TALISMAN (1998)
“Talisman,” a 1998 horror film directed by David DeCoteau and produced by Full Moon Pictures, unfolds in a gloomy Romanian boarding school for troubled boys. The story centers on Elias Storm (Billy Parish), a new student seeking his long-lost sister, Elizabeth (Ilinca Goia), after their parents’ brutal murder years earlier. As the millennium nears, an ancient evil awakens: Theriel, the Black Angel (Constantin Barbulescu), fused to a talisman for centuries, is summoned to usher in the apocalypse. To open Hell’s gates, Theriel must claim seven human sacrifices, and the school’s sparse student body—led by the arrogant Burke (Jason Adelman)—becomes his hunting ground.
Elias arrives at Gornek International, a prison-like institution with only a handful of boys and a cryptic headmistress, Mrs. Greynitz (Oana Stefanescu). Students vanish, their hearts burned out in occult rituals, yet no one seems alarmed. Elias befriends Jake Fine (Walter Jones), uncovering a web of secrets tying Elizabeth, now the headmistress’s adopted daughter, to Theriel’s plan. She’s been coerced into aiding the angel, believing it’s her destiny. The talisman, a pewter pendant with an inverted cross and pentagram, channels Theriel’s power, unleashing cheap CGI flames and glowing red eyes as he stalks the halls.
Shot in eight days on a shoestring budget, the film drips with late ’90s B-movie vibes—dark sets, dubbed dialogue, and homoerotic undertones. The climax pits Elias and Elizabeth against Theriel in a basement altar showdown, where sibling bonds and a last-ditch betrayal halt the ritual, banishing the angel. Critics panned its sluggish pace and weak effects, but its eerie atmosphere and DeCoteau’s cult flair—think shirtless teens and satanic altars—make it a quirky gem. “Talisman” is a flawed, fun relic for Full Moon fans, blending occult mystery with low-rent thrills.
