One of my all time favorite films from the 80's finally makes it to Blu-ray. Directed by Fred Olen Ray, this fun little thriller focuses on five college students who travel to an ancient Indian burial site to dig for artifacts.
The spirits that live there are not keen on the idea and they do what they must to stop the diggings. One of the students becomes possessed by the spirit of an Indian named Black Claw who proceeds to kill several members of the expedition.
One of the female students named DJ (Jo-Ann Robinson)has a deep connection with nature and she tries vainly to warn of the impending evil, but as you can tell nobody listens.
The scalpings are well done for the modest budget as are the other death scenes. The often cut rape scene is included and it was culled from a mediocre tape source as you can see the picture quality really diminish.
As usual with Ray films there are some great genre actors and this film is no exception. Caroll Borland Forry Ackerman and Kirk Alyn make appearances. Alyn's is the most memorable, especially at the end.
This film has such a sordid history and has been thru so much shit, it's a miracle it's even around anymore. There are some extras on this disc including a 22 minute look back at the film with Ray and two of the actors in the film. There is also a short film called Scalps 2: J Returns which is unauthorized, but somewhat fun to see.
I am VERY happy Retro Media released this again on Blu-ray. I hadn't seen it for years, but it always sticks in the back of my mind. In my opinion it's one of the best films of the 80's!! Period!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
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