Brought to us by producer Ed Carlin and co-producers Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna, who gave us haunted house horrors The Evil and The Changeling, Superstition is yet another supernatural offering set in and around a creepy old property. This time around, the spooky shenanigans are accompanied by a whole handful of creative, bloody deaths, and lots of jump scares (probably in an attempt to draw in the slasher crowd)—a good job since the plot is an often illogical mish-mash of hoary old horror clichés.

In 1692, a witch is executed—drowned in a pond, and trapped there with a crucifix. For almost three hundred years, the evil woman's spirit is the cause of violent deaths in and around the nearby church-owned property. When Reverand George Leahy (Larry Pennell) and his family move into the old house, the witch soon starts to cause trouble, now even more powerful thanks to the removal of the crucifix during the dredging of the pond. Reverand David Thompson (James Houghton) discovers the truth behind the killings and tries to put an end to the witch once and for all.

The film opens in terrific style with a juicy double death scene: having played a prank on a courting couple (thereby providing the film with the first of many jump scares),a pair of pranksters meet their fate in the creepy property, one being decapitated, his severed head exploding inside a microwave oven, the other getting chopped in two by a sash window. Several other macabre set-pieces follow in quick succession, including the hanging of an electrician in an elevator shaft and the death of a priest, a circular saw blade spinning into his chest and exiting through his back.

Also adding to the fun: Sheryl and Ann (Maylo McCaslin and Heidi Bohay),sexy teenage daughters of Reverand Leahy, going down to the pond for a spot of fun in the sun (wearing bikinis, naturally),only for one of them to be grabbed around the ankle by a severed hand; a flashback to the trial of the witch that allows for some silly Exorcist style guttural utterings, a few cool facial bladder effects, and the sight of a priest being crushed in a wine press; some memorable visuals with impressive lighting effects (somewhat reminiscent of Argento); Reverand Thompson's surprised expression every time he uses the crucifix to open (or blow up) a locked door; George having his face lacerated by flying shards of glass from an exploding mirror; Sheryl getting nailed through the head with a big spike; and blonde daughter Ann (Heidi Bohay) running around in skimpy silk night-gear.

One of the few actually scary horror films made in the 1980s, SUPERSTITION pushes all the right buttons. While the uninspired plot just strings along a series of violent murders, the film manages to convey an atmosphere of terror - and of the unknown. The supernatural entity which commits all the murders is kept masked, enshrouded in darkness for the entire film, making it seem eerie and faceless, and of course all the more frightening.

It's rare when an effective film like this comes along, so its not to be taken lightly. As well as the genuine thrills there are also plenty of violent, gory death scenes to liven things up, and despite the low budget these can rival (and better) any modern-day production. From the powerhouse opening where a severed head explodes in a microwave (it has to be seen to be believed) and a boy is literally cut in two by a window, you know that this is going to be an entertaining film. And it sure is.

As well as the aforementioned gruesome activities we also get a show-stopping moment where a circular saw breaks, flies across the room to drill through a priest's chest. Another poor victim has a stake hammered through her chest, while a scaly hand takes care of the rest of the cast. The bleakness and pessimism of this film is summoned up by the shock ending in which the final survivor is also killed. The inappropriate musical score is probably the worst thing in this film, but luckily it doesn't intrude and detract from any of the key scenes. Influences from THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and THE OMEN are clear, but kept fresh.

None of the actors here are famous, proving that you don't always need a star name to have a good film. For a change I liked a lot of characters in this film, and nobody was too wooden. The most engaging of the lot is the gruff detective who looks like a cross between J.T. Walsh and Ned Beatty. The hero is quite bland but likable, and also the father of the family living in the house, who himself is a reverend, is believable: he drinks, and when he hears his wife screaming hesitates in fear before trying to rescue her. The realistic reactions of a man in this situation.

Still, there's no need to worry about the quality of acting when you have people hanging in lift shafts, severed arms grabbing the legs of a young swimmer, and a man impaled by broken glass. On top of this there's a suspenseful finale where the sole survivor is menaced by the silhouette of a monstrous witch. These factors help to make SUPERSTITION an effective, gory, frightening and above all enjoyable shocker.

Once upon a time, a witch was condemned to death by the local clergy. Her body was thrown in a pond and a cross was thrown in after her, to keep her really upset. Many years later (like 300) she has returned -- and death awaits anyone who comes near her ancestral home. Very nasty death!

This film is what a horror film should be, especially an 80s horror film. We have attractive ladies, a Catholic priest, a church administrator (who is not a priest and is free to enjoy the ladies),a witch... and some death scenes that are not flawless (some are cheesy),but are definitely creative. This isn't a masterpiece or a legendary film, but it's one worth seeing if you notice it at the video store.

Let me give you a few examples: one man is decapitated (which is bad enough),and his head is put in the microwave! One time I put a Furby in a microwave, and I know what happens to cats in the microwave... so I knew what was coming from the human head! Oh my! Not much later, a buzz saw goes loose and buries itself in a man's chest until it burrows out of his back! Wow! These scenes aren't realistic (they could never happen in real life),but they really spark the dark parts of our imagination.

Bad dreams show up, flashbacks take place and a man of less than normal intelligence guards the witch ("his mistress") and will stop at nothing to save her. The church administrator must consult an old book -- the logbook of a church that no longer exists -- to ward away the witch! Oh, it's so dreamy! And unlike "Horror Rises From the Tomb" (where a warlock returns),this film doesn't take itself so seriously -- allowing us to just lay back and enjoy, like most films should be watched...

There's not much to say about this one because it's not really a film meant to be critiqued. No great score, no A-list acting... just a fun time. If that's what you want -- a horror movie with a sense of humor, but without being actually funny -- you want this movie. Rent it, buy it... get some popcorn and a bottle of whiskey. Drink a Coke Zero. You're going to have yourself a party!