Midnight | 1982 | USA | John Russo

Based on John Russo’s 1980 novel of the same name, Russo decided to adapt his work for the big screen just a few years later with some interesting results. Young Nancy flees from home after her stepfather tries to molest her, hitting the road with two young boys as she drifts from place to place. After they reach the rural badlands of Pennsylvania, their thieving antics attract the attention of local police, who instead of arresting them, execute the two boys and capture Nancy, unveiling the presence of a Devil-worshipping cult who kidnap locals for sacrifice to resurrect their long-dead mother. Whilst not as accomplished as Russo’s work with other Pittsburgh filmmaker George Romero, Midnight manages to be both ambitious and passionate despite its low budget, with some great work from Tom Savini within a Texas Chain Saw Massacre aesthetic. The Satanic themes and gratuitous bloodletting peppered throughout were probably annoying to the DPP… either that, or the theme song.