Lemora - A Child's Tale Of The Supernatural
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DVD details
Actor: Buck Buchanan, Charla Hall, Jack Fisher, Lesley Gilb, Maxine BallantyneDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 80 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-08-31
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Synapse Films
DVD Reviews of Lemora - A Child's Tale Of The Supernatural
DVD Review: Highly atmospheric and campy drive-in gem
Summary: 3 Stars
Here's an odd story: Back when I was just a young tike in the 70s, I must have caught part of "Lemora" on network TV. I'd long since forgotten the name of this film, but I did recall a handful of scenes: Namely a young girl trapped inside a bus while a horde of ferel zombie/vampire/werewolves (WTF are those things?) try to smash their way in, and that same girl spying on a female vampire as she feeds on a young boy. These must have been pretty chilling images for young Monkey Deathcar, because years later I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of the film (I'd come to even suspect that it was a childhood nightmare ... ), but those few images still stuck in my mind.
Lucky for me, I spent one night perusing horror films on Amazon, following the "customers who bought this item also purchased ..." trail, until I came across "Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural." The reviews sounded awfully familiar - Could it be the same movie? Well, it was, and I've got to say I feel fortunate for having stumbled upon this odd like b- genre flick.
The basic plot goes something like this: A gangster in the south of the 1930s murders his cheating wife and her love in cold blood and hits the road. He's accosted by the seductive, mysterious Lemora (Lesley Gilb) and her hooded minions. Lemora learns from a newspaper clip that this gangster has a daughter, 13-year-old Lila Lee (Cheryl Smith) - the purehearted "angel" of her church's congregation. Lila soon receives a letter from Lemora, claiming that her father is on his death bed in a distant town of Asteroth. Lila is urged to come alone and come at once. Of course, this is all a ruse - Lemora's real goal is to corrupt the young girl's Christian spirit ...
The rest of the picture veers into seriously odd "Alice in Wonderland" terrain. We follow Lila Lee (dressed in pigtails and a pink Sunday dress, and looking quite a few years older than 13), as she journeys to Lemora's Southern Gothic manor in the woods of Asteroth. Lila encounters pasty vampire children, a gypsy witch, feral zombielike creatures and of course, the seductive Lemora. Strong sexual overtones, unintention camp and loads of atmosphere ensue.
I won't lie to you: "Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural" isn't really a "good" movie by any stretch. Some of the sets are poor. Any scene that takes place in a "moving" vehicle was obviously shot in a stationary bus/car. The dialogue is frequently laugh-out-loud terrible. The acting is wildly uneven, ranging from "competent" to some of the worst performances I've ever seen on film. The bus drive's overacting would make William Shattner blush.
But, "Lemora" succeeds as cheesy good fun for a few reasons, not the least of which is atmosphere. Nearly the entire movie is bathed in an eerie blueish night, which does wonders for the nighttime shots of the creepy manor and surrounding marshlands. The movie also uses sound very well. Any outdoor scene is accompanied by chirping crickets, exotic birdsongs and distant grunts and creepy feral noises. The soundtrack is also solid, ranging from bible hymns to swelling orchestral music. Not bad.
"Lemora" is also a wildly original vision. Not only do we get a vampire seductress, but the surrounding woods are teeming with these rotting, feral beasts. Imagine week-old zombies that act like werewolves and making grunting, dogpack noises and you get the idea. From what I gathered, they're sort of like vampires with rabies. It's scarier and not nearly as silly as it sounds.
And finally, the sexual overtones in "Lemora" are pretty racy, particularly since Lila Lee is supposedly 13. Near every adult in the picture is lusting after young Lila, especially Lemora herself. The suggestion of lesbianism and pedophilia would push buttons today - I can only imagine how censors must have reacted back in 1973.
The performances by Gilb and Smith are competent, if unspectacular. Gilb is adequately seductive and moves/speaks with grace, especially when you consider she's forced to deliver lines like "Come with me and live for all eternity!" Sadly, her makeup job is pretty wretched - pale skin, purple lips, purple nails ... and bright red cheeks? Either this was deliberate, or Gilb had some form of skin disease, because it's pretty silly looking.
Smith is also decent. For most of the movie, she trots around in a pink dress or runs through the woods in her cotton nightgown, which isn't nearly as erotic as it sounds. Smith doesn't have too much to say, which might be a good thing - she's not a great actress, and this adds more to the dreamlike atmosphere anyhow.
Overall, if you can tolerate poor acting and a low budget, "Lemora" treats you to atmosphere and imagination... from a b-horror movie filmed on a shoestring budget, you can't ask for much more. It'd make a great double-feature with "Phantasm," another cheapo (but IMO significantly better) 70s horror cheesefest. Enjoy!
Description of Lemora - A Child's Tale Of The Supernatural
A notorious bank robber kills his wife and flees the police, only to be captured by a mysterious group of figures in an abandoned town. His beautiful daughter, Lila Lee (played by the late Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith), receives a letter stating that Lila?s father is near death and that he needs to see her.Sneaking away at night from her minister guardian (EATING RAOUL co-writer Richard Blackburn, who also writes and directs), Lila embarks on a terrifying journey to find her father that leads her to a mansion run by Lemora, a seemingly loving woman who cares for a group of gypsy children and a witch-like servant. Once the terrifying secret of Lemora is revealed, Lila must uncover what happened to her father and fight for dear life as she tries to escape the clutches of the undead! LEMORA: A CHILD?S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL, one of the most beloved horror cult classics ever made, makes its home video premiere with this stunning presentation from Synapse Films. Mastered directly from the original 35mm camera negatives (thought to be lost for over thirty years) and mastered in High Definition using a Spirit DataCine® Telecine System, LEMORA is presented with never-before-seen clarity and detail that will leave you breathless. You may have seen LEMORA in the theatres but you?ve NEVER seen it like this!
SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
- New Uncut, Uncensored Anamorphic (1.78:1) Widescreen Transfer, Supervised and Approved by Director Richard Blackburn
- RSDL Dual-Layer Edition for Optimal Image Quality
- Audio Commentary from Director Richard Blackburn, Actress Lesley Gilb and Producer Robert Fern
- Still Gallery Including Rare On-Set Continuity Photos
- Chapter Selections
- Bonus Trailers
- Liner Notes
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