Lemora - A Child's Tale of the Supernatural

Rating:
Summary: Southern fried spook story
Review: "Lemora" is a 1973 cult film that had its share of rabid fans but was practically impossible to find on VHS. Thanks to Synapse films, we can now enjoy on DVD this lost film that at the time caused quite a stir, due to hints of pedophilia, lesbianism and witchcraft.

"Lemora" takes place during the depression-era 1920's in the deep south. Lila Lee, a 13 year old girl, is revered around town as a singing angel, an object of virginal purity who is an upstanding member of the church singing choir. Her father, a ruthless gangster who abandoned Lila and suddenly disappears from town, sends Lila a letter informing her he has been seriously injured and needs her help. Lila thus packs her bags and heads deep into the swamps and bayous in search for her dad and ends up at a witch's coven. The coven is headed by "Lemora", a vampire priestess who has kidnapped several children and wishes to make little Lila a piece in her collection...

The storyline is nothing spectacular rather it's the atmosphere created by director Richard Blackburn that makes this film a winner. The pitch-black sets and the several scenes of little girl lost Lila running and hiding in the woods surrounding the witch coven lend the film a very surreal feel. Cheryl Smith is perfect in the role of Lila, with her innocent and naïve face, blond curls and white dress. Her performance reminded me of Jennifer Connelly's in Phenomena; she's not called to say much but that actually helps to lend the film its dream-like feel.

It's easy to see how the film was seen as perverse especiallly for its time. While on her journey to the witch's coven, everyone little Lila comes across be it the priest or the ticket agent or the bus driver salivates over the possibilities of having intercourse with her and this is a girl that looks no older than 13. And then there are the scenes of lesbianism with middle-aged Lemora who salivates over young children.

Make no mistake about it however, Lemora is very low budget replete with buildings that appear like cardboard cutouts and car scenes that you know were not filmed in cars. No doubt at its time of filming it was meant to be little more than drive-in fodder. Also while I loved Cheryl Smith's performance as little Lila the actress who plays Lemora was absolutely atrocious. It was funny witnessing a middle-aged woman getting upstaged in every scene by a little girl.

Still, anyone who likes thick atmosphere and sleazy 70's euro-horror (although this particular one is American) will probably like "Lemora". I know I sure did. How can you not like a film that mixes influences of Lovecraft, George Romero, Brothers Grimm and the sleazy vampires of Jean Rollin?


Rating:
Summary: Horrendous Horror Flick
Review: I bought this DVD based on the reviews which gave it 5 stars, thinking that it was something special that I may have missed. Well, I was wrong. The film is amateurish at best, terribly directed, photographed (most of the composition could have been tighter and better), not to mention horribly acted. The only exception is the actress who plays Lila and gives a very good, sort of dreamy performance. I realize that it's a low budget film and, from what I understand, the director's first movie, but it just doesn't work for me. It has some nice closeups, and a few good shots here and there, but the sum of its parts is very disappointing and mediocre. This is only one person's opinion, of course. But I don't like badly made horror films. And this one is badly made, although based on the commentary I concluded that the filmmakers had every intention to make a decent flick. The story, although it manages to stay moving, goes nowhere ultimately. It's watchable yet uninvolving. It's a curiosity item that may be worth seeing once, but had I seen it before buying it, I would not have acquired it for my collection.

Rating:
Summary: Cheryl Smith is stunning as the blond teenage heroine.
Review: I give this movie 5 stars. I have seen many vampire movies and this is may be my favorite. It is a very unique movie. I have never seen a vampire movie before like this and Cheryl Smith is absolutely stunning as the blond teenage heroine. What an unusual plot we have here, to have a black haired female vampire intent on possessing the innocent blond teenage girl. Lemora is a very strong vampire and she is relentless... Lemora simply will NOT let the lovely blond girl escape!

Rating:
Summary: OFFBEAT HORROR TALE....
Review: I never saw this film until the DVD came out. What a surprise. If this ever made the drive-in rounds it was sadly overlooked. "Lemora" is a very unusual and intriguing story of a young girl Lila Lee (Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith), the innocent daughter of a notorious gangster, being lured to an isolated mansion by a mysterious woman, Lemora (Lesley Gilb), with supernatural powers. Her journey there is beset by monsters and weird happenings. Once there, she slowly discovers what her destiny is. Gothic atmosphere and vampirism is vividly depicted and the woods surrounding the estate are overrun with mutants and other victims of a strange curse or "disease" caused by Asteroth...the Lovecraftian name of the area. The film is low budget but this is deftly handled with beautiful photography and striking use of color. "Lemora" is quite unlike any horror film of the period (70's) and being set in the 30's, you wouldn't know it was from that era thanks to the wonderful sets and costumes. The film is dedicated to the late Smith (who apparently died in 2002) and she is quite beautiful and amazingly innocent looking...perfect for the role. There are good extras featured---including interviews with Gilb and others involved in the film. All in all, "Lemora" is highly recommended for collectors of strange horror films and others who like an interestingly spooky tale. Synapse has done a great job and are commended for bringing this truly offbeat film it's due.

