Much like how Empire Pictures would use Italy, Full Moon Features started shooting their films in Romania and Bucharest. They found success shooting Subspecies in Romania, so films like Oblivion, Lurking Fear, and Mandroid would also be filmed there. Around this time, writer Matthew Bright, who frequently worked with Richard and Danny Elfman, found himself working at Full Moon. He started writing a script that involved horror, romance, and vigilantism that drew its influence from Taxi Driver. Originally to be directed by Jeff Burr, relative newcomer Linda Hassani, who previously worked on Silk Stalkings, was hired. Angela Featherstone, who had a small part in Army of Darkness, was cast in what became her first lead role. Produced for a small budget of $350,000, the film would end up being one of Full Moon’s more unique entries. In 1994, Dark Angel: The Ascent was finally released.
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Synopsis
In the depths of hell, young demoness Veronica Iscariot (Angela Featherstone) years to venture up to the mortal world. Her father Hellikin (Nicholas Worth) disapproves and threatens punishment, but Veronica escapes and makes her way to Earth. Soon after arriving, she’s hit by a car, taken to the hospital, and tended by Dr. Max Barris (Daniel Markel). Since she has nowhere else to go, Max decides to let Veronica stay with him in his apartment. While he sleeps, she watches TV and catches a broadcast of Mayor Wharton (Milton James), recognizing his corruption and evil. This motivates her to find evil in the city and dispatch sinners, killing muggers/rapists and racist cops. These murders catch the attention of Detectives Harper (Mike Genovese) and Greenberg (Michael C. Mahon) who are on her trail. Will Veronica succeed in dishing out justice, or will the cops manage to stop her?
Review
Compared to the likes of Puppet Master, Demonic Toys, and Subspecies, Dark Angel: The Ascent is certainly a unique experience. Much like Meridian: Kiss of the Beast, Dark Angel is an interesting mix of horror, romance, and some vigilante justice. The Taxi Driver comparisons are very apparent, including the lead targeting a politician and taking a date to a porno. On top of that, there’s the lead going on a murder spree in what they see as a holy quest. While not as compelling as Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle, Angela Featherstone delivers a solid performance as Veronica Iscariot. On top of being stunning to look at, she has a nice, quiet charm mixed in with a subtle intensity. Markel is decent, though a bit bland at times, though Genovese and Mahon do a fine job with their material. Also, Worth has some fun scene-chewing moments early on.
The practical effects, from the demon prosthetics to the gore effects, are impressive considering the small budget they had. There are also some fairly decent optical effects, but they haven’t held up very well over 25 years later. I’d say the biggest problem with the film is the pacing, namely how it takes a while to get going. After the first 10 minutes in hell, it grinds to a halt as Veronica begins learning about the human world. It isn’t until about the 45-minute mark when she starts going on her vigilante spree and things start picking up. For a relative newcomer, Hassani’s direction is pretty good, taking full advantage of the Romanian locations for an effective atmosphere. While I wouldn’t recommend this to Full Moon first-timers, I’d recommend it to someone looking for something a bit different. Overall, despite its flaws, Dark Angel: The Ascent is worth a watch.
Buy Dark Angel: The Ascent on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3X2qxiS.
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