Well folks, I've got a double feature for you today, courtesy of Sub Rosa Studios. Normally, I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than with a double shot of horror but in this case a couple of movies filled to the brim with dirty politicians, the Keys of Solomon, and a gothic dominatrix didn't make me as happy as I'd hoped. Let's just say, on this particular Valentine's Day, cupid passed me by and it definitely wasn't a case of love at first sight!

In our first feature, Malefic, a dominatrix has a perfect plan to make some fast cash. All she needs is a corpse of an eight-month-old infant to ransom and a place to hide. As it turns out, her place to hide is cabin in the woods owned by an occult writer who has written a book or two on the dark arts. Our dominatrix drives out to the lonely place with her crew and begins to plan the perfect crime.

The crew arrives at the cabin and they begin to look around. They find that the owner of the place has left a diary and a spirit board in the house. After making the phone call to ransom the baby remains, they sit down to a leisurely night of spirit chatting. With the help of the diary, they soon realize that this may not have been the best choice for a hiding place and using the spirit board may well have opened a gateway to an underworld full of nasty little critters! I guess it really wasn't a perfect plan after all.

In our second feature, Raising Hell, a less than honorable Governor who is up for re-election, happens to be facing the possibility of indictment and he may end up packing up the Governor's mansion if his numbers don't pick up by election day. Our political incumbent has a plan though as he summons up a demon using the long lost Keys of Solomon. The Governor figures with his handy demon he can waltz through the election and possibly rule the world.

There are only a handful of problems with his plan. The first is a gutsy lady cop. She's tough as nails and doesn't believe for a second that the murders of late have been animal attacks as the media suggests. The Jesuits are also a big problem to the Governor. They consider the Keys sacred and want them back. As Election Day draws near, the list of foes gets longer and it's hard to tell who'll walk away with the almighty Keys of Solomon after all.

With so many interesting little tidbits, it's hard to know exactly where to begin! Let's start with Malefic. There were quite a few things I liked about this movie. It had a decent look to it considering it was shot in black and white. Just about everything from the soundtrack to the gothic/fetish clothing style complimented the atmosphere of the movie. Unfortunately, this is where my semi-praise needs to end. The rest of the movie just doesn't hold up to any kind of scrutiny.

The story line was undoubtedly the weakest part of the film. I understand that making the leader of the gang a dominatrix is a direct link to the clothing in this film but it seems like a superfluous element to me. Also, it seemed unnecessary to have the body snatching and ransom as part of the plot. Sure it gets them to the cabin but a million other things could have gotten them there as well. It takes up a lot of time in the telling, which in turn allows the plot to drag along to its intended point. It feels like a lifetime until we find out that there is a spirit board and that it will be responsible for the outcome of the film and it's participants. I'll always give credit for striving for originality but in this case it leaves the whole story floating in the breeze and didn't leave enough time to tell the intended (and more interesting) story of the dark forces lurking in the cabin.

I have far more complaints where Raising Hell is concerned. Unlike Malefic, it didn't even look good. It looked like it was filmed using a fixed security camera. I kept waiting for the armed robbery footage! There are points in the film where all you can see is the actor's midsection as they pass in front of the lens. Everything about the film (including the overall look) felt flat and without any kind of broad scope. The soundtrack, presented in Dolby Digital Stereo, also did nothing to help the movie gain any kind of depth. For the most part, it sounded as if these particular tracks belonged to an afternoon soap opera and not to a horror film. I'm fairly sure that the crew behind All My Children is going to want that tape back along with some royalties!

The pacing of the movie also left a lot to be desired, as it begins with a little conspiracy and some poorly filmed death. Then the movie plods along like the scenery is actually worth looking at. Raising Hell takes a long time to get to its point and an even longer time to get to its conclusion. The Keys of Solomon have been used in horror movies and in books for both the summoning and the disposal of demonic forces many times over. It's a plot line that can be used effectively with a little research and a little imagination. However, it wasn't used very well in this particular case and I'm sure Jesus is not going to be too happy about his involvement in the story line either.

Special Features include an audio commentary, trailers, a making of featurette, outtakes, deletedsScenes, and some production stills. As a complete package, I'd have to say I personally wouldn't spend the fifteen bucks it would cost to own these flicks. I have never minded a movie with a lot of heart but no budget. I've also seen what some very creative people have been able to do with next to no money and let me tell you, it doesn't come out looking like this!