The opening of "Goodnight,God Bless" is quite unsettling and memorable:we see a priest with a rosary walking near the school before murdering a young school teacher with a butcher knife and then shooting 5 school children on the playground and wounding countless others.This sequence is shot in chaotic and hand-held style that certainly packs the punch.Unfortunately after this nasty beginning the film quickly goes downhill.First of all it has more to do with dull cop drama than slasher flick.There are a couple of thrills including the scene of the woman chased through the forest,but the acting is so-so and the ending is abrupt and comes out-of-nowhere.It's a crying shame that "Lucifer" is so terminally boring.4 out of 10.
8 Reviews
Worth a Look
choppyno27 July 2005
Goodnight God Bless was much better than I expected after seeing the preview that appears before the film on the VHS version. The movie does have quite an intense and shocking (if not bloody) opening sequence. This is a decent mix of religious horror, cop drama and straight-up slasher 80's films with an original premise and some believable acting from unfamiliar faces, namely Emma Sutton in the lead role. A maniac is murdering people and witnesses claim its a priest. Some genuine suspense, not much gore or skin, but entertaining. If you enjoyed Maniac Cop or God Told Me To then check it out. Not the best of B-Movies but worth a look.
Starts insane, gets boring
BandSAboutMovies5 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Also known as Lucifer, this movie has a killer that even the police start to realize may have an actual mission from Satan himself. He starts with a schoolyard massacre and then comes after the only survivor, Mandy, who is being protected by the police. It's pretty shocking, to be perfectly honest, to see a priest stab a woman and then just open fire on a playground packed with small children. You don't see that in many - any - slashers.
Sadly, this movie never gets better or stranger or remains as shockingly original as that first scene. The cop falls for Mandy's mom, they go on a bird watching vacation and the priest just keeps killing people when he isn't stalking our little child protagonist.
The killer priest is a great idea and so underused. So maybe instead of this one - spoiler warning - you could watch Seven Bloodstained Orchids, Silver Bullet, Don't Torture a Duckling, City of the Living Dead, To the Devil a Daughter, Prom NIght IV: Deliver Us From Evil and Happy Hell Night.
Sadly, this movie never gets better or stranger or remains as shockingly original as that first scene. The cop falls for Mandy's mom, they go on a bird watching vacation and the priest just keeps killing people when he isn't stalking our little child protagonist.
The killer priest is a great idea and so underused. So maybe instead of this one - spoiler warning - you could watch Seven Bloodstained Orchids, Silver Bullet, Don't Torture a Duckling, City of the Living Dead, To the Devil a Daughter, Prom NIght IV: Deliver Us From Evil and Happy Hell Night.
The very definition of dreadful
anxietyresister13 September 2005
Yep, it was market day. So in I strolled with my 50 pence burning a hole in my pocket, and what should I come across? The VHS of this film, complete with scary front cover, on sale for just that precise sum of money. I thought to myself "This might be worth a go" and handed over my hard-earned coinage to the foreign bloke behind the stall. (Who had maybe just the hint of a devilish smile on his face?) I went home, fed the cats, put my feet up and put the cassette on. And that was when my perfect day ended.
This film is arguably one of the worst ever made. Even among lovers of horrible movies like myself, this flick is too much. It is purely in a class of badness by itself. I have absolutely no idea why anybody: stupid, rich or desperate would have agreed to participate in this farce, but it's safe to say they must have had no dignity whatsoever. I can forgive the child actress, as she was probably lured into it by greedy parents. Everybody else has no excuse and should be throughly ashamed of themselves.
The plot? What does it matter? A priest guns down a teacher and five pupils in an English school somewhere, and a British copper and a Yank detective fresh off the boat from New York get on the case. The only witness to the crime was a little girl cowering behind some bins, and the American policeman starts a relationship with her mother and Blah Blah Blah.. That's all you need to know, apart from the fact that the people in this film make some of the stupidest decisions I've ever seen in my life. For instance: A mad slasher is chasing you, what do you do? Why you lock yourself in the bathroom of course, completely ignoring the open front door!! And I'll eat my hat if the actor playing the Yank comes from the States himself, that has to be one of the most phony, pathetic attempts at an accent I've ever heard. Rory Bremner he is not.