Rating:
Summary: A Haunting Vampiric Fable
Review: In past reviews, I've mentioned my nostalgic reverence for the drive-in horror movies of generations past that had low budgets but plenty of imagination and ingenuity. Such a movie was, and still is, "Lemora." In my mind, it is probably the quintessential drive-in horror movie, the epitome of what could be achieved when talented, inspired people got together and created cinematic alchemy. Sort of a nightmarish blending of LeFanu and Stoker and Lovecraft with "Alice In Wonderland," I might have missed this movie totally, as it was sort of an innocuous blip on the late-night TV radar many years ago. Luckily, I did chance upon it, and it's haunted me ever since, even though the version I saw was heavily edited and loaded with commercials. Cheryl Smith was one of the great screen beauties of the 70's and my sincere hope is that with the release of this DVD, there will be a revival of interest in her career and she can achieve the illustrious status of such horror icons as Barbara Steele (with whom she co-starred in "Caged Heat") and Allison Hayes. There was an enigmatic and sad magic to her performances that Quentin Tarantino compared to that of Marilyn Monroe. Equally impressive is the performance of Lesley Gilb as "Lemora." She is alternately seductive and terrifying; playfully spiteful and maliciously brutal. It is a testament to the power and efficacy of her performance that she was able to accomplish this difficult feat despite the encumbrance of heavy wig, make-up and clothing. Like all great artistic works, the steadily increasing eerieness and occasionally non-linear quality of the storyline begins to function as a sort of funhouse mirror in which whatever pre-conceptions the viewer brings with him to the viewing experience are reflected back in subjectively distorted imagery. As Mr. Blackburn explains in the DVD commentary, there are those who see this as a Catholic film masquerading as a Protestant film, and those who see it as a Protestant film in the guise of a Catholic film. Then there are those agnostics like myself who will ignore the religious symbolism and experience it viscerally as the spooky, dark Fairytale for adults which it bills itself as. As previous reviewers have commented, the picture quality is superb and for the true fans of this cinematic gem, the commentary by Mr. Blackburn, Ms. Gilb, and Mr. Fern is priceless. Suffice it to say, this is one of my favorite vampire/horror movies of all time and the passage of 30 plus years has not lessened its effectiveness and emotional impact. This is one of those rare movies that will continue to haunt you long after you have seen it.

Rating:
Summary: At Long Last...The Story of Lila Lee!
Review: It's here! The great Lemora, carefully and beautifully presented as it deserves. Its nice to see more and more great movies getting this kind of DVD attention.

Rating:
Summary: Lemora - resurrected at last!
Review: Lemora has always been my favorite movie of all time, bar none. So I wanted, no
I NEEDED this DVD to be done perfectly! Don May Jr., President of Synapse Films,
assured me that it was indeed top quality. And yet, I had a twinge of fear when
first putting the DVD into the player. For over a year, I had followed the
development of this release, and my expectations (based on discussions with Don)
were very high indeed. And we all know what happens when your expectations are
set too high. In this case, they weren't set high enough! I was prepared for
this release to be excellent, but I never could have dreamed how great the
experience would actually turn out to be!

First, let me review the video quality. What Synapse did with the video transfer
of Lemora can only be described as miraculous. I don't feel this is an
exaggeration. They literally resurrected this film. Up until this DVD release, a
great many background details were obscured by darkness and murkiness to the
point where entire scenes were incomprehensible. The best VHS release still
looked like a murky 4th generation dub taped off a tv with bad reception. I
can't in all honesty even say that the DVD blows away all other versions,
because that would imply that there is a comparison to be made between them. The
Synapse DVD is so far above the rest that comparing it to others would be an
insult.

Scenes that were once literally blacked out and unviewable are now absolutely
clean and totally visible. Background details that were once lost in the
darkness are now crystal clear, sharply defined, and beautifully saturated in
deep, vibrant color. I can't name another film that's had a transfer done this
spectacularly. Lemora is pretty much reference quality, and then some.

The audio is in its original 2.0 mono, but even that has been cleaned up and is
utterly free of hiss or noise even at higher levels. I heard sounds that were
once muffled beyond recognition and are now crystal clear.

