Phoenix: The Resuddarding

Phoenix: The Resuddarding



Released in 1980, the third film in the Suddard franchise featured an entirely new cast including Frank Deli, as Old Man Suddard. Set in the town of Smallhope, fifty miles from Horton, the wrath of Suddard resurfaces once more.



Synopsis

Old Man Suddard is suddenly thrown out of a hole in the ground. He looks around and discovers that the spell from the previous film has sent him fifty miles away to the town of Smallhope and it’s also Christmas. Suddard has risen like a phoenix from the ashes and so because conveniently it would soon be the anniversary of his first Christmas, he decides to go on a killing spree to prove he can.

On Christmas Eve, Suddard picks six people to kill and writes there names in blood on the door of the local University. The names are Gretchen, Deizel, Sandra, Colin, Zayne, and Roxy.

The six teens see the list and knowing the story of the murders in Horton, choose to ignore the threat. Gretchen is the first to die when Suddard causes her car to crash on her way to a Christmas party at Colin’s house out in the woods. The other five are the only ones at the party in the middle of nowhere and soon, when Deizel is killed, they learn that Suddard is in the house with them. Suddard kills the power but when Colin goes to switch it back on, Suddard electrocutes him.

With the telephone lines and transport cut, Suddard dismembers Sandra, leaving Zayne and Roxy to fight off the monsterous murderer. During the heat of the killing spree, the two teens have sex and Suddard, not wanting to interrupt and be a third wheel, decides to kill the teens in an hour or so. Returning in an hour, he finds that the teens have armed themselves with knives that they found under Colin’s bed. They ambush Suddard and kill him after a long battle. The two teens kiss but as they do, Suddard rises up and decapitates them both before leaving.

Suddard is shown hitchhiking on the side of the road. A driver picks him up and they head in the direction of Horton. Suddard grins as he passes the sign saying Welcome to Horton.



Trivia

This film was banned for two years in over twenty countries due to it’s highly controversial tagline, “The lynch who stole Christmas.” Since the film was remastered for DVD over thirty years later, it has been given the tagline, “The final snowdown.”



Based on this film, Suddard briefly starred in his own short lived television series called “The Dukes of Suddard.” It was cancelled after three episodes.



<p class="MsoNormal">This would be the last Old Man Suddard film to be directed by Ruben Jomero due to death threats over his choice to cast Frank Deli instead of fan favourite, Patty Rick. Frank Deli also took a punch to the throat one night while out jogging courtesy of a fan who thought that he was the real Old Man Suddard.