Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!Poskanzer.PA@PARC-MAXC.ARPA
From: Poskanzer.PA@PARC-MAXC.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: The Keep
Message-ID: <14682@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 23-Dec-83 00:43:58 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.14682
Posted: Fri Dec 23 00:43:58 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Dec-83 01:34:06 EST
Lines: 42

From:  Jef Poskanzer <Poskanzer.PA@PARC-MAXC.ARPA>

THE KEEP.  Opens today at theatres and drive-ins everywhere.  Based on
the novel by F. Paul Wilson, which I just read.  The book was real good,
and the movie has Jurgen Prochnow (the unterwasserboot Captain from Das
Boot) in it, so it can't be all bad.

I can give a plot summary of the book, but I haven't seen the movie yet
so no guarantees.  It takes place in 1941 in the Dinu Pass area of
Romania, the middle of the Transylvanian Alps.  A small detachment of
German soldiers has been ordered to secure the pass and guard it against
who knows what.  A Russian sneak attack perhaps.  They are told to use
as their base the Keep, a strange, centuries old stone structure.  The
walls of the Keep are inlaid with 16,807 cross-like devices, made of
nickel and brass.  In the middle of the first night, one of the soldiers
notices a cross unlike the others - it is made of silver and gold.  He
fiddles with it, and in no time has succeeded in releasing a nameless,
ancient horror which immediately rips his head off.  The fun continues
for a few days, with one soldier dying each night, until the commander
telegraphs his superiors for permission to abandon the Keep.  Instead,
they sent him an SS major and two squads of einsatzkommandos to combat
what they assume is merely local partisans.  Hoo hah, will THEY be
surprised!

The book avoids most of the usual horror-story cliches, has a lot of
original and horrifying ideas, and as a bonus, even has a few moments of
thigh-slapping humour.  For instance, when the von Helsing character
(well, there's one cliche it doesn't avoid) talks with the monster for
the first time, he thinks he's dealing with a Bram Stoker style vampire
so he whips out some garlic.  Says the monster, "Give it to me."  Munch,
munch, munch.  "I LOVE garlic."

Unfortunately, the romantic sub-plot which starts about half-way through
the book is not handled well.  Since I've managed to avoid reading any
Harlequin Romances so far, I can't really compare it to them, but I
would guess it's similar.  Don't pay too much attention to this part of
the book.

Overall, on a scale of 0 to 9, I'd rate the book at 7 big fat Romulan
torps.  I'll let you know about the movie after I see it.  Soon, I hope!
---
Jef