Shadows of the Mind

Shadows of the Mind is a completely obscure and hard to come by title, and indeed I'd never heard of it when I first got my gritty, sleaze ridden hands on a copy. It's not difficult to see why this film is so obscure, as it really doesn't have much to recommend it for. The plot is derivative of a number of other films, although the plotting itself stumbles more than it should and the storytelling isn't exactly brilliant. Director Roger Michael Watkins is best known for the fact that he directed the seminal cult shocker The Last House on Dead End Street, although this film has none of the gritty gruesomeness that Watkin's earlier effort had, and everything; from the short running time to the uninspired performances, feels rather flat. There is a good atmosphere on display, however, and while the picture on the copy I saw was too dark for most of the film; Shadows of the Mind is a creepy film with a good score and a handful of good horror moments. I didn't track this film down purposely; I was given it, and that is the only reason I can give for seeing this film. It's not a terrible movie, but it's not very good either and I would recommend The Last House on Dead End Street, and a number of other films, over this any day.