The 1983 horror film The Alchemist emerged from a troubled production history long before audiences could see it. The picture was originally being directed by an unnamed filmmaker, who completed only two or three days of shooting before being replaced by Charles Band, the low-budget horror producer and filmmaker who directed the remainder under the pseudonym James Amante. The change left the production with an unusually unstable foundation, and the finished film was not released promptly: although it was made in 1981, it did not appear in Norway until 1984, reportedly on video, and reached the United States only on May 31, 1985. Band’s film starred Robert Ginty, Lucinda Dooling, and John Sanderford in a supernatural story involving reincarnation, demonic forces, an immortal curse, and a portal to a hellish dimension—an appropriately ominous narrative for a production that itself spent years in limbo. The film’s eventual reception was harsh: Variety called it a dull, old-fashioned supernatural horror film, Time Out described it as a low-energy pastiche, and VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever awarded it its lowest rating, “WOOF!” Its score by Band’s brother Richard Band was one of the few elements to receive praise. The movie ultimately became a minor footnote in Charles Band’s prolific exploitation-film career, receiving its only DVD release from Video International on January 7, 2008.
Preparing the daily feature…
AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1980s
The Alchemist’s Abandoned Director and Four-Year Release Limbo
The Alchemist / 1980s
The 1983 horror film The Alchemist emerged from a troubled production history long before audiences could see it. The picture was originally being directed by an unnamed filmmaker, who completed only two or three days of shooting before being replaced by Charles Band, the low-budget horror producer and filmmaker who directed the remainder under the pseudonym James Amante. The change left the production with an unusually unstable foundation, and the finished film was not released promptly: although it was made in 1981, it did not appear in Norway until 1984, reportedly on video, and reached the United States only on May 31, 1985. Band’s film starred Robert Ginty, Lucinda Dooling, and John Sanderford in a supernatural story involving reincarnation, demonic forces, an immortal curse, and a portal to a hellish dimension—an appropriately ominous narrative for a production that itself spent years in limbo. The film’s eventual reception was harsh: Variety called it a dull, old-fashioned supernatural horror film, Time Out described it as a low-energy pastiche, and VideoHound’s Golden Movie Retriever awarded it its lowest rating, “WOOF!” Its score by Band’s brother Richard Band was one of the few elements to receive praise. The movie ultimately became a minor footnote in Charles Band’s prolific exploitation-film career, receiving its only DVD release from Video International on January 7, 2008.
The daily feature is taking an intermission. There’s still an entire archive to explore.