Doctor Mordrid (1992)

Charles Band’s Full Moon Pictures put out a lot of stuff that I love. Which makes it odd that I think that this might be the first Full Moon movie that I’ve covered for the Horror Dude Blog. Ghoulies was an Empire Pictures (Band’s earlier company) so it probably is. I can guarantee you it won’t be the last.

The new Blu-Ray is a must have

The movie stars genre icon Jeffrey Combs as the titular Doctor Mordrid. He has spent decades living in New York City protecting the Earth from the forces of evil. Primarily Kabal and his army of demons. Even though Kabal is locked up in an extra dimensional prison there is always a chance he could escape. Which he does. How else could there be a movie if he doesn’t? Kabal’s goal is to collect the raw materials needed to cast a spell to free his army, so he can unleash Hell on Earth. Of course, Mordrid is out to stop him.

This should be a much simpler task than it turns out to be. The cops get involved while investigating a murder that Kabal committed to acquire the blood of a young lady (a necessary spell component). The only clue is the strange symbol burned onto her forehead. The detective in charge of the investigation is pointed towards our hero as an expert in all things occult. But as soon as he sees the same symbol on Mordrid’s medallion he arrests him and tossed his keister in jail. Luckily, he makes his escape and the two have a showdown in the museum where Kabal has located his last ingredient for the spell. Cue the stop motion T-Rex and Mastodon fight!

This is a quick movie that clocks in at a tight seventy-four minutes. The pacing is great with every scene moving the story along. The characters are interesting, we get a little exposition on the Mordrid and Kabal story. I did find it odd that this happens so late in the movie, but it does get there before the big finale at the museum. It would have been nice to have a better idea of what was going down earlier. It would also have been nice to get a bit more development of the supporting characters. These are both minor complaints that don’t take away from my overall enjoyment of Doctor Mordrid. 

Stop motion throw down!

I’m a huge fan of Jeffrey Combs, so I’m inclined to like this movie. He can make even the most unwatchable crap fun. When he is given something to work with it is a blast, which is what Doctor Mordrid is. Combs is perfectly cast as the kind-hearted sorcerer waiting to do battle with his nemesis. To be honest the material is silly, but he sells it. Brain Thompson is also great as the villain Kabal. He could have gone over the top but doesn’t. Instead we get a genuinely scary bad guy here that just wants to destroy the world. Is that really too much to ask?

The special effects are surprisingly good. We get some green screen work when they travel to the alternate dimension that is solid. There isn’t much gore as we see one gunshot in a simple effect. The real highlight is the stop motion animation used to bring the skeletal T-Rex and Mastodon to life as our sorcerers use them as proxies in their battle with each other. There is also a small but nifty bit with the demons from Kabal’s army that also appears to be stop motion. Honest to God I love this sort of work so much more than CGI.

Doctor Mordrid is a great movie that I highly recommend. I watched the new Blu-Ray release from Full Moon Pictures. The picture is amazing, and we get a couple special features that makes it worth the purchase price. Go get yourself a copy and watch it right now.

© Copyright 2018 John Shatzer

Road Trip to the Canton Palace Theater – The Three Stooges Film Fest April 2018

Oh yes, it is that time of the year again when all the Knuckleheads gather to watch four classic Stooges shorts, raffle off some cool prizes, and watch the best Curly Shufflers do their thing on the stage of the classic Palace Theater in beautiful downtown Canton Ohio.

The shindig took place on a Friday night. So, I worked all day with one eye on the clock. Even at my advanced age I get very excited about these events. Heck it makes me feel like a kid again. When I got out of work I jumped in the car and headed out to the theater. Sadly, I was flying solo because all of my friends suck! And some of them had to work… I arrived at the Palace, purchased my ticket, found a good seat, and settled in for the fun.

The first short was Grips, Grunts, and Groans. This was a Curly short and follows the boys as they end up in a real pickle. Tasked with keeping a wrestler sober and ready to fight they of course screw it up. The gamblers who hired them aren’t happy, so the boys decide to substitute Curly in. He is a terrible wrestler, until he smells a certain type of perfume and then he goes all “Woo Woo Woo”. Much mayhem ensues. The second short was Dizzy Doctors. Here the boys are given an ultimatum by their wives to get jobs or get out! They stumble upon salesmen jobs hawking Brighto. Is it a shoe polish? Maybe a spot remover? Nope it is medicine, but they don’t find out until some hilarious accidents happen.

After the second short it was time for intermission. Picked up some candy, watched the Curly Shuffle contest, and didn’t win anything at the raffle. Though that is okay since it all goes to support the Palace Theater. I really do love this place. The lights dimmed again, and the last two shorts of the night started.

Short number three was Three Dumb Clucks. This time the Stooges are locked up in prison and get a letter from their mother. Their dear old Dad has divorced her and is going to marry a young chickadee who is after his money. They break out to stop him and of course goofy things happen. Here Curly pulls double duty as both one of the brothers and their father. This leads to an awesome bit of mistaken identity that is one of the greatest gags I’ve ever seen them do involving an elevator and some stairs. The last one of the night was Back to the Woods. In olden days, aka. Pilgrims, the boys are banished from England for crimes and sent to the colonies to defend them from the savages. This means they end up doing battle with the Indians while trying to hunt for food. By battle I mean a lot of people get hit on the noggin’ with clubs.

Four Curly shorts and no Shemp? That is kind of a bummer. While I’m a much bigger fan of Curly I do like a Shemp short now and again. I also realized that they played these in the order they were made as they are twenty thru twenty-three. That makes sense why they all featured Curly. I think I’d rather they be more random in the selections, but beggars can’t be choosers and some Stooges is better than no Stooges. If you get the chance to check out one of the events at the Canton Palace Theater do so. It is well worth your time.

© Copyright 2018 John Shatzer