Witchery

***Cheesy late 80’s supernatural horror with David Hasselhoff and Linda Blair*** Eight people are trapped on a barren island off the coast of Massachusetts where there’s a spooky defunct hotel inhabited by the witchy specter of an old German actress. David Hasselhoff, Linda Blair, Catherine Hickland and Leslie Cumming (Leslie) are on hand. “Witchery” (1988) is a straight-to-video mystery/horror that combines the plot of Agatha Christi's “And Then There Were None” (aka “Ten Little Indians”) with the style of low-budget occultic-themed flicks of the mid/late 80s, like “Bay Coven” (1987), aka “Bay Cove.” Regrettably this isn’t even close to being as effective as the well done “Bay Coven.” It’s hampered by bad or hammy acting, gaudy non-special effects and a one-dimensional location, which the creators try to make up for with hard R-rated sequences, including a top nude rape scene featuring Leslie Cumming (some prints cut out these scenes). Thankfully, some sequences work well despite the low budget, like the horrific capture, torture & death of an older woman, as well as the eventual possession scenes. Meanwhile blonde Hickland is stunning (she was Hasselhoff’s wife at the time). The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Scituate, Massachusetts (the hotel), & nearby Cohasset. GRADE: C/C-