On Sunday, August 27, in Phoenix at the Majestic Theatre, you can find the Grindhousereleasing film from 1974 starring William Shatner called “Impulse.”
It’s a story about how people can become psychotic based on what they witness when they’re young. Not only by what they see but by what they’re forced to do for themselves or someone they love. Here, actor, writer, producer, and director William Grefé took a shot at making a serious horror, thriller but didn’t quite make it.
Maybe if there had been a few million dollars more thrown into the project, he would have had something, but with what I’m going to assume was a tiny budget, there wasn’t much to go with. What makes me suggest that? Grefé has a lot of short films behind him. His last project was in 2019… a short film. Writer Tony Crechales, who passed away in 1920, wrote a movie named “The Killing Kind” which a critic called “One of the most disturbing portrayals of homicide ever filmed.” Wow. But we’re not here to talk about that, however, those words may get you into the Majestic Theater to watch Grefé and Crechales work together.
Shatner is probably the worst thing about the film, but that makes it a must-see. Worse than his other performances? Really? This is something you must see, right? You can compare it to every other Shatner project and put them in order from best to worst while you’re sitting in a doctor’s office waiting your forty minutes until the appointment finally starts.
Shatner plays the grown-up Matt Stone, who had to help his mother when she’s attacked by a man in their house. The feelings of that night never left him and when they made their appearance, he’d become that man from his mother’s past. There’s some horrible dialogue when he picks up a ten-year-old girl named Tina, played by Kim Nicholas, who ended up playing in four other films, one of them “Black Sunday.” Tina has “Let’s Boogie” and a Peace sign poster in her room. She’s the coolest part of the film. She has her sh*t together more than anyone else. She’s very young, misses her father and hates her mother. That is something she makes very clear.
Seventies films, especially cheaply made horror movies, have such strange feelings to them. It was a time of discovery, to frighten and be as grotesque as possible for the first time. This one puts you into those temporary psychological states. It has horrible dialogue, dark relationships and a violent character who regrets being the creature he has turned into. It’s hideous and the main character has sociopathic troubles from the beginning. Throw in Captain Kirk and you’ve found yourself the perfect recipe for a 1970’s horror film.
Majestic Neighborhood Cinema Grill
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: Facebook.com/MajesticPHX
Twitter: Twitter.com/MajesticPHX
Instagram: http://instagram.com/MajesticPHX
Impulse
Director: William Grefé
Writer: Tony Crechales
Rating: PG
Run Time: 1h 22m
Genre: Horror
*Streaming: Oct 20, 2019
%
What's your take?
Comments