Heartland of Darkness

Director - Eric Swelstad (Frankenstein Rising, The Curse of Lizzie Borden 2: Prom Night)

Starring - Dino Tripodis (Criminal Minds, The Funny Man), Nick Baldasare (Road Meat, They Bite), and Shanna Thomas 

Release Date - 1992

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "An evil place between Heaven and Hell... the sanctuary of death"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5): 

     I’m a huge fan of Wild Eye Releasing so it was a no brainer when they announced their sister company Visual Vengeance to release S.O.V. horror flicks. I’ve worked with Wild Eye in the past and love their dedication to the genre, so I was looking forward their new label. So far, I’ve been very impressed with the releases. Most were first time watches for me and the special features and additions in the releases are fantastic for collectors. Back in October or so it was announced that the Visual Vengeance would be releasing Heartland of Darkness starring Linnea Quigley. I had never heard of this one but the press release and trailer sold me on it. I tried to secure a review copy around the time it was released and was unable to but last month Wild Eye sent a copy over to check out. After watching the classic Bubba Ho-Tep on UHD I decided to follow it up with something I had never seen before. I decided it was the perfect time to check out Heartland of Darkness. I want to thank Wild Eye for sending this one over. 

      The film follows a man and his teenage daughter that move to a small town to run the local newspaper. Within the first few days he is responding to a mutilated body found in the woods near town. He meets the shady priest that is very pushy and suspects something is going behind closed doors but is unable to prove it until his new journalist, who is actually and undercover agent investigating Satanic cults, starts pointing it out to him. When he stumbles into a shrine in the back room of one of the businesses he quickly finds himself at the center of the cult, who is parading as a Catholic church, and must fight to save his daughter before she can be their next sacrifice for the dark lord. 

      I absolutely loved Heartland of Darkness. I know trolls and edgelords will be scurrying to the comment section ready to throw down about how I was paid to write this, and the film wasn’t that good. The thing is, the film is that good. It was a lot of fucking fun especially if you dig S.O.V. horror. Hell, even if you don’t it still hits the spot if you are looking for a late-night horror fix. The acting in this one is was surprisingly well done. When I toss in a classic S.O.V. title I expect to find a film made by friends or family in their backyard with the family camcorder. Not all S.O.V. flicks are like that but that’s the mindset I often find myself in. This one has a fantastic cast and sizeable amount of screen time from Linnea Quigley. I was expecting to only see her in the film for a few minutes, but she is actually in the film for a bit and doesn’t disappoint. With that being said, the rest of the cast really surprised me. The film’s stars Dino Tripodis, Nick Baldasare, and Shanna Thomas really make the film. They are fully invested in the film and do a fantastic job. The same can be said about the supporting cast. Some inexperience rears it’s ugly head from time to time but that doesn’t ruin the experience. I really liked the story, but I did find it to be a little too goofy at times. The idea of a cult parading around as Christians killing those that get in their way while offering sacrifices to Satan in a small town really pulled me in. I liked the idea of the small town coming together to form an evil cult especially when you consider that this was made during the waning years of the Satanic Panic scare that left suburban parents trembling. With that being said, parts of the story, like the part where the government is investigating clusters of cults in small towns across the U.S. I found the Satanic cult aspect to be a little far-fetched and that’s coming from someone who was raised in the tail end of the Satanic Panic and know several people in the Satanic Church. Regardless, I liked it but a different type of cult would have been more enjoyable. Finally, the film has a few death scenes but nothing that would stick out to avid genre fans. We get some weak make-up effects and the kills rely mostly on the viewer’s imagination rather than practical effects. Overall, Heartland of Darkness is a must see for fans of S.O.V. horror. I fucking loved it and I love this release from Visual Vengeance. I can’t recommend this one enough. Do yourself a favor and check out this early 90s Satanic fun.