Starring - Lance Ozanix and Rafael Robletto
Release Date - 1992
Genre - Horror
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
Lost shot on video horror films are the holy grail of horror collecting. I have friends that will travel from state to state on just rumors of video stores closing with no proof and only word of mouth. Their goal is to find rare and expensive tapes that people have forgot about over the years, but for most, they want to find lost shot on video films that were never truly circulated or distributed. The Sleaze Box is one company that has been working hard to release forgotten s.o.v. horror flicks and have teamed up with Phil Herman to release his films from the early 90s. Another company that I recently discovered, Verboden Video, has released another unknown s.o.v. flick Holy Moly on DVD. The film was originally shot in 1991 and was directed by and starred Lance Ozanix. I found out about the film and Verboden Video when they sent a press release to the site and another writer shared it. This is the shit I live for so I reached out to them and they were kind enough to hook me up with a review copy. Thanks Verboden!
The film follows Holy (Ozanix). Holy is a priest who lives for the word of God. He walks the streets of his small town speaking to the citizens and trying to convince them to go to church. One day he delivers his sermon and then leaves the church where he is confronted by a young man. They talk for a bit and then Holy leaves him. He remarks about how odd the young man is before going on his way. Not long after his encounter with him he starts to see strange things. People he has known for years are now suddenly sprouting fangs and snarling at him. He panics and then he slowly changes into a fanged beast like the others and kills a man before the young man reappears and confesses to Holy. He reveals he is a demon and is forcing Holy to kill. Holy must now fight for his own life...and his soul.
Shot on video horror is always fun regardless of how bad the film is. I've seen some s.o.v. flicks that were down right amazing and I've seen some that was a chore to finish. I've also seen some that were so bad that even a cameo appearance from Tom Savini couldn't save it. Holy Moly falls in the category of so fucking ridiculous its good. The acting in this one is laughable. The film's lead, Lance Ozanix is rough to watch at times but that gave the film its charm. He had no idea what he was doing but by god he gave it his best shot. Sadly, the remainder of the cast is unknown due to the imdb page for the film being incomplete. The story for this one is right at home on shot on video. A priest forced to kill by a demon is textbook example of what you could find on s.o.v. It was great. It had some slow moments and took awhile to catch traction but was well worth it. Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills that are just as poor as this film. The kill in the bathroom is very drawn out and shows some very bad effects but that is what makes s.o.v. horror so much fun. We see backyard effects that show creativity and movie knowledge but lack experience, budget, and skill. Overall, Holy Moly is like having Thanksgiving dinner at your in laws. You have to put up with shit but the end result is well worth it. Check it out.
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