Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
MOVIE REVIEW #36: NURSE SHERRI
THE POSSESSION OF NURSE SHERRI (1978)Directed by Al Adamson
Meet Sherri . . . for an evening of Pleasure and Terror!
Her bedside manner will keep you in stitches!
These taglines sum up the film perfectly -- picture a sexy night nurse in the late 70's, possessed by a demon, who kills without any knowledge of it. It's The Exorcist meets Carrie, with a medical degree. The film begins in the desert, where a deranged "prophet" named Reanhauer attempts to raise the dead and almost kills himself in the process. He is rushed to a nearby hospital where, during emergency surgery, he possesses the body of the lovely Nurse Sherri. Strange things begin happening in the hospital, and the doctors who operated on Reanhauer are killed off one by one. A local football star is laid up after an accident that left him blind, but he can sense the presence of an evil spirit because (of course) his grandmother was a voodoo priestess. Dr. Desmond, who is dating Nurse Sherri, notices her strange behavior and when confronting her, he is greeted by the voice of Reanhauer from within Sherri. As if this wasn't enough to convince us that Sherri is indeed possessed, Desmond refuses to get her the proper medical attention and almost meets his demise when Sherri locks him in the bathroom and emerges from behind the shower door armed with 2 bloody meat cleavers.
The highlight of the film is a hallucinogenic montage of twisted imagery that surrounds Sherri as she lays in bed and the demon takes her over. A low-budget green light special effect creeps into the room from under the door and swirls around her, depicting images of death and destruction, symbolizing the possession. The climax of the film is the bathroom scene when Sherri, in her blood spattered white nightgown, is about to murder Desmond but the spirit leaves her body at that very moment when two local nurses exhume the body of Reanhauer and burn the grave. The score of the film is great, using eerie 70's synths and strings, and although not the least bit scary, it is an entertaining piece of horror history. Nurse Sherri isn't quite up to par with one of my favorite horror films of all time (Horror Hospital), but it is still a good watch. Hospitals are just a perfect setting for horror - almost as good as a circus with killer clowns . . .
Also worth mentioning is the DVD special features, which include drive-in movie trailers and intermission snack bar advertisements that take you back to the old days when going to the movies was still fun. Instead of telling you to turn off your cell phones and not talk, the ads encourage you to purchase hot dogs, popcorn, and of course, ice cold refreshing Coca-Cola.
Also worth mentioning is the DVD special features, which include drive-in movie trailers and intermission snack bar advertisements that take you back to the old days when going to the movies was still fun. Instead of telling you to turn off your cell phones and not talk, the ads encourage you to purchase hot dogs, popcorn, and of course, ice cold refreshing Coca-Cola.
Check out Nurse Sherri on IMDB at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076478/
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