Satan's Storybook (1989) (V)

User Rating:

3.4/10   

Director:

Michael Rider

Writers:

Steven K. Arthur (writer)
Michael Rider (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Adult

Tagline:

From the Burning Depths of Hell Comes a Devil's Tale!

Plot:

A two-part horror anthology, the first part about a serial killer who is executed for his string of murders, the second about a despondent actor who hangs himself and meets a clown on "the other side." |

Plot Keywords:

Anthology | Clown | Electric Chair | Satan | Omnibus

Cast

Ginger Lynn Allen	...	Christeeth
Gary Brandner	...	Charlie (also as Gary Barandner)
Steven K. Arthur	...	Zeek Heller
Hal Shafer	...	Fat Man
Leslie Deutsch	...	Queen Elonite
Ray Robert	...	Satan
Jane August	...	Beverly (Mom)
Ron McCoy	...	Richard (Dad)
Leesa Roland	...	Jezebell Jones
Yves De St. Paul	...	Grandmother
Irwin Waterman	...	Mac
Francis Paul	...	Klem
Michael Daevid	...	The Jester
Jason Logan	...	The Priest
Michael Sean O'Brian	...	Drog #3

Runtime:

USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Even Steven Productions

Movie Connections:

References Scared Stiff (1987/I)

Satan's Storybook missing some pages?

This is one of the worst horror anthologies I have yet to see (though Night Train to Terror (1985) has it beat, I think), and one of the worst movies I've seen. It isn't entirely terrible, though.

According to the video box, there are "three devil's tales of evil on earth." This isn't quite accurate. The first part of the movie involves Satan's Queen being kidnapped by Ginger Lynn Allen. We then meet Satan and his Jester, and Satan has the Jester tell him some stories to get his mind off things. The first is "Demon of Death," about a satanic mass-murderer. The second is "Death Among Clowns." In between, we return several times to the Satan's Queen story. If you count the Satan's Queen story as one of the tales, then we have the typical three story horror anthology. If not (it isn't one of the tales the Jester tells), and we consider it part of the wraparound story, then there are only two. Her story seems to take place in some sort of fantasy sword-and-sorcery realm, rather than earth.

Curiously, there is no real end or closure for the Satan's Queen story. I wonder if they lost the footage, and had to make do with what they had? Additionally, the Jester sets up a third tale, but we do not see that story begun or played out at all.

Surprisingly, there is no nudity in the movie at all. This seems unusual to omit in a horror movie, particularly a low-budget one, most particularly one that stars a porn star! Amusingly, the video store I rented this from had a "Must be 18 to Rent!!" sticker on it.

"Demon of Death" was OK. A satanic mass-murderer picks victims randomly out of the phone book. The last one he selects is a twenty-year-old witchcraft-dabbling woman into horror movies and heavy metal, who lives with her parents. It's pretty mean spirited when the murderer is in her house, and fairly violent. The camera stays on some scenes too long (particularly the opening scene of the murderer in his own apartment). It also has some trouble with time, resorting to cutting to a clock several times, and relying on several "X months" and "X years" later title cards. The actors playing cops do OK at the house, but are pretty bad in the interrogation scene.

"Death Among Clowns" stars the author of The Howling novel, in apparently his only acting role. (Incidentally, the girl in the first story has a Howling IV poster in her bedroom.) He's an aging, alcoholic clown who gets fired and commits suicide. Mickey La Mort (aka "Death Among Clowns") meets his disoriented soul, who thinks he may still be alive and just hungover. No such luck!

Satan has an irritating voice that is a bit hard to understand due to the vocal effects they did to it. The same is true of scenes where the "Demon of Death" speaks in a demon's voice. Mickey La Mort has a gratingly high cartoon character-like voice when he appears, and then it also changes into a demon-like voice when he transforms (turns away from the camera, then turns back) into a slightly more evil-looking clown.

About the Satan's Queen story, the less said the better. It closes (without really ending) on Ginger Lynn Allen addressing the camera saying something about family.

The music by Cinema Symphony's [sic] is pretty cheesy.

Anyway, not too painful to watch, though I wouldn't watch it again, and wouldn't recommend it to any but the horror anthology completists.