The Runestone (1991) | Merits of Sin | Region-Free (DVD)

Title: The Runestone (1991)

Alternate Title: Anthony III (Germany)

Genre: Adventure, Horror, Fantasy

Plot Synopsis:

In Western Pennsylvania, miners uncover a mysterious Norse runestone bearing a prophecy about the great wolf Fenrir, whose release would trigger Ragnarok—the end of the world. Archaeologist Sam Stewart and his wife Marla discover the stone’s connection to their friend Martin. Meanwhile, young Jacob experiences terrifying nightmares, which his family interprets through Norse legends, suggesting that only the god Tyr can defeat Fenrir. As the prophecy unfolds, the ancient menace threatens to wreak havoc, and it’s up to the unlikely heroes to prevent impending doom.

Cast and Crew:

Director: Willard Carroll

Writers: Willard Carroll (screenplay), Mark E. Rogers (novel)

Cast:

• Peter Riegert as Capt. Gregory Fanducc

• Joan Severance as Marla Stewart

• William Hickey as Lars Hagstrom

• Tim Ryan as Sam Stewart

• Mitchell Laurance as Martin Almquist

• Lawrence Tierney as Chief Richardson

• Dawan Scott as Fenrir

• Chris Young as Jacob

• Alexander Godunov as Sigvaldson, The Clockmaker

• Donald Hotton as Ask Franag

• Arthur Malet as Stoddard

• Rick Marzan as Strange

Reviews from Letterboxd

1. Greg Stuart Smith:
   “I can’t help but root for a film that tries with all its might to punch its way into a higher weight class. And it more or less succeeds – er, well, does a great job of maximizing its potential based on its budget and cast, I think, is a much better way to put it. It’s a creature feature with a high concept, high body count and is set in a big city. That ain’t easy to pull off. And while it’s not the best film of its ilk, it moves, provides some thrills, a few chills, and has some real heart.”

2. dasMonster:
   “I had to watch this movie in three sittings, always rewinding it about 20 minutes in a futile attempt to try and understand the whole clockmaker story. I can’t even explain why I struggled this much. It’s not that bad. It has a cute rubber monster, an entertaining cop character, weird art exhibitions and some lore for good measure. It just doesn’t flow that well.”

3. EricYvon:
   “Only entertaining when the creature’s on screen. A plot featuring the cousin of the Pork Chop Express monster battling everyone’s favorite action hero Peter Riegert and a Highlander-looking Alexander Godunov should be way more fun than this. Meanwhile, Lawrence Tierney is practicing for Joe Cabot, William Hickey actually looks young (for William Hickey) and Chris Young is hanging around the peripheral for some reason I could never figure out.”

4. RebBrown:
   “It has a legitimate cast and enough production value on display to mark it as a genuine movie, but it’s very boring and peopled by some very uncharismatic characters. For the first act I was convinced the protagonist was this wannabe Steve Guttenberg dude, thankfully he morphed into the lumbering Yeti-like Norse beast that keeps attacking people and goes away for the bulk of the movie. Most of the kills involve a prop hand gently clutching a person’s head as they scream.”

5. Kenny Hedges:
   “We need less exhausting, ostensibly period-accurate shows about Vikings for History Channel Dads and more Nordic werewolf myths. The Runestone makes excellent use of early 90s NYC locations and a cast that includes Alexander Godunov, Joan Severance, William Hickey, Lawrence Tierney and a foul-mouthed Peter Riegert. It’s almost prophetic about how later 90s films would handle similar material, with Riegert in a similar part he’d mine exclusively for comedy in The Mask and a massacre at an art gallery.”

IMDb Link:

The Runestone (1991)

Meta Description:

The Runestone (1991) is an adventure horror film directed by Willard Carroll, featuring Peter Riegert and Joan Severance. The story follows the discovery of a Norse runestone in Pennsylvania, which unleashes the wolf Fenrir, threatening to bring about Ragnarok. As chaos ensues, it’s up to a group of unlikely heroes to stop the ancient prophecy from coming true.