#paul leder

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

A*P*E | 1976

[brokehorrorfan]

The Eleventh Commandment will be released on Blu-ray on September 1 via Vinegar Syndrome. Direct orders ($24.99) include an embossed slipcover designed by Earl Kessler Jr. (pictured below), limited to 2,500.

The 1986 slasher is written and directed by Paul Leder (Ape, I Dismember Mama). Bernard White, Marilyn Hassett, Dick Sargent, Greg Mullavey, Thomas Ryan, Haunani Minn, Steven Ford, and Lauren Woodland star.

The Eleventh Commandment has been newly restored in 2K from its 35mm interpositive. It features reversible artwork. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Interview with actor Bernard White

Interview with actress Lauren Woodland

Promotional still gallery

Robert Knight has been committed to an insane asylum by his greedy and potentially murderous Uncle Charles, as a means of depriving him of his rightful inheritance. But his time in the asylum has indeed turned Robert into a violent lunatic; fashioning himself a priestly avenger due to his years at the seminary. After murdering a nurse and orderly, Robert escapes from the asylum and begins slashing his way through anyone who stands between his avenging the actions of his uncle. But Uncle Charles has some deadly tricks up his sleeve as well...

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

A*P*E | 1976

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

A*P*E | 1976 — Joanna Kerns: “be gentle big fella”

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: The Eleventh Commandment

The eleventh Commandment should have been "Thou shalt not make a boring slasher movie." To be fair, only about 15 minutes of 1986's The Eleventh Commandment pass for a quasi-slasher. Even at a micro level, that portion would not be a strong entry in the subgenre - every death is a boring stabbing and suspense is minimal - but it could have laid the groundwork for a seedy, low-budget relic. Unfortunately, the rest of the 94-minute film is bogged down by melodrama.

The plot centers on Robert Knight (Bernard White, Silicon Valley), who dresses and preaches like a priest - but he’s not ordained, merely deranged. He's committed to a psychiatric rehabilitation center until he kills the Ratched-esque head nurse and escapes. He wants to reconnect with his neglected 9-year-old cousin, Deborah (Lauren Woodland, Alien Nation), who he considers "innocent," and take revenge on his rich uncle (Dick Sargent, Bewitched), who he believes killed his father.

More befitting of a soap opera than a horror movie, Robert's reign of terror is interspersed among long, dull stretches in which Robert bonds with Deborah while the rest of the family quarrels over a legal dispute. It wouldn't be as painful if it went anywhere, but these plot points ultimately have little impact on the story, and they're not even trashy enough to be entertaining. Even the religious undertones, from which the film's name spawns, is largely pointless.

With a resume including the like of Ape and I Desember Mama, writer-director Paul Leder is no stranger to the genre, and by the time The Eleventh Commandment came along the slasher format was well established, so I have to assume the film's dramatic lean was a conscious choice. Unfortunately, it's simply not engaging. The highlight is seeing James Avery (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) in a few early scenes as an orderly who looks after Robert.

The Eleventh Commandment has been newly restored in 2K from its 35mm interpositive for Vinegar Syndrome's Blu-ray release, which features reversible artwork. It includes new interviews with White and Woodland, conducted via video chat due to Covid-19, and a gallery of promotional stills. In his 17-minute chat, White discusses drawing inspiration from his familial history with mental illness, reading the Bible, and drawing parallels between his character and Hamlet. His pride in the film made me appreciate it more. Woodland talks about being a child actress and her mother's reservations about the movie.

The Eleventh Commandment is available now on Blu-ray via Vinegar Syndrome.

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

A*P*E | 1976

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

A*P*E | 1976

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

A*P*E | 1976