexceptional addition to the retro Quigley canon—an actress who this further evidences probably holds the world title for public graveyard nudity. The unveiled movie known as Heartland of Darkness is full Satanic Panic schlock with pleasingly disorienting closeups/editing and decent atmosphere, Shot on grainy 16mm with a full attempt at a storyline, a shirtless mullet…
"Please Paul! It's important!"
Fuck yeah it is! Satanic panic in the heartlands. No frills brain bending oddity filled with over the top performances and minimal amounts of cheap gore and boobs. Dusty bottom shelf clam shell delight. Has an uncanny upbeat Andy Milligan vibe. In other words, straight trash. Highlights include a shirtless Ravishing Rick Rude look alike with a blow torch and an old Toyota Corolla GT-S with bulletproof glass. Sound fun? Why yes, yes it does. Watched alone with my cat and a cheap bottle of wine. What a life!
Who would have thought that a satanic panic movie could be sooo boring.
Do yourself a favor and watch Hack O Lantern instead.
I used to work at a smalltown newspaper in Ohio and this is exactly what it was like.
If you were wondering what Linnea Quigley's boobs looked like in the early 90s (roles for her did start to dry up during this time), then you might be willing to kill 37 minutes of work print scenes from this unreleased unfinished flick. Linnea plays a teacher (but still dresses /rocks out like its 1986) in a small town and has two topless scenes and a death scene. There's also some light devil worship sacrifice bondage, but little blood.& really not quite enough footage for any kind of arc.
No Score (Unfinished Film)
All that remains of the unfinished horror film "Blood Church" is a thirty-seven workprint that miraculously made it onto YouTube. Linnea Quigley and Nick Baldesare (of "Beyond Dream's Door") star, with the latter as the cult leader antagonist. This version includes some character setup and a climax. Baldesare has clearly improved as an actor since his work with Woelfel and Quigley has a nude scene, which will make this a must-watch for a certain kind of fan. It probably would not have been a good movie if finished but "Blood Church" remains an intriguing curio of 90s horror.
Watched on YouTube (Phone or Laptop; HD).
Up Next: The Wizard of Oz
Better made than I’d figure from Visual Vengeance, which isn’t a knock on their output, but rather the quality of the filmmaking involved in Heartland of Darkness. It is competent and delivers some effective gore in necessary places. The music from Jay Woelful is too present, but it does liven up a plot that is largely running from one place to the next without making much headway in an investigation, which is really what holds the movie back. It lacks the mystery to warrant so much lollygagging about. This ain’t The Wicker Man; it’s Blood Church! Good to see Linnea Quigley here doing her usual thing, and Nick Baldasare hams it up as the villainous Donovan. It isn’t a enjoyable bad movie, but it is an enjoyable good movie with some pacing issues holding it back.
Added to:
• 1992 Horror — D Edward Ranks (24 / 39)
• Visual Vengeance — D Edward Ranks (3 / 4)
