Scarab

Robert Ginty (The Exterminator) stars with Rip Torn (Slaughter, Coma) in this occult-themed thriller which starts as it means to go on with its incomprehensibly written prologue. Filmed entirely in Spain, the out-of-whack script bombards the viewer with a full-bodied mixture of painted topless dancing girls, incest, sorcery, exotic costumes and any other assorted bric-a-brac the writers deemed worthy of throwing in for good measure; it's the epitome of a 1980s video release.

Physics Professor Wilfred Manz (a wild-eyed Rip Torn) becomes possessed by invoking the ancient Egyptian god Khepera through a bewildering experiment involving a scarab-like amulet. With his new found powers, Khepera/Manz plans to take mankind back to the Dark Ages by eliminating various heads of state.

We are introduced to Jack Murphy (Ginty): a boozing, womanising, loose cannon of a reporter, working for a Madrid newspaper. Murphy witnesses the remarkable suicide of a foreign dignitary at a televised conference. At the scene he notices a blonde nurse — Elena (Cristina Hachuel) — snatch up a small black beetle, before taking off into the street.

Following her home, he later breaks into her apartment searching for clues. There he finds a curious family photograph and the black beetle. To find out more, he visits a local occult shop discovering that the beetle is in fact an Egyptian scarab and the deadly calling card of the ancient God, Khepera.

Inevitably Murphy and Elena team up, after which Elena reveals that she is actually the daughter of Professor Manz and has magical powers of her own! They travel to Manz’s castle (actually the citadel of Gormaz, located in Castile and León), but are discovered and captured by Manz’s forces. Will they be able to escape and overcome Manz and his forces? You bet they will!