Plot: What’s it about?
After he was not allowed to die in natural fashion, an evil religious zealot drives his spirit from his own body, just before he croaked on the operating table. His spirit doesn’t venture too far however, as it takes root within Sherri (Jill Jacobson), a gorgeous nurse who happens to be present at the time. As time passes, the man’s spirit begins to take control of Sherri’s body and plans to use it to exact revenge, in the most sense of the word. He soon manages to gain power over her and starts a blood soaked rampage through the hallways, but sometimes returns Sherri to her normal state afterwards. She has no memories of the horrific murders she has done with her own hands, but whenever he wishes, more bodies begin to stack up. As she continues to do this vile man’s dirty work, her chances of regaining power over herself shrink by the minute. But some hope is evident, as if her friends can destroy the man’s corpse, then he will be sent to the underworld and Sherri’s mind & body will return to normal. Can this happen soon enough however, as Sherri prepares to kill even more of the hospital residents under the madman’s control?
A most welcome release from Retro Shock-O-Rama Cinema, this film was produced by Sam Sherman and directed by Al Adamson. This is the team that brought us such films as Dracula vs. Frankenstein, Satan’s Sadists, and Blood of Ghastly Horror, as well as other low rent, but often fun motion pictures. Also known as Nurse Sherri, Hospital of Terror, and a handful of other titles, this movie has the usual Sherman/Adamson elements, which could be good or bad news, depending on the viewer. The production values are low (I mean lower than low), but such is to be expected from an Adamson film, as he was known for turning them out fast & cheap. The story is decent enough, but gets bogged down by the details and lack of budget, which hinders the supernatural side of the story more than a little. The acting is atrocious and if you’re a fan of poor performances, The Possession of Nurse Sherri offers a buffet of bad ones. I think this one has some good traits and is fun to watch, but more blood and naked flesh would have improved things a lot. As it stands, fans of bad movies and followers of Sherman & Adamson will be interested, especially since this disc is a nice special edition release.
Video: How does it look?
The Possession of Nurse Sherri is presented in a full frame transfer. As this was an ultra low budget movie shot on whatever film was at hand, I can overlook some of the flaws with this transfer. On the whole, Shock-O-Rama has done good work here, as the print is decent and the image looks pretty clean, but of course, some problems surface. The print has some flecks, grain, and debris and often looks soft, but this is to be expected from a film of this age and nature. If you’ve suffered through previous releases on home video for Nurse Sherri, you’ll be pleased with the improvements found with this presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby Digital stereo option is by no means a dazzling show for the ears, but it stays on task and gets the work done. The elements are well presented and balanced as intended, so nothing ends up drowned out here. The hilarious musical score is clean and the sound effects are in decent form, while dialogue is clear and never buried in the mix. All in all, about as good of a presentation as we could expect with Nurse Sherri.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a television spot, theatrical trailer, and an audio commentary with producer Sam Sherman. This session is a good one, as Sherman is pleasant and very talkative, offering up all kinds of insight into the production. He mentions the films that inspired it (aka that they ripped off) and touches on budget issues & such. A very relaxed, but informative commentary track and one that fans of low rent drive-in cinema shouldn’t miss. This release also houses an alternate cut of the film, which runs a wee stint shorter, but focuses more on the sex issue, as opposed to horror themes. I was pleased to see this included and I am sure fans will be also, as it offers a much different take on Sherri and the events from the picture.
