The Black Crystal

The Black Crystal is exactly the sort of obscurity I like finding through AGFA. It is rough, strange, atmospheric, and has that slightly unpredictable quality where I was never entirely sure what direction it was going to take next. There is a dreamlike feeling to parts of it that I really liked, even when I wasn't completely sure what was happening. It is certainly not polished, but that is part of the attraction. Another fascinating bit of genre cinema that I probably never would have known existed without a label like AGFA digging it up.

As a lifelong Tucsonan, I get a kick out of seeing my city as it was in 1989/1990. There are several good establishing shots of downtown Tucson - fun! Beyond the period Tucson flavor, though, there's really not much to this movie. The eponymous "Black Crystal" is a particularly macguffin-y macguffin, the acting is uneven, and the special effects are cheap (though they deserve an A for effort). I think you can skip this one unless you have a connection with Tucson.

This is my kind of crystal

Movie:

Surprisingly competent for a low budget movie (especially one released by AGFA), although I think this is actually to the movie's detriment. The story is fairly straightforward, and because it's easy to follow you realize that not a lot is happening. Things are generally well-shot & the actors aren't doing too bad, which means nothing is particularly memorable. Besides an eye-gouging early on & a part later where the synth score really kicks it up a notch not a lot sticks in my mind.

Extras:

The interview is good, and the shorts are pretty fun.

Packaging:

Design is good overall, especially if you like pink.

Low-budget, regional action-horror film, inspired by real-life cult murders, that delivers a surprisingly ambitious and often hallucinatory ride involving Satanic cultists, a mysterious "power channeler," and plenty of DIY gore, all shot on Super 8mm with a distinctive synthesizer score.