Death has a new dark angel - Cupid

 Death has a new dark angel - Cupid

PLOT - A brother and sister with a past incestuous relationship have a current murderous relationship. He murders the women who reject him and she murders the women who get too close to him. 

LOWDOWN -  I first heard of this movie this past summer after re-discovering actor Zach Galligan. Loving his past work in such classics as the Waxwork and Gremlins movies, I decided to hit up the always useful IMDB and see what other movies of his were worth checking out. While scrolling along I noticed that Zach and Hellraiser star Ashley Lawrence both starred in this little gem. Back when 90's thrillers were a dime a dozen. Seeing that it was straight to video, I found a copy of it on tape for super cheap (like three dollars cheap) and decided to completely blind buy it and check it out. 

Cupid like I said fell into the very vast abyss of thousands of other direct to video 90's thrillers. I feel once Silence Of The Lambs hit big, every studio didn't want to call it a horror or slasher movie any more. They went with the whole thriller angle which in my eyes is a complete cop-out. I mean besides the dumb teenagers being the ones getting killed, the the ever so awesome 1980's soundtracks, it still fits the same formula. Now there were some really awesome 90's thrillers that were made. A good number of them being complete guilty pleasures that went direct to video and were seen gracing the shelf's of every Blockbuster around. Cupid to me seemed to feel more like a Lifetime movie than anything else. It had the bare bones of what could have been a really awesome idea. Valentine's Day besides the ever so amazing My Bloody Valentine films, is an often ignored holiday for horror that doesn't get it's due (Sorry, not a fan of that shit fest Valentine.) 

 

Cupid really isn't that well of a written movie. Like I said it had the bare bones of a great story but just didn't seem to follow up to what it truly could have been. It's like the frame of what could have been the best and fastest car around...sadly the factory fucked up and ended up making a Pinto. That's how I see Cupid. Had this movie been made in the 1980's with a slightly better story and maybe a higher body count, maybe just maybe it could have been better. But then again it would have fallen into being just another slasher movie.

The acting is pretty awful (sorry Zach) I just can't see him as a villain. He can play an asshole pretty well, but a killer? Yeah he's got crazy eyes but every time I see him I think of him holding Gizmo and looking adorable. Not the greatest casting. Sorry Zach I just see you as the good guy!

Mary Cosby was awful and wasted in the movie as was Ashly Lawrence. Also the casting of her sister was down right awful. 

I liked the whole twist of him thinking the girl he murdered was the woman he was obsessed with's roommate, but she ends up being her sister. Clever, but not followed through the right way. I love how seriously one second she's missing and the next she's supposed to be dead and found murdered. Really not the greatest of storyline, also how calmly the sister takes it. Uhhh...just didn't seem right.  

The whole back-story behind  Zach and his sister was also another wasted story-line. In fact most of the dialog was down right awful and cringe worthy. 

The good points of this movie is that Zach does have a few moments to shine in this movie, mostly at the end. I did love how it was set on Valentine's Day, and how obsessed Zach's character was with star crossed lovers. The really only good scene that stands out to me is when Zach slips in front of the cop making the comment about the ex-boyfriend killing himself. Clever, but uggg, still not very well written.

Some may ask why the fuck to I even own this movie if it sounds so bad. It really isn't. Like I said it's more of a Lifetime movie. I feel Zach was wasted in this movie but he did the best he could. It's a cool little thriller you can watch around this time of year and trust in in my eyes it's a million times better than Valentine. 

Also on a side note February 14th is also Zach Galligan's birthday, which is the same for his character in this movie. He's even said on his Twitter account that the only reason he took the role was for this reason. 

 

So like I said had it been made a decade earlier and a little better written, Cupid really could have been something awesome. Instead what we got was a poorly written Lifetime like movie that just fell flat. So in honor of Mr. Galligan's birthday and of course Valentine's Day, I would tell anyone who happens to catch this movie if it ever plays on televsion to check it out. Not the greatest of films, but still a pretty cool movie to watch if your a Zach fan and if you want to get into the Valentine's spirit. 

2 Stars!