THE APOCALYPSE ONLY COST FIVE BUCKS

Growing up a young horror fan in the true golden age of cinema was quite a luxury. As soon as I discovered the joys of horror films that would feed my craving for terror with many classic films of the genre, I also found myself seeking out the more obscure films. Often times these titles would be rip-offs or variations on themes of those more well known films.

Psycho. Night of the living dead. Rosemary’s baby. The Exorcist. The Omen. All classics of horror cinema that would inspire several derivatives. Some good, and some not so good. Even cooler about many films of such a nature would be their showcasing of once a-list talent in roles battling various slashers, demons, and spiritual entities.

In the case of the Omen, a significant plus for this ground breaking and terrifying thriller would be its cast. Most notably its leads, Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Both of these actors had been quite prestigious in their day. I certainly think actors such as these can elevate a film to an entirely new level of enjoyment.

One of the films that was notorious for being somewhat of an Omen rip-off was the 1977 film The Chosen.

Though not strictly a rip-off, this film is more so one of those variations. It takes the familiar themes of the Anti-Christ, the apocalypse, and having a devil of an apple hanging on your family tree and mixes in its own twist on plot. Nuclear energy.

In the 70's, Italian cinema was an undisputed king of making films of such a caliber. Zombies. Witches. Satan. Slashers. All got their work out from several plates of celluloid spaghetti served up all over the world to film fans.

In my young horror fan days I would discover many of these films because they tended to play at one of the local cinemas. The Chosen looked quite appetizing.

Starring none other than Kirk Douglas, it has proven to be an enjoyable and for many years quite elusive thriller for me.

I remember seeing it at the theater upon its release in 1977, only to have it pretty much vanish from sight. I happened to be cruising through a film selection at a video store nearly ten years later and saw a film called The Chosen, snapped it up and took it home to enjoy all over again. But the Chosen that I wound up renting was not the film I had seen as a child. This film actually turned out to be a drama about the upbringing of a Jewish boy.

A few years later I would be in even another video store, and run across a movie called Holocaust 2000 in the horror section. I picked up the box. Kirk Douglas. Interesting.

I read the jacket and was overjoyed to discover this was the film I had seen many years ago.

Nearly twenty years have passed since that second viewing and the movie had seemed to escape from my grasp but never from my memory. I love movies like this and enjoy anytime I get to see them all of these years later, as it is not only re-visiting a good film but as well a part of my youth. Maybe sometimes these films do not live up to expectations and have been singed a little bit with time. But they take me back and always manage to bring a smile to my lips even before the credits have rolled.

The first two times I saw this movie were both brought on accidentally, so it only made sense as well that I would manage to stumble across it again all of these years later.

I found myself standing in line at best buy a few weeks ago and just happened to look down towards a box of budget DVDs that was conveniently situated right in front of me. On the top of the pile was a movie called Rain of Fire. Kirk Douglas again.

I thought about how I had never heard of this film and curiosity and boredom from standing in line caused me to pick the case up and give it a once over. I nearly started jumping up and down for joy in the store. As soon as I began reading the box I knew right away this film was actually The Chosen . . . . Errr, Holocaust 2000 . . . . . Ummm. . . . Rain of fire. Yep. For five bucks!

So, once again I am afforded the viewing of a film that I remember quite enjoying many years ago. Does it hold up against time? Sure does. Not a great movie by any means, but not as bad as some reviewers have labeled it.

Douglas is industrialist Robert Caine, who is heading a project to build a nuclear power plant. He discovers that the power plant will result in the apocalypse but his son has commandeered the project and has no intention of doing anything but move forward.

Meanwhile, anybody who threatens this project finds themselves on the wrong end of a gruesome tragedy.

The movie is certainly not anything spectacular, but it has several interesting enough elements that keep things happening at a decent pace and there are a few really great scenes. A personal favorite is a prime minister who will be considered a thorn in the side to all that is nuclear and he finds himself in the path of a helicopter blade, in a great death scene that pre-dates the helicopter decapitation in Dawn of the Dead by a year.

After the violent death of Douglas’s wife, he falls in love with a beautiful young journalist, and upon impregnating her he learns that she may or may not be carrying the devil's son.

The happenings stay popping and give the cast plenty of opportunities to have some fun, but it is Douglas who surely has the most. Particularly in a bizarre dream sequence where he runs around naked and bears witness to the rising of the apocalyptic vision.

I always enjoy watching films from my childhood and this one was no exception. It's briskly paced. Has some cool gory moments. A little nudity. Don't worry, Douglas is not the only exterior that we are treated to, as actress Agostina Bell gets quite comfortable in the love scene. There is also yet another great score from ace composer Ennio Morricone.

Not anything that is going to rivet you or blow your mind completely, but if you're looking for a little anti-Christ to get your apocalyptic groove on, this film has a steady beat and should keep you pumping for its 102 minutes running time.

***Original post date 8/23/2010***