San Diego Reader

An uprooted tree in a suburban backyard opens the portals for "the Old Gods" — those pre-Biblical demons who've been lying low and awaiting their chance to establish Hell-on-Earth. And on a weekend when the grownups have gone out of town, too! The liner notes of a heavy-metal rock album provide some helpful tips for supernatural combat, and a toy missile makes the ideal weapon. It's all very frivolous and juvenile, but the army of homunculi is fun — as the toy manufacturers might put it — for all ages. Stephen Dorff, Louis Tripp, Christa Denton; directed by Tibor Takacs. 1987.

— Duncan Shepherd

• Rated PG-13

This movie is not currently in theaters.