Equinox

Equinox

Year: 1970

Runtime: 82 mins

Language: English

Director: Dennis Muren

HorrorAdventureHorror

An ancient mystic book draws four friends into a deadly encounter when a demon attacks their picnic, thrusting them into a shadowy realm that mirrors and invades their own world. The film began as Dennis Muren’s 1967 short The Equinox: Journey into the Supernatural, and was later expanded with additional footage shot by Jack Woods, creating a longer, atmospheric horror piece.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Equinox yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Equinox (1970)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Equinox (1970). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Forest canyon, Watermann's cabin, cave, cemetery, psychiatric hospital

Equinox unfolds across a remote forest canyon where Watermann's cabin sits and a cave labyrinth beckons. The group traverses ruined settings that blur the line between science and occult danger, with the cemetery becoming a grim stage for fate. The psychiatric hospital later frames the aftermath, anchoring the story in a place where memory and trauma are treated as patient symptoms.

🏞️ Forest canyon 🏚️ Abandoned cabin 🕳️ Cave 🪦 Cemetery 🏥 Hospital

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:39

Main Characters – Equinox (1970)

Meet the key characters of Equinox (1970), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

David Fielding (Edward Connell)

A traumatized man whose memory of the deaths of his friends drives the investigation. He oscillates between cautious reasoning and mounting fear as the occult events intrude on his reality. His reliance on symbols, like the cross, marks his struggle to maintain control as the supernatural forces close in.

🧠 Trauma 🕵️ Investigation ⚡ Supernatural influence

Susan Turner (Barbara Hewitt)

Jim Hudson's girlfriend and a member of the group. She endures a terrifying possession after the cross falls from her, highlighting the demon’s reach. Her arc centers on resilience under invasion, culminating in a perilous confrontation near the cemetery.

❤️ Loyalty 🌀 Possession 🗡️ Courage

Jim Hudson (Frank Bonner)

Friend of David who joins the search for Watermann. He becomes a casualty of the demonic pursuit, his fate underscoring the story’s stakes. His presence anchors the group’s camaraderie and their collective peril.

🧭 Comrade ⚔️ Sacrifice 🌓 Danger

Vicki (Robin Christopher)

Jim Hudson's girlfriend who accompanies the search party. She experiences the group’s peril firsthand and is present for the climactic confrontations. Her presence amplifies the urgency and emotional stakes of the quest.

👫 Ally 🕯️ Tension 🛡️ Courage

Dr. Arthur Watermann (Fritz Leiber Jr.)

A former professor whose experiments with the book's demon-summoning lore set the catastrophe in motion. His notes describe the book as a 'veritable bible of evil,' foreshadowing the monstrous consequences of misuse. His disappearance and the ensuing chaos propel the investigation forward.

🧪 Scientist 📜 Lore 🕳️ Ruination

Asmodeus (Jack Woods)

A winged red demon in disguise who manipulates the group while pursuing the book. He toys with perceptions, morphs into different forms, and ruthlessly eliminates obstacles to claim the relic. His true form and malevolent agenda reveal the supernatural danger at the core of the story.

👹 Demon 🪄 Deception 🔥 Violence

Old man in cave (Louis Clayton)

An enigmatic elder encountered by the group who dies at the hands of the pursuing monsters. He embodies the warning presence of ancient, hidden dangers tied to the book's power. His brief appearance foreshadows the deadly consequences of meddling with forbidden lore.

🗝️ Lore Keeper 🧭 Guide 💥 Tragic

The Green Giant (Jim Duron)

One of the monstrous beings summoned by the book’s rituals. This ape-like giant hunts for the book and adds a physical, visceral threat to the characters’ struggle. Its presence amplifies the film’s sense of peril and otherworldly danger.

🗡️ Monster 🦖 Threat 🧩 Chaos

Doctor on Tape Recorder (voice) (Forrest J. Ackerman)

A ghostly voice from an archival source who underscores the medical and investigative side of the story. The callback to tape recordings helps reconstruct the events and frames the narrative through an evidence-driven lens.

🎙️ Voice 🧩 Clue 🧠 Documentation

Detective Harrison (Jack H. Harris) (uncredited)

A law enforcement figure connected to the early police interviews. His presence anchors the pursuit of Watermann and the ambiguous moral questions surrounding the investigation.

🕵️ Law 🧭 Investigation 🧪 Science

David Fielding (Edward Connell) — duplicate entry to ensure completeness

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:39

Major Themes – Equinox (1970)

Explore the central themes of Equinox (1970), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔮 Occult

An ancient book of dark lore acts as the catalyst for terror. Rituals described in the book conjure a demon and monstrous beings that unleash violence on the characters. Forbidden knowledge corrupts curiosity and drags the living toward an inevitable confrontation with unspeakable powers.

🧠 Sanity

David Fielding's psyche fractures under trauma, fear, and prophecies. The flashbacks and hospital setting obscure truth, making memory unreliable. The demon's influence tests identity and agency, pushing the characters toward a perilous edge of perception.

💀 Mortality

Death casts a long shadow over every encounter, from Watermann's downfall to Susan's doomed fate. The demon's assault is bound to a fatal prophecy, culminating in a cemetery showdown and a ruined sense of safety. The narrative spirals toward a final, ominous consequence that seals the characters' destinies.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:39

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Relentless horror siege movies like Equinox

Stories where characters face an unyielding and fast-paced supernatural assault.Discover more movies like Equinox that feature a relentless supernatural or monster siege. These films share a fast pace, high intensity, and a dark, hopeless tone where characters are hunted by an unstoppable force, leading to bleak endings and heavy emotional impact.

relentlesschaoticfatalisticoppressiveclaustrophobicdescent into madnesssiege horror

Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread typically begin with a fragile sense of normalcy that is quickly shattered by a supernatural incursion. The plot then unfolds as a rapid sequence of attacks, chases, and losses, leaving the characters with dwindling resources and hope, often culminating in a complete psychological or physical defeat.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared fast pacing, high intensity, and dark tone. They all deliver an experience of oppressive chaos and fatalistic dread, focusing on the visceral terror of being hunted by an unstoppable force in a story that offers little relief.

Movies about arcane knowledge and psychological ruin like Equinox

Where the pursuit of forbidden secrets leads to psychological and supernatural collapse.If you liked the themes of ancient books and demonic forces in Equinox, explore these movies about arcane knowledge leading to psychological ruin. These similar horror stories feature characters doomed by dark secrets, blending supernatural horror with intense mental breakdowns and bleak outcomes.

eerieparanoidpsychologicalarcanedemonicmental breakdownancient evilforbidden knowledge

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves curious protagonists stumbling upon a source of arcane power or information. Their investigation triggers a chain of events where supernatural phenomena invade their world, paralleled by a descent into paranoia, grief, and mental collapse. The story often ends with the survivor(s) irrevocably scarred or trapped by the knowledge they sought.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their focus on the dangerous allure of the occult and the inevitable psychological toll it exacts. They share a dark tone, heavy emotional weight, and a blend of tangible supernatural horror with deep-seated psychological trauma.

Unlock the Full Story of Equinox

Don't stop at just watching — explore Equinox in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Equinox is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Equinox Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Equinox, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Equinox Summary

Equinox Timeline

Track the full timeline of Equinox with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Equinox Timeline

Equinox Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Equinox that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Equinox Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Equinox

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Equinox: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Equinox

Similar Movies to Equinox

Discover movies like Equinox that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.