Cthulhu Mansion (1992)

Spanish horror that despite its title has virtually nothing to do with HP Lovecraft. Five leather-jacketed young hoodlums on the run (after one of them killed a guy during a drugs deal) kidnap stage magician Chandu (Frank Finlay), his bodyguard/chauffeur, and his assistant - who is also his daughter. They force Chandu to take them to his eerie mansion (we know it's eerie - it has the word CTHULHU over the gates in big letters), where they decide to hang out whilst they lie low. Turns out Chandu's magic wasn't limited to conjuring tricks; he's been studying the black arts, courtesy of an ominous book (we know it's ominous - it has the word CTHULHU on the cover in big letters). Before long, dark forces are at work, picking off the intruders.

Frank Finlay was a great actor. Quite what induced him to take this I don't know; perhaps he just fancied an expenses-paid Spanish holiday. To his credit he hits it with his usual gravitas. Marcia Layton is pretty good too as his daughter. Of the rest of the cast the only one to really make an impression is Melanie Shatner (daughter of William) as one of the gang - but that's mainly due to her resemblance to a young Demi Moore. The effects are par for the course for an early 90s, horror B movie (veil-draped ghost, hairy long-fingered hands emerging from behind a door, puss-filled sores, lots of back-lit mist). The dialogue is corny - although Finlay makes his work. It's definitely not a good movie, but as a one-time watch it's okay. 5/10