The Redeemer: Son of Satan! (1978)

Wonderfully strange and offbeat "The Redemeer:Son of Satan!" aka "Class Reunion Massacre" tells the story of six old high school friends,who meeting up at their old school under the guise there is a reunion taking place.Of course this is a deadly trap.The Redeemer wants to punish them for their sins.Very bizarre and highly original slasher flick with dreamy atmosphere and the sense of impending doom.It's like a religious morality tale mixed with slasher elements on acid.There are some effective deaths including a really creepy scene involving the life size marionette and the killer dons a different costumes like in "Terror Train" or "Hollow Gate".He is clown,magician and grim reaper.The film is taking place within a nightmarish dream.It's time to punish sinners!Beware!From out of the darkness the hand of the Redeemer shall appear to punish those who have lived in sin...9 out of 10.

What is it with all these folks in horror movies? Most of them look like the type of people who would watch gore films all the time, but except for the characters in the SCREAM series, it's as if all these dumb dodos have never seen even ONE slasher flick in their soon-to-be-curtailed lives. They always persist in running off alone on pointless errands, instead of sticking together and overwhelming an often vulnerable looking killer (such as the "Redeemer" here) through the sheer force of a mass attack while they still have the advantage of superior numbers. And Jeanetta Arnette, who plays former high school glee club singer Cindy (destined to be drowned in the sink of the girls' john), did you realize you spoiled the whole movie by flopping around about two minutes after you were supposed to be "dead"? Sheeesh!

I went into this film not knowing what to expect. I had heard that it was one weird movie, but to my surprise, I ended up enjoying it very much. The plot is simple, besides a truly bizarre prologue and epilogue. The acting and characters are likable, certainly more so than the ones normally found in these types of movies.I must say that this film has a cruel and disturbing edge to it. A few scenes do provoke a few goosebumps, such as the theatre scene and the locker room scene.A must see for rare slasher enthusiasts and those who love retro horror movies.

(There are Spoilers) What really disturbs me, as well as a lot of the people who've seen this movie, is how it uses revenge against a number of innocent, if not at all that biblically observant, persons in "crimes" that they committed that almost everyone watching the film did at one time or another in their life: #1.Greed #2.Arrogence #3.Hunting for sport #4.Stuffing oneself with food, mostly cheeseburger's. #5.Having extra marital affairs and finally #6. Falling in love with someone of the same sex.We first see the Redeemer, T.G Finkbinder, posing as a priest at a Catholic School giving a fire and brimstone speech to his congregation that includes this little boy Christopher, Christopher Flint, who earlier walked out of this lake and hitched a ride to the priest's school. Chris was earlier threatened by the school bully, Daniel Elliot, with a knife for not laughing at one of his corny jokes. Daniel for his actions which were nothing more then having a big and abusive mouth was given the death penalty at the end of the film.The movie then switches directions in what seems to be a totally different story with the graduating class of the 1967 Stuart Morse Academy coming together for a class reunion. It turns out that the priest is behind all this and is targeting the six former classmates for his brand of righteous indignation in punishing them for the horrendous "crimes" that they all committed over the last ten years. You get the feeling right away that this Redeemer is a bit off his rocker in his righteousness. The Reedemer for some reason that's never explained in the movie brutally murders the school janitor, Erick Kjoenes,who as far as we know didn't commit any of the "crimes" that the Redeemer would consider to carry the death penalty.With the unsuspecting former Stuart Morse alumni now gathered together in the school all the doors are locked and the telephone lines cut off, by the crazed Redeemer, as their left to their fate, a brutal and sudden death as we sit through and watch in horror the Redeemer go into action. Using all kinds of weird disguises the Redeemer first murders the gluttonous former high school football star Terry,Nick Carter, by burning him alive. The fun loving and beautiful Jane, Nikki Barthen, somehow makes it out of the school and trying to get help runs into the Redeemer, dressed as a hunter with a fake wig and even faker silly looking mustache. Acting as if he's trying to help the Redeemer blows Jane away with his shotgun just like she killed a number of pigeons earlier in the movie taking target practice.The out of control Redeemer continues his deadly rampage by running through the conceited Roger, Michael Hollingworth, with a flying dagger, dropped from he celling, that penetrates his skull. Later in the most brutal and sickening act in he movie he has Cindy, Jeanetta Arnette, trapped in the Lady's room and in what seems like a good ten minutes beats abuses and finally drowns the terrified young woman in the bathroom wash basin. The scene has to be one of the most shocking scenes ever put into a horror/slasher film with it not having a single drop of blood in it.The killer for some reason takes off his disguise when he confronts John, Damien Knight, and gives him this whole line of BS of why he deserves to be killed. This has to do with John, a lawyer, overcharging his customers and defending and getting off those who are accused of horrible crimes, like the Redeemer? Then after a brief struggle, where he seems to have gotten shot by John with his own gun, blows John's brains out. The last and final member of this bloody class reunion the gay or lesbian Kirsten,Gyr Patterson, is trapped on the schools stage and after grabbing the Redeemer's gun can't seem to be able to fire it. The Redeemer uses one of the evil puppets, pulling it's strings, to sneak up from behind and slice poor and hysterical Kirsten's head off.The movie ends as we go back to the Catholic School and hear the Redeemers, or this time priest, harangue to his congregation with tales of sin and redemption. Later as he goes back to his room we notice that he was wounded, by John?, with his midsection bandaged up and blood seeping out. The young Christopher who seems to be the power behind the Redeemers murderous actions is then seen going back from where he came from the bottom of the lake. This, more then anything else, is what really spooked me about the movie when we see both the Redeemer and Christopher have double thumbs looking like they were Devil hoofs as the movie finally ends. In fact it was the double thumb that miraculously healed the Redeemers wounds by him just rubbing it over them!