Equinox...more like Equi-Rocks!

If equinox by definition refers to a point in time celestial bodies are in alignment, Equinox the film is the initial alignment of three cinematic powerhouses. Dennis Muren, Jim Danforth, David Allen - If you think you haven't seen any of their work, think again. Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Howling, The Hunger, The Hulk, Jurassic Park...if you've seen any one of these films you are familiar with some of their work. These three men have all been Oscar nominated for their achievements in the realm of special effects; a world that they inherited from special effects pioneers Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen. Equinox is the $6,500 film project that represents the humble origins of these three artists.

That being said, I don't want to mislead you into thinking that Equinox is a polished, jaw-dropping, special effects extravaganza, for it is not. The film caters to a specific taste: it is a classic Lovecraftian tale with our protagonists finding a book of evil that leads them into a world of dark minions threatening their very sanity, and it is a B-movie that many viewers may prefer seeing behind the wisecracking silhouettes of the MST3K cast. Still, the film is a testament to the fact that talent and hard work will get results. There is also something refreshing behind the concept of making an effects dependent film clock in around 90 minutes. Those were the days!

The Criterion Collection DVD of this film contains two version, the 1967 film as made by these young entrepeneurs and the 1970 "polished" theatrical release. I watched the 1970 theatrical release and then went back and checked out the four major effects scenes as they were original cut in the 1967 version...this seemed to work really well. I also highly recommend taking the extra seven minutes to check out the Forrest J. Ackerman interview.

Also, if you are looking for more good times from these three wizards of film, check out the classic camp Flesh Gordon.

Same to same,

Capt. Patrick Hendry