The acting is beyond amateur, the dialogue is risible when it isn't laughable, scenes go on forever despite having already made their point.. the whole experience is beyond comprehension. There's even a nice little interlude with our so-called American and his new girlfriend with child at the zoo, complete with unspeakably awful pop song warbling away in the background, something about 'learning to love again'. PUKE!! Basically the movie is absolute bilge, a shameful waste of money and should never have been released. On the plus side though, I do owe the (completely unscary) chap that plays the murderer a favour. We get so many close up shots of his feet in a vain effort to hide his true identity, that it reminded me: I need a new pair of shoes for the autumn. So thanks for that!! 0/10
This film is arguably one of the worst ever made. Even among lovers of horrible movies like myself, this flick is too much. It is purely in a class of badness by itself. I have absolutely no idea why anybody: stupid, rich or desperate would have agreed to participate in this farce, but it's safe to say they must have had no dignity whatsoever. I can forgive the child actress, as she was probably lured into it by greedy parents. Everybody else has no excuse and should be throughly ashamed of themselves.
The plot? What does it matter? A priest guns down a teacher and five pupils in an English school somewhere, and a British copper and a Yank detective fresh off the boat from New York get on the case. The only witness to the crime was a little girl cowering behind some bins, and the American policeman starts a relationship with her mother and Blah Blah Blah.. That's all you need to know, apart from the fact that the people in this film make some of the stupidest decisions I've ever seen in my life. For instance: A mad slasher is chasing you, what do you do? Why you lock yourself in the bathroom of course, completely ignoring the open front door!! And I'll eat my hat if the actor playing the Yank comes from the States himself, that has to be one of the most phony, pathetic attempts at an accent I've ever heard. Rory Bremner he is not.
The acting is beyond amateur, the dialogue is risible when it isn't laughable, scenes go on forever despite having already made their point.. the whole experience is beyond comprehension. There's even a nice little interlude with our so-called American and his new girlfriend with child at the zoo, complete with unspeakably awful pop song warbling away in the background, something about 'learning to love again'. PUKE!! Basically the movie is absolute bilge, a shameful waste of money and should never have been released. On the plus side though, I do owe the (completely unscary) chap that plays the murderer a favour. We get so many close up shots of his feet in a vain effort to hide his true identity, that it reminded me: I need a new pair of shoes for the autumn. So thanks for that!! 0/10
What an amazing opening! What amazing box art! What... uh...!
polysicsarebest23 May 2008
There are two things that make this film really special: an amazing opening sequence which is dramatic, edited interestingly, atmospheric, and even somewhat shocking. What a way to open a film. Also worth a note is the amazing box art. And the back of the box continues the Magnum Entertainment tradition of showing only the bloody deaths from the film. But, yeah, to just judge this film on those two elements alone would make it pretty noteworthy.
Unfortunately, the film continues. And while it's not as bad as you'd think, it still kind of goes nowhere. The whole thing has a really dark atmosphere and a mean-spirited tone that makes it interesting, but the whole thing just kind of limps along at a slow pace and doesn't really go anywhere. I gotta give credit to the ending, though. It's not really good, but it's so abrupt and out of nowhere and it resolves absolutely nothing! Very interesting.
This film's just bizarre enough to be worth a watch though don't expect much.
Unfortunately, the film continues. And while it's not as bad as you'd think, it still kind of goes nowhere. The whole thing has a really dark atmosphere and a mean-spirited tone that makes it interesting, but the whole thing just kind of limps along at a slow pace and doesn't really go anywhere. I gotta give credit to the ending, though. It's not really good, but it's so abrupt and out of nowhere and it resolves absolutely nothing! Very interesting.
This film's just bizarre enough to be worth a watch though don't expect much.
Arguably the most atmospheric horror opening ever...
RareSlashersReviewed30 January 2004
This extremely rare and mostly unheard of slasher was actually the debut movie of British-born director John Eyres. Although his name may not immediately ring bells in the heads of most movie buffs, he did at least manage to carve himself a career out of directing mostly straight to video films, which include MONOLITH with Bill Paxton and another new age splatter flick RIPPER. The latter is most memorable for giving glamour queen Kelly Brook a stab at acting although it also disappeared almost as soon as it was unleashed.
