Pulled From The Ashes.

This week's VHS was Paul Rinehard's super obscure 1993 flick Ashes To Ashes.

A grieving family moves into an old house/diner only to realize it is inhabited by some pretty angry spirits.

A cool cat by the name of Ben Ruffett has been screening rare VHS flicks at a bar in Hamilton for the past few years and this was his latest offering. Ashes To Ashes is a movie so rare it doesn't even have an online footprint so alas, gifs will not be present this week.

So this movie is by no means good, but it was still an intriguing watch. I could dwell on the father's bizarre hand gestures, the daughter's ill-timed facial expressions or the son's weird almost Canadian accent, but instead I'll focus on the positives.

A Google image search for “Ashes To Ashes 1993 VHS”

Interestingly, Ashes to Ashes was actually quite progressive in that I can't recall any other horror films where the lead character is a mute paraplegic. She spends most of the movie listening to her father and brother bicker over who should be taking care of her, but during the climax in the attic – even though from the exterior shot there clearly isn't one – she's the one who ultimately saves the day.

I did catch an Evil Dead vibe in the middle act. This had, of course, one-tenth the ingenuity of Raimi's debut, but I appreciated seeing another example of what can be done with a single location and a handful of enthusiastic comrades.

Ashes to Ashes is worth seeking out just for its scarcity alone, but I think fans of bargain basement yarns might also get a kick out of it.