John Dee Movies

This slow-moving occult thriller has Pamela Sue Martin and hubbie Tim Matheson menaced by a coven of witches when they move to an island off the coast of Massachusetts. Director Carl Schenkel -- who went on to make the interesting Knight Moves -- does the best he can with a tedious script and a lot of miscasting, but it doesn't make the movie any more interesting. It looks like a who's who of '80s sitcoms, with Woody Harrelson, Jeff Conaway, and Inga Swenson along for the evil doings, but some viewers will be rolling on the floor when they see Leave It to Beaver's Barbara Billingsley as a 300-year-old witch. The highlight of the film is an exploding church, which may just be loud enough to wake you up so you can rewind the tape. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Once again, it's horror on a college campus. The difference between this and other entries in the slice-n-dice genre is that bloodflow is minimal and most of the horror occurs off-screen. That is not to say that there are no queasy acts of violence though. Set just before April Fools Day, the story centers on a trio of sorority pledges who attend a dance held at a haunted frat house where two decades before a pledge lost his head in a hazing gone awry. During the party, the dead frat boy rises up from his gravesite (located in the backyard), takes over the body of one of the girl pledges and embarks upon an evening of bloody, inventive revenge using a variety of tools that include but are not limited too garden utensils, electric wires and even a guillotine. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, Mrs. Soffel is set in Pittsburgh near the dawn of the 20th century. Peter Soffel (Edward Herrmann) is the warden of a top security prison, and his wife Kate (Diane Keaton) often comes by to read the Bible aloud to the inmates, despite her fragile health. While making her rounds, she makes the acquaintance of the Biddle Brothers, Ed (Mel Gibson) and Jack (Matthew Modine), who are sentenced to death for murder and robbery. Ed has become something of a celebrity thanks to his letter-writing campaign, in which he appeals in the letter-to-the-editor columns of the popular press to stay the execution of his brother and himself. His good looks, intelligence, and charm make a strong impression on Kate, whose marriage offers her little excitement. In time, Kate finds herself falling in love with Ed, and she discovers that she's unexpectedly receptive to his suggestion that she help him escape. Mrs. Soffel was the first American film from noted Australian filmmaker Gillian Armstrong. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This low-budget ($18,000) amateur, black-and-white film ostensibly tells the story of Benjamin Steiner (Bob Gould) who walks around Los Angeles looking for someone to kill, though he never seems able to make up his mind about which victim looks best. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide