The Keep

THE STORY: As it stands this movie could have been so much scarier and better than it is. That would be some feat because its still pretty damn good!

During World War Two a contingent of German soldiers occupy a small village in Romania at the Dinu Pass. Under the command of Captain Woermann they set up base in a big stone keep. The walls of the keep are lined with crosses. The German soldiers believe the crosses are silver, but the caretaker tells Woermann the crosses are made of nickel. Otto and Lutz, two soldiers discover one cross that is made of silver. They pry it loose from the wall and the entire block comes out. A tunnel that leads to a vast inner chamber is behind it. From that chamber a sinister force escapes and kills them. In the following days several soldiers are killed mysteriously. Because of this, SS commander Major Kaempfferr and another contingent of soldiers shows up. Kaempffer doesn't screw around. He begins executing villagers demanding that they tell him who has been killing German soldiers. They Germans find strange writing on a wall and cannot decipher it. To prevent more villagers from being killed the village priest, Father Fonescu tells Kaempffer of one man that may be able to translate the writing, Dr. Theodore Cuza. Cuza is a jew so Kaempfferr gets him and his daughter, Eva out of the camps and brought to the keep.

Cuza begins his work. He is very sick and his daughter cares for him. Being the only woman in the keep and a beautiful one at that, two German soldiers attempt to rape her. That's when the entity that was freed comes out again. It kills the two soldiers and carries the unconscious Eva back to Cuza's quarters. The entity, Molasar, is enraged to find Cuza helping the nazis. Cuza tells Molasar that he would do anything to stop the nazis. Molasar touches him and his health improves. Meanwhile in Greece, a strange traveler named Glaeken is somehow alerted to Molasar's activities and makes his way to the village.

As time passes, Molasar's form goes from a gaseous cloud into a humanoid form...he is getting stronger and picking off the nazis a few at a time. Molasar tells Cuza that if he can find the talisman hidden in the keep and take it to a hiding place in the mountains where no will find it, he will be free to leave the keep. If Cuza does this Molasar says he will destroy the Germans. Cuza agrees. Captain Woermann has Eva moved into the village for her own safety. There she meets Glaeken and they become lovers. Glaeken warns Cuza that Molasar is an evil being and not to help him. He tells Eva that he is there to stop Molasar, and when Molasar is destroyed he will die as well. Enraged, Cuza tells Major Kaempfferr that Glaeken is a troublemaker. The nazis try to capture Glaeken, but after they shoot him his body falls into a ravine. He's not dead. His blood is green and it glows...Glaeken is obviously some kind of superbeing. He climbs out of the ravine. Meanwhile Molasar has killed all of the German soldiers. Cuza finds the talisman and begins to carry it out of the keep. Eva tries to stop him, and Molasar orders him to kill her. Cuza refuses to kill his own daughter. Molasar zaps him and returns him to his sickened state. Just then, Glaeken arrives. He is carrying some kind of staff that he had in a case. He fits the talisman into it and it becomes some kind of mystical light saber. Using this he destroys Molasar. Once Molasar is gone, Glaeken disappears into the mists.

This movie was based on a book by F. Paul Wilson. I've never read the book, but a friend of mine tells me its loads better. Well, that's normally the case for movies based on books. Still, this movie is pretty good. Its well paced so you never get bored watching it. When I said this movie could be better I meant that if it was more like the book which I've hear was excellent, I think it would be incredibly good. There were some things that the movie never really explained. Glaeken was played by the actor Scott Glenn. Glenn seems to pop up in movies. I remember him from The Hunt for Red October, where he was a submarine commander.

Best Lines: "The people that go to these resettlement camps, there are only two doors....one in and one out. The way out is a chimney!"-Major Kaempfferr taunts Cuza about the nazi extermination of the jews. He's a real bastard.

1.) The two soldiers that accidentally free Molasar were looking for treasure. They don't want to wake any of the others because they don't want to share. How the sound of the stone block falling didn't wake anyone is amazing to me. But I want to know how they planned on getting away with any treasure if they found it? I mean its not like they could carry some big bags full of gold doubloons or something and not be noticed. Were nazi field bags so huge in WWII that they had extra room for stolen booty? (Probably...the nazi were notorious thieves.)

2.) Woermann and Kaempfferr must both be thick as granite. They believe that partisans are killing the soldiers. I don't know how partisans could have snuck into the keep at night, and neither do they. But I really want to know how they can explain the soldiers bodies being ripped to bloody shreds by partisans. I mean, wouldn't a human killer either shoot or stab the victims? Molasar ripped Otto and Lutz in half. Two others had their heads exploded!

3.) It doesn't take Eva too long to hop into the sack with Glaeken. Is she that horny? I guess in the book it she gets to know him better first. Or does Scott Glenn just have so much animal magnetism that woman want his body on sight?

NUDITY AND SEX: Eva and Glaeken make the beast with two backs.

HUH?: Who was Glaeken? Is he immortal? Why is his blood green if he's human? Maybe he's an alien...but that only makes more questions.

Who is Molasar? Is he a demon? Why does he need Cuza to take the talisman out of the keep?

Cuza is supposed to be an intelligent scientist...but he sure falls in with Molasar really easily. I don't know...I realize he wants revenge on the nazis, but Molasar doesn't seem like an angel. If a big gassy creature with a Darth Vader like voice came to you, would you trust it?

THE TALLY: Excellent movie! You won't want to miss this. I wish the movie explained more about the origins of Molasar and Glaeken, but I guess I'll have to read the book. Still, I'd recommend this flick.