It sets the scene with a killer priest who shows people his rosary beads and then butchers them remorselessly. The plot kicks in when Detectives Joe Yamovitch (Frank Rozelaar Green) and John Brett (Jared Morgan) head up an investigation and go to interview the survivor of the maniacal clergyman's first massacre. However the witness is a young girl named Mandy (Jane Price) and before long Joe begins a relationship with her pretty mother Lisa (Emma Sutton). Meanwhile the ruthless assassin has located the child and begins stalking them seeking to kill the only person who could possibly identify him. Can Joe keep his promise and protect the petrified couple from the deranged madman
GOODNIGHT GODBLESS is credited with one of the most shocking openings that I've ever seen in a horror film. It's so startling that I'm surprised that the film wasn't banned because of it. The Insane churchman is seen leisurely strolling past a school playground stroking his rosary beads. He is spotted by one of the many children who are recreating behind the large spiked fence. As he reaches the gate, a teacher - who indeed seems bewildered to see a priest - approaches him. Suddenly he draws a large knife from within his jacket and stabs her before reaching for a handgun and firing randomly at the fleeing kiddies. Soon after we learn that he managed to kill five of the unfortunate juniors. Now this sort of approach is usually well avoided by most slasher movies. I must admit that it's not something that most filmmakers would want to add to their movie. Dumb fornicating teens getting slaughtered the average viewer can easily handle, but young innocent children getting shot at' usually doesn't bode to well with Joe public and especially with the then cautious censors. Eyres certainly went all out on the exploitation for his opening and to be honest he manages to pull it off extremely well. A simple yet haunting score accompanies the scene and the blurry and unclear cinematography helps to make things all the more eerie. Although there are no actual graphic visions of the bullets hitting the victims mind you 30 seconds was edited from the BBFC version we catch the general gist of what's going on easily. It was certainly a brave attempt by Eyres to shock the viewer and to be honest he does just that. But I knew that with a beginning that caught you off guard so surprisingly, he was going to have one hell of a job on his hands to make sure that the rest of the runtime lived up to his set expectations.
Sadly from then on things don't impress as much as they could have. The storyline falls foul to the usual rotten clichés and things can't help but feel lame after such a drastic launch. The leads are surprisingly likeable and accessible, although a little more character building certainly wouldn't have gone a miss. In one part, young Mandy asks Joe to accompany her and her mother out on a date only five minutes after meeting them! The guy only says a few words and he's found himself a relationship! Makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong! Although amusing in a daft kind of way, moments like that only make the screenplay feel like it was somewhat rushed through with minimal thought. The plot also has difficulty making it's mind up how it wants to play ball. None of the victims can give a positive description of the killer and we the viewer never get to see his face. Now in a horror flick this usually means that it's one of the cast who's slicing everyone up and it's our job to guess whom it is. But just when you think you've picked out the culprit, the inexplicable ending left me totally bewildered.
The director manages the odd interesting shot, but the cinematography was so blurry that anything that might have been remotely creditable was too damn hard to make out. This was most evident in the night scenes that were incredibly poorly lighted. At times the pace began to dwindle leaving you hoping that the killer would hurry up and put in a reappearance sometime soon. It also looks obvious that far too much plot was wasted covering the silly liaison that ensued between the leads and more time should have been given to the assassin who certainly stole the show with his chilling butchery.
