Midnight Offerings

A very middling TV movie from a genre which is usually fantastic. MIDNIGHT OFFERINGS just feels rather weak and tame in terms of its plotting and ideas, and Wes Craven's SUMMER OF FEAR, a similarly-themed TV movie from the 1970s which predates it, was a lot, lot, better.

The storyline involves a couple of teenage witch rivals fighting over a jock in your typical American high school. Some of the fun comes from the fact that both girls come from long-running American soaps: evil witch Melissa Sue Anderson is off the back of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, while good witch Mary Beth McDonough comes from THE WALTONS. Watching these two actresses squaring up is kind of fun, but there isn't much fun overall.

Too much of the running time is dragged out with discussions involving disbelieving characters and the supernatural action, when it hits, is over and done with too quickly. It's not that MIDNIGHT OFFERINGS is a particularly bad film per se - the climax is effective and there are some genuinely spooky moments handled well on the low budget - it's just that American TV movies from this era are often much, much better (like DARK NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW for instance).

Melissa Sue Anderson is surprisingly menacing as a California high school senior whose peers and teachers have a way of falling ill around her--or dying! Seems Anderson practices witchcraft and worships the Devil (or is that redundant?); she has plans to use her powers to get everything she wants, but another student (Mary Beth McDonough as the good girl) may stand in her way. TV thriller featuring television stars out of their usual element (Anderson on leave from "Little House on the Prairie" and McDonough temporarily leaving Walton's Mountain behind). Director Rod Holcomb mounts the story well, and he handles Anderson's continual slow-burn without an overlay of the expected camp, but Juanita Bartlett's teleplay runs out of ideas too soon, leaving the third act riddled with "Bewitched"-like special effects. Bartlett confuses telekinesis with witchcraft, turning her lead characters in Carrie-wannabes.

God I loved this movie as a kid, it was like "Carrie" squared! Mary from Little House v.s. Erin from the Waltons, with Mrs Cunningham from happy days as the good mentor and Mr Carleson from WKRP as the clueless father? Throw in Vanna White as a cheerleader with only one line and Shawn Cassidys little brother as the male lead and you have a hit!

I loved the whole "good witch, bad witch" aspect, with Robin (the good witch played by Erin from the Waltons) slowly learning to use her powers. Melissa Anderson (Mary from Little house) has never been better than here, as a evil witch not above useing her powers and sexuality to get what she wants. The movie builds suspense through out, and a sense of dread for our heroes, and actually logicially (for 1981) explains why these women are witches and how there powers work. one of my favorite tv movies of all time!

It's the Waltons vs. Little House On The Devil Worshipping Prairie. In other words... fun.

The ravishing, outgoing & confident Vivian rules the school. She's pretty, popular and dating the school stud. It's all about her and she aims to keep it that way. Did I mention that she can morph into a crow or a cat and she has a shrine to Satan set up in her bedroom? Enter Robin Prentiss: New girl in town. She's mousey, she's shy, and Vivian's boyfriend takes an immediate liking to her. You know what that means...Meow! Black cat-fight!

If you've seen "The Craft" then you've seen this. There are numerous similiarities, right down to the physical resemblances of the lead actresses. You know the drill: Good witch vs. Big Bad Bitch Witch. Good witch seeks out mentoring from old, dried-up, brittle witch (played here by Marion Ross, "Mrs. C." from Happy Days). They engage in supernatural combat by magically hurling household appliances at each other (the battle in the high-school shop class is priceless and lame, but mostly fun. Think: Attack of the killer paint-sprayer!)

Melissa Sue Anderson is a pure diva riot as Vivian, biggest witch in town, and she plays it to the hilt. Three cheers to Melissa Sue for a truly memorable screen villianess who's not afraid to apply her eye makeup with a butter-knife. Mary McDonough is less fun to watch, and her performance is perhaps a whisker above the realm of bad acting...but hey, the good girls in these kinds of movies are never that interesting to watch anyways.

Look for Vanna White and Dana Kimmel ("Friday The 13th Part 3") in sub-minor roles and pearl-clutching 80's mall fashions.

So bad it's good, accept the offer and have a laugh. Rent it. Then cast a cleansing spell on yourself to help you forget that you did.

I remember this movie. I was always a fan of TV horror movies. This one takes the cake. Melissa Sue Anderson, who played Mary Ingalls, sister of Laura, daughter of Charles, on "Little House on the Prairie". She was sooo innocent in that TV show. Then, later, TV execs hired her on to play Vivian Sotherland in this movie. She played the part soo well! NOT so innocent anynmore! Downright evil! A very satanic, wicked witch, with a black cat, and reciting spells and incantations in Latin at the beginning of the movie. While she's conjuring evil spirits, and casting spells, we see a car driving down the street. It suddenly crashes and bursts into flames. The driver dies. Vivian got the powers from her mother, originally. Her mother doesn't use them anymore. She wants Vivian to relinquish the powers, and be a normal girl. Vivian won't have any part of that.

A new girl has settled into the town, and is going to the high school attended by Vivian and her boyfriend Dave. Her name is Robin Prentiss, who played Erin Walton on "The Waltons." She was goody two shoes in that TV show, like Mary Ingalls. Well, she doesn't wander far from home in this movie. She's got powers. She's a good witch, but doesn't really realize it until later in the movie. She's trying to protect herself from Vivian. She makes boats move through the water, makes it really windy, and does other harmless things, just to practice her witchcraft. Vivian knows the powers Robin has. She also knows the hold Robin has on her boyfriend, Dave. Jealousy has lead to death threats against Robin. Vivian has given Robin two days to leave town, or she's dead. With the help of the mystical Emily Moore, who played Marion Cunningham on "Happy Days", Robin realizes her special abilities, and masters them, somewhat. They are no way as powerful as Vivian's, but they do protect her from harm half-way through the movie.

In an exciting cliffhanger, we see who wins at the end. This was a pretty good movie back in the day. I remember it like it was yesterday, and have a taped copy from the sci-fi channel.