Several years in the making, Equinox wavers between awkward amateurism and slick professionalism, but overall is quite good. Four teens head into a forest in search of a long-lost scientist (played by science fiction novelist Fritz Leiber). Monitoring the kids' every move is a forest ranger (Jack Woods), who is in reality the ancient demon god Asmodeus. When the kids come across a precious book of incantations, the ranger conjures up an intimidating variety of horrible monsters and nightmarish visions, the better to retrieve the volume. The man responsible for the impressive special effects in Equinox is Dennis Muren, who began the film as a nonprofessional 16-millimeter project in 1967. The picture was completed by director Edward Connell, using the same cast throughout (the actors' ages noticeably fluctuate from scene to scene). Too long shunted away to Late Late Show screenings, Equinox has gained a well-deserved cult status over the last 15 years. It can be found at the video rental store under the title The Beast. -- Hal Erickson