Baphomet

The battle between good and evil, have been written down in religious scriptures worldwide, for thousands of years. Every religion have their own view on what this battle looks like, and what Gods are good or bad. We could probably sit here for hours to discuss different religious beliefs, at the end of the day, we all have different views on religion. I will say this, i am fascinated by crazy people like Jim Bakker, who actually believe you can survive the Apocalypse, if you buy his coffee. I get it, he needs to sell his products, so why not bring in the Apocalypse as the main reason, to survive if you actually drink his coffee. But it all honesty, im not surprised anymore that there are people who believe that everything he says is true. After all, brainwashing people have been around for thousands of years, as long as religions have existed, how about that folks? Looks like we are beginning to see a pattern here. When it comes to religions in films, we have ( a lot ) to choose between, but i thought we should specifically look into a film that takes on the issue of Satanism. Yes, the religion where you worship Satan, instead of Bacon ( there actually is a Church Of Bacon, simply called United Church Of Bacon,  look it up ). I never really understood why you would worship Satan, but i suppose if you can worship religious male cult leaders, who only have sex with men ( because that makes perfect sense ), and even aliens who made human women pregnant with Jesus, then i guess anything is possible. The specific film that i have on my mind, is the 1987 horror film Prince Of Darkness from legendary director John Carpenter. A Catholic priest ( played wonderful by legendary actor Donald Pleasence ) invites Professor Howard Birack ( Victor Wong ) and his students to join him in the basement of a Los Angeles monastery belonging to "The Brotherhood Of Sleep". The priests requires the assistance of Professor Howard´s team, to investigate a mysterious cylinder containing a swirling green liquid, described as the corporeal embodiment of Satan. The whole team will soon discover the evil powers of this cylinder. Prince Of Darkness is not only a really good horror film, but this film does a really good job using satanic influences, into the story. If you love the horror films of John Carpenter, this is a must see, especially on Blu Ray, that have some wonderful special features. Speaking of satanic, i have been curious to check out a satanist horror film called Baphomet, where i noticed that Dani Filth, lead singer of metal band Cradle Of Filth, is in this film. Since i enjoy wonderful happy summer songs, that Cradle Of Filth is known for, i simply had to take a look at Baphomet, Is this the film that may inspire people for a more happier loving world, or is Baphomet just as bad as Aaron Carter´s 4th studio album Another Earthquake ?

Satanic cult leader Henrik Brandr ( Giovanni Lombardo Radice ) wants the ranch owned by Jacob Richardson ( Colin Ward ), so he sends his son Askel Brandr ( Stephen Brodie ) to try and convince Jacob that he should sell his ranch, and that they are willing to pay a very big amount of money. Jacob does not take any offer, and makes it very clear, he is not selling his home. Jacob does not know, that this is the beginning of a nightmare, not only for himself, but for his whole family as well.

If you´re not a fan of satanism, this film is probably not for you. If you are a fan of the 2010 dance film Step Up 3D, then Baphomet might be exactly what you have been looking for. Not that these films have a lot in common, but they are definetely both influenced by satanism ( you can tell just looking at the DVD cover of Step Up 3D, all the signs of Satan are there ). Baphomet feels like a throwback to the satanic films of the 70´s, with the exception of that the film takes place in modern day instead. Let us begin with mentioning the best part of Baphomet, and i especially enjoy the scenes of the satanic religious cult, when they sacrifice an innocent woman. I also enjoy when the satanists attack the family towards the end, and i was especially surprised to see satanists using sniper rifles, have that ever been done before? I actually appreciate that idea, since its fun to see that even satanists can develope, and not only use knives to kill. When it comes to the characters, we have a very mix bag here, but i do enjoy the performance of female character Marybeth,  played by actress Charlotte Bjornbak. To be honest, she should have had a bigger role in this film. Her character have a very interesting, and mysterious personality, and i would have liked to know more about her background. I actually think that she should have her own film, as the character Marybeth. How did she become the white witch? Did she experience a big tragedy in her past, that made her who she is today? Legendary Italian actor Giovanni Lombardo Rice ( who have been in classic horror films such as Cannibal Ferox and Deliria ) plays the satanic cult leader Henrik Brandr. He is without a doubt one of the characters that match very well in his role, and he knows how to portrait a very disturbed religious cult leader. Actress Rebecca Weaver deliver a natural performance as Rebecca Neville, a woman who struggle with a lot of personal tragedies. Nice to see actor Stephen Brodie ( worth checking out in Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich ), who is one of the satanic members. The satanic horror influences in this film is definetely the most positive surprise for me about Baphomet, even if you can sense that it could have been developed deeper. We have to get into some negative details as well. There is especially one strange scene, where a police officer bring out dynamite, that felt unnecessary. If you have guns, you don´t need dynamite to fight satanists. The cop who suggest the dynamite, did not have a good acting day. He gives a performance that is easy to forget. If you can accept some flaws, and appreciate classic satanic horror influences in a simple, but interesting story, Baphomet manage to put the pieces of the puzzle together in a surprising way. Director Matthan Harris have definetely tried to do a horror film that´s definetely a bit different than other satanist horror films i have seen, and i appreciate that he tried another path. Baphomet is worth picking up on DVD or Blu Ray, especially if you are looking for something to enjoy with your partner. Who needs viagra when Baphomet will spice things up in your love life?

Rating: DDD