GOODNIGHT GODBLESS does manage to save itself from damning mediocrity. It's certainly amateur but can't help but feel impressively eerie mostly because of the simple yet effective score. It's also nice to see London as a backdrop instead of the usual American locations. It certainly starts well and is worth tracking down just for that impressive scene alone. Although it may not live up to its counterparts from across the sea I recommend it to slasher fans for the few moments where it manages to shine. It isn't great but it's certainly interesting
It sets the scene with a killer priest who shows people his rosary beads and then butchers them remorselessly. The plot kicks in when Detectives Joe Yamovitch (Frank Rozelaar Green) and John Brett (Jared Morgan) head up an investigation and go to interview the survivor of the maniacal clergyman's first massacre. However the witness is a young girl named Mandy (Jane Price) and before long Joe begins a relationship with her pretty mother Lisa (Emma Sutton). Meanwhile the ruthless assassin has located the child and begins stalking them seeking to kill the only person who could possibly identify him. Can Joe keep his promise and protect the petrified couple from the deranged madman
GOODNIGHT GODBLESS is credited with one of the most shocking openings that I've ever seen in a horror film. It's so startling that I'm surprised that the film wasn't banned because of it. The Insane churchman is seen leisurely strolling past a school playground stroking his rosary beads. He is spotted by one of the many children who are recreating behind the large spiked fence. As he reaches the gate, a teacher - who indeed seems bewildered to see a priest - approaches him. Suddenly he draws a large knife from within his jacket and stabs her before reaching for a handgun and firing randomly at the fleeing kiddies. Soon after we learn that he managed to kill five of the unfortunate juniors. Now this sort of approach is usually well avoided by most slasher movies. I must admit that it's not something that most filmmakers would want to add to their movie. Dumb fornicating teens getting slaughtered the average viewer can easily handle, but young innocent children getting shot at' usually doesn't bode to well with Joe public and especially with the then cautious censors. Eyres certainly went all out on the exploitation for his opening and to be honest he manages to pull it off extremely well. A simple yet haunting score accompanies the scene and the blurry and unclear cinematography helps to make things all the more eerie. Although there are no actual graphic visions of the bullets hitting the victims mind you 30 seconds was edited from the BBFC version we catch the general gist of what's going on easily. It was certainly a brave attempt by Eyres to shock the viewer and to be honest he does just that. But I knew that with a beginning that caught you off guard so surprisingly, he was going to have one hell of a job on his hands to make sure that the rest of the runtime lived up to his set expectations.
Sadly from then on things don't impress as much as they could have. The storyline falls foul to the usual rotten clichés and things can't help but feel lame after such a drastic launch. The leads are surprisingly likeable and accessible, although a little more character building certainly wouldn't have gone a miss. In one part, young Mandy asks Joe to accompany her and her mother out on a date only five minutes after meeting them! The guy only says a few words and he's found himself a relationship! Makes me wonder what I'm doing wrong! Although amusing in a daft kind of way, moments like that only make the screenplay feel like it was somewhat rushed through with minimal thought. The plot also has difficulty making it's mind up how it wants to play ball. None of the victims can give a positive description of the killer and we the viewer never get to see his face. Now in a horror flick this usually means that it's one of the cast who's slicing everyone up and it's our job to guess whom it is. But just when you think you've picked out the culprit, the inexplicable ending left me totally bewildered.
The director manages the odd interesting shot, but the cinematography was so blurry that anything that might have been remotely creditable was too damn hard to make out. This was most evident in the night scenes that were incredibly poorly lighted. At times the pace began to dwindle leaving you hoping that the killer would hurry up and put in a reappearance sometime soon. It also looks obvious that far too much plot was wasted covering the silly liaison that ensued between the leads and more time should have been given to the assassin who certainly stole the show with his chilling butchery.
GOODNIGHT GODBLESS does manage to save itself from damning mediocrity. It's certainly amateur but can't help but feel impressively eerie mostly because of the simple yet effective score. It's also nice to see London as a backdrop instead of the usual American locations. It certainly starts well and is worth tracking down just for that impressive scene alone. Although it may not live up to its counterparts from across the sea I recommend it to slasher fans for the few moments where it manages to shine. It isn't great but it's certainly interesting
A Devilishly Promising Premise Lost in Execution
P3n-E-W1s317 November 2023
Story: 1.25/2 - Direction & Pace: 0.75 & 0.75/4 - Performanes: 1.00/2 - Entertainment: 1.00/2
Total - 4.75/10
In the vast realm of horror, sometimes you'll stumble upon a film that wields potential like a double-edged sword, promising an engaging narrative only to leave you scratching your head and muttering, "What devilry did I just witness?" Enter "Good Night God Bless," also released under "Lucifer".
