Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Tromafreak Warlock shmorlock!! The Warlocks never showed up. Come to think of it, neither did the moon. Can't say I'm surprised. Despite the unfitting, yet semi-cool title, I just love these ultra-obscure 70's slashers, like The Night God Screamed. They always manage to capture the essence of horror perfectly, without even trying. Also known as Bloody Spa, Warlock Moon is a cross between The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Hansel and Gretel. About some girl (Laurie Walters from 8 is enough fame) who meets some guy (Joe Spano from other stuff) who thinks he's really good at European accents (like Mike Myers). Some girl agrees, which is strangely enough for some guy to win her over. After a quaint little picnic, the new lovebirds drive out to an abandoned health spa, out in the middle of nowhere, which, in itself is kinda weird. There, they meet some old woman, who's just a bit too friendly to be trustworthy. A few days later, The lovebirds return (why, I don't know) to the spa. This time, their visit doesn't go as planned, although, who the hell knows what they had planned? As far as what actually happens, something about Witchcraft, cannibalism... and an axe, it gets more confusing as the movie progresses, but whatever happens is definitely worth sitting through. As far as unknown 70's horror gems go, this one is hardly the best, but not nearly the worst. Despite zero character development, and some rather awkward acting, Warlock Moon turns out to be some very decent, interesting horror, low-budget or not. A nice location, plot-holes for mystery, some twists, and an all-around Gothic feel. Besides that, your pal and mine, Joe Bob Briggs offers us yet another entertaining, and informative audio commentary track, courtesy of Shriek Show, and that alone makes it all worth it, regardless the movie. Unfortunately, only those who specifically search for that next B-classic would give this one a chance, I suppose, that's all apart of the charm. Recommend it to anyone who can spot quality horror in bad cinema. 7/10

jimtinder "Warlock Moon" offered B-movie suspense, coupled with a small budget. The film was made in my hometown of Livermore, CA in 1972, but was held from release until 1975 because of reasons already commented upon by another poster.The premiere was held at the Vine Cinema in Livermore. As I recall, the theater was packed with teens, mostly from the two high schools in town (Livermore and Granada). It was on a double bill with "The Other." Girls screamed in horror throughout the film, although in hindsight the film had little horror. One teen got tired of the screaming, and told the audience to shut up, which brought some laughs.It was interesting to see scenes of Livermore on the screen...the public library, the abandoned TB center, the old Vineyard shopping center. If you grew up in Livermore in the 70s, you might remember this little film.

Greensleeves This appears to be the only film Bill Herbert made which is a great pity as it shows a lot of promise. He wrote, produced and directed this thriller about a naive young student Jenny (Laurie Walters) who allows herself to be picked up by journalist John (Joe Spano). On a picnic date they find themselves at an abandoned health spa where the only occupant is a kind grey haired old lady Agnes (Edna MaCafee). However, nothing is what it seems and soon Laurie is in mortal danger. The two leads are excellent in this hodgepodge of witchcraft, cannibalism and axe wielding maniacs. The photography helps along the spooky atmosphere immensely and the editing is excellent. Unfortunately the bad points outweigh the good ones, the script is muddled, the music score is all over the place and the actress playing the old lady over does it dreadfully. It is much to the credit of Bill Herbert that he manages to create an atmosphere of nightmarish uncertainty despite the obvious constraints of a very low budget.

arion1 The premise of Warlock Moon is actually pretty simple: girl meets intriguing boy, boy courts her, takes her to a mysterious building, strange things happen, mystery becomes terrifying and then not so, and then ends in a scream. In effect, this is a Gothic Mystery!Gothic stories always center around an old ruin or haunted building which acts as a center of mystery. The plot device serves to ratchet up the tension by challenging the heroine (sometimes a hero, but not often) to distinguish between what is real, and what is a result of their own nervousness. H.P. Lovecraft used the same sort of device in his famous horror stories. A proper Gothic creates its own atmosphere of mystery and creeping terror. Unlike a mystery, however, a Gothic tale also has an element of romance in it; if, however, the romance can survive the fear that ensues.Warlock Moon fails, however, because the characters never really emerge from their cardboard-cutout status. It's hard to root for the heroine, Jenny McAllister, because you always want more from her. She foresees the poisoned drink, but never quite breaks free from the mysterious events surrounding her. Compounding the problem is the stultifying pace of the film. Sometimes it seems as though the actors themselves are deliberately moving slowly so as to use up time blocks. It doesn't help that at times the picture seems to have a "frosted glass" effect on the fringes of the screen, adding to the Gothic feel of the movie.Filmed in the small town of Livermore, California, the movie still has a bit of celebrity status in that community. When Warlock Moon had finished production, it had a Grand Opening show at the local Vine Theater. All the local residents including notables like the mayor made a great show of attending the premiere screening. Of course the film bombed, which made the event all the more enjoyable, sort of in the style of MST3K!The setting for the film's climax was at an abandoned tuberculosis treatment facility, which burned down about ten years later. That area is now the site of Camp Arroyo, and is almost unrecognizable from the mysterious ruins shown in Warlock Moon.A member of the Livermore Heritage Guild, a local historical society, is looking for a copy of Warlock Moon for posterity's sake. He has asked me to relay word to any other filmmakers that he's also looking forward to seeing a much better film made in Livermore.