THE ORACLE (1985) Directed by Roberta Findlay

A spooky low budget horror fantasy daydream dipped in New York grime.

An easily spooked young woman finds a knockoff ouija board (actually what Findlay came up with is significantly creepier!) and makes contact with the spirit of a murdered man. Also, there’s a killer named Farkas going around slaying prostitutes (played by a hefty woman with pitch shifted voice) and sometimes the spirit board kills people for being too curious or just hanging around or because nothing spooky has happened in 5 minutes.

Based on that premise, the movie’s generic title, and the fact you never hear anyone talking about it, you may be mistaken into thinking this one’s not that good — wrong! It's a lot of fun and I highly recommend it if you’re into; low budget horror, spooky-dreamy vibes, gritty/seedy/grimy 80’s New York, and don’t care if a horror movie makes any sense.

A lot more practical FX than I was expecting and honestly a couple moments that are genuinely creepy — when you hear the little ceramic hand scratching words down, it's pretty spooky!

Would make a good double feature with: Basket Case (1982), The Black Cat (1989) or One Dark Night (1982)

★★★★ out of 5