Imagine a tale ripe with the allure of a vicar-turned-child-killer, perhaps not even human-a premise that could induce goosebumps in the most apathetic of souls. Sadly, the execution of this promising premise feels akin to a low-budget stage play held together with duct tape and prayers to the cinema gods for salvation.
Straight away, this celluloid escapade struggles like an odd fish out of water. Inadequately structured scenes and a carelessly scattered sequence placement inadvertently create a mosaic of bewildering confusion, leaving viewers in a perpetual state of "Am I watching the right film?"
Character development, or distinct lack thereof, undoubtedly adds to the dilemma. These underdeveloped characters appear as if plucked from a dusty shelf of generic horror archetypes, slightly dull and about as realistic as a unicorn at rush hour. If only the script doctor had arrived to tighten the narrative screws and buff the dulled story to a shine!
But wait, there's more-oh yes, the direction! An odyssey of a tempo so leisurely that a sloth would cry out, "Pick up the pace!" The highlight of suspense inadvertently becomes a five-minute trudge through two tiny warehouses, a scene so lacklustre it could lull a caffeinated squirrel into a profound slumber.
Performance-wise, it's a rollercoaster of mediocrity. No one stands out, trapped in a quagmire of inconsistent portrayals. It's comparatively like attending an amateur theatre showcase where everyone reluctantly abandoned their lines and randomly remembered them at the most inconvenient intervals.
Yet, amidst this cinematic circus of missteps, "Good Night God Bless" retains a unique charm. It's the peculiar charm akin to inadvertently discovering a misshapen rock on a beach littered with magnificent diamonds-a delightful novelty to ponder, though not one to rush back to.
So, should you willingly pay "Good Night God Bless" any regard? Well, if you've exhausted all other forms of entertainment and find yourself in dire need of a welcome distraction on a cold, dreary day, it might just pass the time. But don't expect a revelatory experience-consider it more a curious artefact of cinematic misfortune.
Total - 4.75/10
In the vast realm of horror, sometimes you'll stumble upon a film that wields potential like a double-edged sword, promising an engaging narrative only to leave you scratching your head and muttering, "What devilry did I just witness?" Enter "Good Night God Bless," also released under "Lucifer".
Imagine a tale ripe with the allure of a vicar-turned-child-killer, perhaps not even human-a premise that could induce goosebumps in the most apathetic of souls. Sadly, the execution of this promising premise feels akin to a low-budget stage play held together with duct tape and prayers to the cinema gods for salvation.
Straight away, this celluloid escapade struggles like an odd fish out of water. Inadequately structured scenes and a carelessly scattered sequence placement inadvertently create a mosaic of bewildering confusion, leaving viewers in a perpetual state of "Am I watching the right film?"
Character development, or distinct lack thereof, undoubtedly adds to the dilemma. These underdeveloped characters appear as if plucked from a dusty shelf of generic horror archetypes, slightly dull and about as realistic as a unicorn at rush hour. If only the script doctor had arrived to tighten the narrative screws and buff the dulled story to a shine!
But wait, there's more-oh yes, the direction! An odyssey of a tempo so leisurely that a sloth would cry out, "Pick up the pace!" The highlight of suspense inadvertently becomes a five-minute trudge through two tiny warehouses, a scene so lacklustre it could lull a caffeinated squirrel into a profound slumber.
Performance-wise, it's a rollercoaster of mediocrity. No one stands out, trapped in a quagmire of inconsistent portrayals. It's comparatively like attending an amateur theatre showcase where everyone reluctantly abandoned their lines and randomly remembered them at the most inconvenient intervals.
Yet, amidst this cinematic circus of missteps, "Good Night God Bless" retains a unique charm. It's the peculiar charm akin to inadvertently discovering a misshapen rock on a beach littered with magnificent diamonds-a delightful novelty to ponder, though not one to rush back to.
So, should you willingly pay "Good Night God Bless" any regard? Well, if you've exhausted all other forms of entertainment and find yourself in dire need of a welcome distraction on a cold, dreary day, it might just pass the time. But don't expect a revelatory experience-consider it more a curious artefact of cinematic misfortune.
Strictly for fans
IMDB_Official_updatess28 March 2019
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
