EQUINOX

Equinox (1970) is an American independent horror fantasy film directed by Jack Woods and Dennis Muren, starring Edward Connell, Barbara Hewitt, Frank Bonner, and Robin Christopher. Originally filmed as a 1967 short titled The Equinox…A Journey into the Supernatural, the project was expanded into a feature-length film and released in 1970.

The film follows four college friends—David Fielding (Edward Connell), Susan Turner (Barbara Hewitt), Jim Hudson (Frank Bonner), and Vicki (Robin Christopher)—as they travel to a remote wilderness area after receiving a mysterious invitation from Dr. Waterman (Fritz Leiber, Sr.), an archaeology professor researching ancient mystical texts.

Upon arrival, the group discovers Waterman’s secluded cabin abandoned and in disarray. They soon encounter a disheveled and paranoid man who warns them about an ancient book filled with dark secrets and supernatural powers. As they learn, this book is a grimoire containing incantations that summon powerful demonic forces from another dimension. When David and his friends examine its strange symbols, they unknowingly awaken an ominous presence that begins to manifest in terrifying ways.

As they attempt to leave, the group is confronted by Asmodeus (Jack Woods), a seemingly friendly yet sinister park ranger who is, in fact, a demonic entity disguised in human form. Asmodeus seeks to obtain a mysterious book and unleashes monstrous creatures to terrorize the friends. These include a giant, stop-motion animated ape-like creature, a demonic winged gargoyle, and an enormous tentacled entity known as “The Giant.”

One by one, the friends are hunted by these otherworldly beings, and their attempts to escape prove futile. Dr. Waterman, who had vanished earlier, briefly reappears, revealing that he, too, has fallen victim to the book’s corrupting influence. As reality begins to unravel, David and Susan find themselves trapped in a nightmarish alternate dimension where time and space twist unpredictably.

Asmodeus eventually takes his proper form and engages in a climactic confrontation with David, who uses the book’s spells against the entity. However, his victory is short-lived. The film ends with David wandering in a deranged state, seemingly losing his mind. He is taken to a mental institution, where he manically repeats fragmented memories of the horrors he experienced. As the camera lingers on his vacant expression, the implication is clear—David is permanently scarred by the supernatural forces he encountered, and the book’s curse remains unbroken.

Equinox is renowned for its groundbreaking low-budget special effects, particularly the stop-motion animation by Dennis Muren, who later became an Academy Award-winning visual effects artist for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).