Assistant DA, Kathryn Tatum (played by Michelle Maryk), is called in to investigate a series of murders in the Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey. The public and the local press blame the homicides on a monster nicknamed The Jersey Devil. Meanwhile, a former police detective named Riley (Robert Guillaume), who now resides in a mental institution, claims that he has seen the creature and is the only one who knows the secret. The trail of murders leads to an eccentric character named Mr. Shroud (Cliff Robertson). Tatum visits Shroud’s home where she discovers a large claw that can only be traced to a creature that is over 200 years old. As the investigation heats up and the murders get bloodier, Kathryn does all she can to solve the mystery and stay alive.

Steven Stockage directs this decent little horror film. The film sports some moody lighting, cool sets, and good camera work, especially the scenes inside the insane asylum. There is plenty of blood spilled in the film and the gore setpieces are excellent and very detailed. The creature effects are passable but thankfully 'Bruno' is never shown in too much detail to become much of a distraction. However, the monster is not the only corner cut in this film. Apparently, blanks were too expensive for the film’s budget because when gunshots happen onscreen, the actors jerk the guns back and the sound effects do the rest.

The story is a little too complicated and instills something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a film before: reverse foreshadowing (?). The timeline of 13th Child is all over the place and it’s hard to tell what they were going for (other than disorienting the viewer). This is probably reluctance on the part of the film’s creators to allow the film to simply revel in its monster movie goodness.

Aside from the film’s cheapness and its overwrought storyline, the worst part of 13th Child is the horrid performance of Michelle Maryk. Everyone in the film fits in their own wacky way (except for the pitiable Lesley-Anne Down) but Maryk is much too stiff and totally disinterested in her part. Every time she is in a scene, the entire film grinds to a halt. Oddly enough, Maryk’s own website refers to this film as a 'z-grade horror movie' when in truth, 13th Child is a b-grade horror film which she nearly ruins with her z-grade performance. Luckily, Robert Guillaume and Cliff Robertson (Brainscan) play things campy and give their weird characters and cornball dialogue a life of their own.

Overall, 13th Child is a fun little horror film that definitely has some problems. If viewers don’t expect too much, it can be rewarding. The film tries a little too hard to be sophisticated but delivers enough blood and gore to keep things moving. With the exception of a few actresses who are unwilling to give in to the cheesiness, the performances are fun and (thanks to Guillaume and Robertson) totally over the top. Give this one a shot but I must warn you, this film contains a poison dart gun and a blatant overuse of tarantulas.

Quotes

"This stops here, this stops now."