The animated main menu is the best I've ever seen, and all the various menus
look fantastic. The full length commentary track with Leslie Gilb (who played
Lemora), director Richard Blackburn, and producer Robert Fern is fun and
informative, with virtually no dead space at all. I consider commentaries to be
the most important extra a DVD can have, and this one was very well done and
worth listening to more than once.

The still gallery has some fantastic, rare continuity photos. These are to be
treasured, since obscure films such as this often have little to no extra
material.

The original shooting script is a valuable extra, and it shows how different the
final release was from the original script. The original script ends quite
differently and leaves no room for interpretation, whereas the movie release
leaves room for several interpretations of the film (did it actually happen, or
was it a fantasy/daydream?).

The movie itself is incredible, and my favorite of all time. Despite its low
budget, it pulls off what most modern movies fail utterly to do...it draws you
into the film. Its creepy, atmospheric quality has the effect of making you feel
as if you're viewing a child's nightmare, with all its surreal horror and fear.



Rating:
Summary: THIS LEGENDARY CURSE RETURNS IN GORGEOUS FORM!
Review: LEMORA, A CHILD'S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL has been my favorite film for years - and word of an official DVD release seemed like a dream came true when I first heard discussions about it several years ago. I never could've imagined the brilliant work that Synapse has done with this cult masterpiece! My all-time favorite movie is now available in the form of my all-time favorite DVD! The film has been painstakingly remastered to return numerous lost pictorial details and brilliant saturated color and contrast to the video image. It is absolutely flawless! The soundtrack is also an improvement over the MANY VHS transfers I've acquired over the years. They are all visually and audio-wise NOTHING compared to this breathtaking presentation! In addition, the consumer receives a great and informative booklet, awesome and at times poignant commentary by director Richard Blackburn, producer Robert Fern and star Lesley Gilb, and a DVDrom of the original shooting script which I've yet to access.

And now for the film itself. It's the kind of little-known, low-budget gem that I stumbled upon as a child on late-night TV, around 1977, in the NYC area, that I've never forgotten! With LEMORA, the initial viewing experience is so strange and hypnotic that it's like you've entered someone else's troubled dream state. As time passed I asked myself, "Did I REALLY see this movie, or did I imagine that I did?" Upon repeated viewings it's like entering that haunting and foreign dreamworld all over again.

LEMORA is a rarity in that it should've been an exploitation horror film, but instead ended up being an artistic statement, with viewpoints about the dark side of emerging sexuality, repression and Catholic guilt - all expressed through the innocent eyes of a child, and using a Southern Gothic period backdrop! This is ambitious stuff for a low-budget crew of first-timers!

Lila Lee (the late, great, Cheryl 'Rainbeaux' Smith) is a 13 year old church choir singer who is cared for by a devout minister (played by director Blackburn) in a small, Southern town in the 1930's. When she receives a letter from a mysterious woman named Lemora (Lesley Gilb), who informs her that her gangster father is sick and in her care, Lila embarks on a strange and horrific journey 'into the woods' to find Lemora's home and reunite with her dad. On the way she encounters a lecherous ticket seller, a scary bus driver who seems diseased, hideous forest dwelling mutants, and 'the old woman of skin and bone,' before meeting up with Lemora herself. Lemora, a striking figure in black Victorian velvet and mink stoles, proves friendly and helpful at first, but soon reveals herself to be a vampire with a lesbian fixation towards Lila!

The imagery is hallucinogenic and vivid, the Victorian and period settings are meticulously arranged, the music is haunting and moving, and the sound effects of the mutants and forest are unforgettable! Scenes are bathed in rich hues of midnight blue, Victorian purple and blood red, and there's enough unearthly atmosphere to overcome the film's minor flaws (the obvious low-budget, some slightly cheesy effects, and some over-the-top acting).

The result is a horror film of supreme visual poetry and sensitivity - and extremely ambitious for its time. It's Charles Laughton's THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER meets H.P. Lovecraft meets "Little Red Riding Hood" meets the forgotten Tennessee Williams horror story that he never DID write! Actually, what am I writing...LEMORA is simply LEMORA, pure and simple! Check out this unforgettable film ASAP - the way it was always meant to be seen!!!



Rating:
Summary: 3.5 Stars! More of a Fantasy Film than Horror.
Review: This movie is very atmospheric and keeps you entertained. It's not a horror movie but there are a few spooky moments. It's more done in the style of Phenomena (Creepers) with Jennifer Connelly. The acting was very good on the part of the girl.

Worth seeing!