The Demons of Ludlow (1983)

 

Director: Bill Rebane

Screenplay: William Arthur and Alan Ross

Cast: Paul Bentzen as Chris the Preacher; Debra Dulman as Sybil; Stephenie Cushna as Debra; Mary Walden as Elenore; Carol Perry as Ann; Patricia J. Statz as Emily

A Night of a Thousand Horror (Movies)

 

The Demons of Ludlow was Bill Rebane making a supernatural film in the midst of the eighties. The film's existence, from Bill Rebane's own words¹, is as much because he had acquired an old piano in an auction, and wished to use it rather than leave it lugged around his studio unused. I respect anyone wanting to improvise a film just from this, as stranger examples do indeed exist, as those who can attest Tammy and the T-Rex (1994) actually existing can say, a film where Paul Walker has his brain implanted into a cybernetic T-Rex robot, in a romantic comedy with Denise Richards and gore in the uncut version, which exists someone offered director Stewart Raffill to use their animatronic T-Rex. Rebane's film is more sober, and a traditionally macabre film even if one made in the midst of what would have been the slasher boom after the first Friday the 13th movie in 1980.

Set in the small town of Ludlow, a tiny community who population is dwindling, with older people and few younger ones, their two hundredth bicentennial celebration, since the town's founding, is presented with an centuries old piano return from England belonging to the town founder. "Returned" is the right word, as Debra (Stephenie Cushna), a news reporter who grew up in the town and has returned, is aware of stories that this harmonium piano came from Ludlow, and the locals are not admitting this. It is very obvious the town's foundation is cursed, the piano a literal harbinger of revenge as, literally with demonic figures or ghosts of the town's locals brought up upon its arrive, it is devouring the young and, as Debra will learn, is the revenge of its town founder, banished and in gristly circumstances which makes his centuries old anger potent.

Rebane is a man out of time to this decade of the eighties, someone of a slower pace to his films, not remotely making a film of the slasher period even if this bring some gore with it. That said, this suits his films entirely, and as I have been adapting to his style, I am becoming fond of this, as well as being aware that, alongside how extensive dialogue is in his films, this is his idiosyncrasies that make his cinematic character. More hauntings transpire as people are now in danger - the local priest aware something is wrong; the major who wants to hide their past; the dissatisfied priest's wife; or Emily, the mentally disabled adult woman living with her older mother and her dolls that are among those targeted by the ghosts. These visitations are embraced by Rebane in terms of the aesthetic, like red bouncing balls (à la The Changeling (1980)), characters in period costume materialising through doors and mirrors (with extensive use of the fog machine), and clearly an extensive budget for invisible wire for objects to float onscreen.

These productions show their context, where Rebane's family tree is among many working on the credits, and the snow covered Wisconsin territory adding a nice atmosphere for a cheesy but engaging spooky tale. Bill Rebane's work is an acquired taste, as his genre films are beholden to their dialogue, and The Demons of Ludlow is his most conventional film from those I have seen, which is not a bad thing. My appreciation of these films, however, as I have been going through Bill Rebane's filmography has grown significantly as I have also seen how his film making developed over the years in a chronology. Certainly for this genre, this is rewarding to see, and Bill Rebane did make a slasher film, one called Blood Harvest (1987) starring Tiny Tim of all people, so he was happy to move along with the genres he passed in idiosyncratic ways.

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1) From one of the Straight Shooter segments, a multi-part interview with director Bill Rebane about each film included for Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection for Arrow Video.