Name: Outcast
Genre: Horror
Released: 1992-06-24
Duration: 1 h 35 min
Rating: 4.6
Cast: John Tench, Peter Read, Tracey Hoyt

Oddball Henry (John Tench) is tormented by almost everyone: his religious stepfather regularly beats him, the men in the local bar pick on him, and when Henry runs away to the city, he is persecuted by the police and taken advantage of by local thugs. After serving two years in prison for robbery and assault, Henry is at an all time low and attempts suicide, but is saved by a mysterious stranger who promises to help him turn his life around and achieve untold power: all the stranger asks is that Henry becomes his loyal acolyte, and follows some simple rules...

Obscure Satanic horror Outcast is an entertaining oddity, but it's hard for me to put my finger on why: if truth be told, the writing, acting and direction are far from great. Perhaps I liked this one because I could tell how hard everyone was trying to make a good film: Tench strives to convincingly go from pathetic wretch to menacing alpha male, and although he doesn't quite succeed, I appreciate the effort (I think the leather blouson jacket didn't help). Likewise, the plot doesn't really work, especially the ending (more about that in a minute), but I can see that there was potential for an effective horror thriller.

There is certainly fun to be had with the revenge aspect of the film, as Henry gets even with everyone who has wronged him; the cheesiness and lack of polish in these scenes make the film all the more enjoyable, with a showdown outside the local bar being hilarious, as Henry throws pool balls at his enemies. Henry also takes revenge on the two cops who hassled him and the thugs who caused him to be jailed, and returns home to deal with his stepfather, taking time out to get busy with his only childhood friend, Becky - which leads to that silly finalé that I mentioned...

One of the rules Henry agreed to was not to give life, but he stupidly gets Becky pregnant, and if the baby should be baptised, it's all over for him. When the baby is born, private eye Sam (Paul Amato) and psychic Lisa (Tracey Hoyt), who have slowly been unravelling the truth about Henry, grab a bottle of holy water and go to warn Becky. But instead of baptising the baby there and then, they take the child to a farmhouse, giving Henry time to find them. And when they finally go to baptise the kid, they find that they have misplaced the bottle of water. It's an ineptly handled ending, contrived to ramp up the tension - but even this I didn't hate. Once again, I found the shoddiness endearing.

The horror genre features stories that aim to elicit fear, suspense, and a sense of dread in its audience. Horror stories often explore themes related to the unknown, the supernatural, and the macabre, and they frequently evoke strong emotional reactions such as anxiety, terror, and unease.

Consumed by hatred, recruited by the devil, a loner is given the power to destroy.

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Outcast

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