Watch Equinox

Equinox is a 1970 horror film that revolves around the story of a group of friends who have gone out to the woods to search for a missing professor who disappeared while researching ancient Sumerian legends. The story begins with David Fielding (Edward Connell), who has just received a telephone call from his friend, Professor Waterman (Fritz Leiber Jr.), asking him to come to the woods to retrieve a package of material from his cabin. Upon reaching the cabin, David meets a young woman named Susan Turner (Barbara Hewitt) who, along with her friends, had come to the woods to spend their weekend.

Despite Professor Waterman's warning to leave the woods immediately, the group decides to stay the night at the cabin, hoping to find the professor the next day. However, things take a dark turn when they come across strange, supernatural occurrences in the woods, including sudden bursts of wind and a floating book that leads them to an underground cave.

What follows is a series of supernatural events that leave the group questioning reality, as they come face to face with long-dead Sumerian demons, and black magic rituals that threaten their lives.

As the story unfolds, the group discovers that Professor Waterman had stumbled upon a portal to another dimension where evil forces were waiting to cross over to our world. The professor, realizing the danger he had caused, destroyed the portal, but not before inadvertently releasing the evil forces upon the group of young friends.

The film is a testament to the low-budget horror genre of the 1970s with its crude visual effects, simple editing techniques, and low-grade sound quality. Yet, despite its limitations, Equinox manages to deliver an unusual and eerie atmosphere that leaves the audience unsettled and tense.

One of the most striking aspects of the film is its use of practical effects and stop-motion animation techniques to create the supernatural creatures that haunt the group. The creatures themselves are well-crafted and have a surreal quality to them that makes them all the more disturbing.

Another aspect that sets Equinox apart from other horror films of its time is its use of light and shadow to create mood and tension. The cinematography is striking and the use of low angles, shaky cameras, and deep shadows create an unnerving sense of unease that is felt throughout the film.

Finally, the film is well-paced and tightly edited, with each scene moving the story forward and building the tension to a satisfying climax.

Despite its low-budget and dated production values, Equinox is a horror classic that has a devoted cult following. It is a film that celebrates practical effects, storytelling, and the power of the imagination over technology. It is a film that proves that sometimes less is more, and that a good story, well-told, can leave a lasting impression on its audience.

Equinox is a 1970 adventure movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 20 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.2.