Cameron's Closet (1989)

Just perfect...

best movie i've ever seen.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Blistering performances.

"Cameron's Closet" is a bit of a relic and time capsule for a much simpler time in my eyes. It was a staple of many a late-night horror- movie marathon and subject of numerous Friday-night rentals at the local Video King when I was growing up in the early 90's. And of the handful of people who I know that have seen the film... that seems to be the common trend.It's one of those late-80's horror features that frankly fell off the map when Video Stores fell out of vogue and streaming took over during the past ten years. Its entire life seemingly spent as one of those lost, faded video-cassettes that you only discover after an hour of picking through video-shelves at your rental store of choice.So it was a bit of a surprise finding it uploaded online not too long ago. Excited to relive a childhood "classic" that I had "discovered" in the video-store and rented over and over again, I clicked the play button, sat back......and was pretty underwhelmed.While it does indeed have a fair share of thrills and chills, director Armand Mastroianni and writer Gary Brandner (creator of the "Howling" franchise) are never able to build the film up beyond the level of mediocrity, rendering it a generally ineffective tale. And while it may be a fun treat to revisit for the sake of nostalgia for 80's and 90's kids who are now all grown up, it's definitely best to understand that this is most certainly a "nostalgia goggles" affair. There's nothing here that hasn't been done far better in other far better films before.The film is based on 10-year-old Cameron Lansing (Scott Curtis), a boy with latent telekinetic and pyschic abilities. After his research scientist father is killed in a grisly "accident", he is sent to live with his mother and her boyfriend. However, a series of twisted and gruesome deaths begin to surround the child, and it quickly becomes apparent that demonic forces are at play, who wish to get their hands on the boy for their own devious purposes...When it's at its best, the film does competently deliver some satisfyingly chilling thrills and jumps. One particular stand-out scene involving a ghostly re-animated man with an inhumanly large smile still sends shivers down my bones. And there is a lot of fun to be had with the good, old-fashioned 80's practical creature and gore effects on display. Especially as they came courtesy the same genius that also created the animatronics in films like Spielberg's "E.T." and the titular "Alien" in the Ridley Scott classic. But it's at the service of a relatively cliché and standard (even at times sub-standard) storyline with forgettable characters and ho-hum development.Perhaps the harshest thing I could say is that outside of the title, I didn't remember much about the film from my childhood. And in trying to write this review not that long after having re-watched it... I'm straining to think of much to say in regards to it. Either good or bad. It's a wholly mediocre film that's just watchable enough to kill some time on a rainy afternoon, but you'll also forget it within a week.And so, I'm giving it a slightly under-average 4 out of 10. Mainly for the few effective moments and some creative scenes that take advantage of the promising premise. This is one of the few horror films that I honestly wouldn't see being remade... It's got a good idea behind it. But the film as-is just isn't particularly special.

Cameron Lansing (Curtis) is a 10 year old boy with psychic abilities. His father Owen (Hunter) and a colleague (Chuck McCann) accidentally has Cameron bring to life an ancient demon from the depths of hell who lurks in the boys closet. The evil force causes Owen to fall off a ladder and be graphically decapitated in a great early scene. Cameron moves in with his mom (Kim Lankford) and her bully boyfriend (Gary Hudson) who is killed by the beast in the closet by having his eyes blown out and tossed out the boys window. Detective Sam Taliaferrro (Smith) and cop shrink DR. Nora Halley (Harris) get brought in to investigate. Cameron's uncle and Sam's partner are also killed by the demon and Sam and Cameron join forces to stop the evil. This movie is an above average supernatural chiller from screen Writer Gary Brandner (from his novel) and Director Armand Mastroianni, Mastroianni delivers several nice shocks along with a few good seat rocking jolts throughout the running time which keeps the audience off guard as to when the next one is coming. The interesting plot is handled well along with some inspired gore moments makes this a nice mix. The main demon was designed by Carlo Rambaldi and looks good when it is shown in quick flashes and surprise moments, but looks rather fake and unconvincing the more you see it. Scott Curtis in the lead role of Cameron turns in a very natural and believable performance which helps the overall film. On the down side; there are too many dream sequences (thank the late 1980's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" influence for this) and the ending is nothing special either. There are still plenty of real scares and good ideas at work here making this worth seeking out.

If the name Armand Mastroianni rings a bell, it's because he directed "He Knows You're Alone", most famous as Tom Hanks's movie debut. This is the only other movie of his with which I'm familiar. If this is any indication, he went downhill after giving Hanks a start. A number of the horror flicks that I've seen on FearNet - even if they lack a masterful plot - have some great music ("Down", "Blood Diner" and "Waxwork" are the prime examples). "Cameron's Closet" doesn't even have that. It's another "Exorcist" rip-off. How ironic that the man who directs these sorts of movies gave a debut to a back-to-back Oscar-winning actor. Life really is a box of chocolates after all...but don't bite this one.

~Spoiler~ Cameron's Closet is a fine slice of 80's horror. It stars Scott Curtis as a young boy with telekinetic powers who accidentally summons an ancient demon who dwells in his closet. The film (written by Gary Brandner of The Howling fame) has some truly inspired moments and even some decent scares. Many of the death scenes are quite memorable. The closet decapitation, Bob flying through the window, and the maniacal ceiling fan are my favorite bits. Carlo Rambaldi (E.T., Dune) is handling the effects and they are well done for the most part. The only area of the film that is lacking is the ending. It was very weak and the film suffers for it. The demon just doesn't do too much after he finally comes out of the closet (pun intended). Also, I felt the explanation as to how this kid conjured the demon was a little vague. Surely they could have elaborated a bit more. Cotter Smith is quite good here and so is the kid as far as child actors go.