Popcorn
00:35:39
About
Get yourself a costume and slap on your face - we’re off to the cinema for 1991’s “Popcorn”. A film in which we learn that reggae bands cannot be stopped by a power cut; your favourite Martian now owns a movie memorabilia shop; and, as always, if Dee Wallace is your mum, shit’s gonna get weird. Made at that curious cusp of 2 decades, this should be standard 80s slasher fare, but it’s knowing references to horror film lore and elevated tone actually predict the direction the genre would take through the 90s. A fractious production with director and lead actor swapped out a few weeks into shooting, this could have been a real mess - the fact it’s as entertaining and coherent as it is is a testament to all involved. With a likeable cast exhibiting genuine camaraderie and some fine spoofing in the films within the film, this is a neglected little treat for the curious. Watch (or re-watch) to avoid spoilers and join us.
Adam's research
Verbatim lifts from Adam's own words in the episode. Click a timestamp to hear him say it.
- Popcorn as a progenitor of Scream and its one-word title
I have seen a few people online saying. I've seen a few people online saying it's a progenitor of Scream even down the fact that it's unlike all eighties horror films. It's got a one word title. Because most of them after Texas Chainsaw.
- Original films-within-the-film and their genre/era influences
I like I like the fact that rather than they they made their own, they create their own films for it. And unlike say well, for example, Scream, obviously they actually watch Halloween. And talk about it, but it's like, oh, that exists blah, blah, blah, and so on. Whereas these, they were like, no, we're going to we're going to make the films and the the three that they do are so perfect for a like horror film festival, especially like sort of slop. Because you basically you've got two sort of proper that sort of fifties atomic age sci-fi but not really that sci. Um, horror. And uh but also the fact you you've also got like a a clearly sort of like um uh like a Japanese film that with that and and it has that proper it the same time period look. It has that sixties um Japanese film look like the sort of um like the Kaiju films and stuff and like Godzilla franchise things. And yeah, I just love they they all look perfect and are done perfectly.
- John Waters' use of scratch-and-sniff cards in cinema
Yeah, John Waters did for a film, didn't he? John Waters did he gave out scratch cards and you could and you like scratch and sniff sort of thing. So it would come up, it would flash up on the screen and say scratch this card, don't get it wrong though, and it would be the smell of cannabis or whatever it was. Because apparently there was apparently they when they did it the first time round, one of the smells was glue and they just put glue on there. But obviously that's you know, they couldn't do it if they were to do it subsequently. Because you are actually that everyone comes out with that face. You know, to achieve that smell, you wouldn't just like, oh, we'll chuck a bit of glue on the card.
- Initial directorial offers and Allan Ormsby's involvement
But the cuz so I looking at this. Because I've only like I said, I saw it at yours Lee, and I was like, oh, I don't know, you know, I don't know a thing about it, apart from D Wallace, I don't recognize anyone in it. So uh so I like had had a look back on it. But um originally it was meant to be or it was offered to Bob Clark who did um Black Christmas. That obviously we did a few years back. But obviously he he did Porky's and uh a Christmas story. And uh loads of sort of um, you know, uh Murder by Decree, which I I still think we could fit in on here somewhere. … Yeah. Loose Cannons. Children should. Yeah, Death Dream. So. You know, he he and he was basically like he'd started because he'd done PORKY'S and things like that and even though that's not, that's not something anyone should be proud of, you know, he was like basically he was moving away from doing horror. So he was like, oh, I don't I won't do it, but he recommended um Allan Ormsby to direct it. And Alan Ormsby was a guy who'd worked with Bob Clark doing makeup effects and was a writer for some of his horror stuff. So he was like involved with um Children should Play with Dead Things. And um so he got him in, um and he was directing it, and then very quickly in the production, he got replaced by a guy by the credited director Mark Harrier.
- Allan Ormsby's replacement, lead actress change, and Mark Harrier's debut
Uh, and from what I can gather, it's basically because Alan Ormsby was taking so long doing the films within the films. That the actual film proper was falling behind. No. Um. And the so. Essentially what you see in the film is Allan Ormsby directs the the actual films you watch, the Electrified Man and uh Mosquito and is it Mosquito? Yes. Yeah. Um. And uh and the stanch. The stench. And yeah, so he directed all of those, and then uh but and they also had a different lead actress. And so they replaced Alan Ormsby because he was taking too long and they were falling behind schedule. And at that point, they were like, right, we're restarting and they hadn't really the original actress wasn't working out. So. Um, then um so then uh what's her name, uh Jill Jill Showen, Showen came in to play Maggie or Sarah. And um and Bob Clark apparently was kind of still doing second unit directing on it and advising it and. So it seems a bit strange. But I mean, the weird thing is Mark Harrier who they brought in, this is the only film he's ever directed. And he's actually an actor and he's in he's Billy in all three of the PORKY'S films. And he's like been in Murder She Wrote and Freddy's Nightmares and stuff like that. But yeah, this is the only actual film that he's done. And you know, I mean, fair play. Yeah. This is the thing is I I think to to be called in and do do it under those circumstances where it's like, right, we're already behind. We're replacing a lead actress. And you've got to walk in. And get the crew on side, cuz obviously everyone's worked with the first director. And kind of used to him and everything else like that. So I think you know, it's what could have been an absolute shit show. You know, there's no there's no failing in this of competency or anything like that. You know what I mean, it still it still looks good. It still makes sense. And you know, they didn't lose anything, so it's maybe maybe it was just the fact it was such a fucking. Shit show that it's like, do you know what, I don't want to direct anymore. So, you know, maybe maybe that's the case.
- Filming location in Jamaica, derelict cinema, and cast living conditions
Yeah, so and also it was filmed in Jamaica. Which is why there's reggae all the way through the soundtrack and they've got the the band in who who can miraculously play during a power cut. … They were acoustic ketars that they're playing and they. But yeah, it's so it's so and I think that's something that comes across is that so the cast were there but literally. living together. Because they're they've gone to Jamaica to film it, they're filming it in like this derelict cinema or theater. Apparently it was a theater that then got turned into a cinema, like a lot of older theaters did. So it was really old and that's why it's so grand and everything else like that. Apparently, and unfortunately I I saw an interview with Dee Wallace and she was just saying that it just stunk of like piss. Because basically it had just been squatted for like homeless people were using it and stuff for years. And so they were like and presumably also they're on not the biggest of budgets. So it was probably just like just hold your nose and go outside after you've done your take. … Yeah. And um, but yeah, so they were sort of living together. And I do genuinely think that comes across. Is I think everyone, you know, like any film, there are levels of acting chops. But I believe they all know like are a gang. They still I mean, you know, I I sort of feel they're all. Yeah. I think it was you know, I mean obviously there was a lot of stop starting and fucking around and changing actress and directors and uh so on and so forth. And um, yeah, it was even then, they they still managed to have a good time and sort of, you know.
- Creative conflict and director change insights from Blu-ray making-of
And weirdly enough, I I wonder because there's sort of again, there's a there's a good making of on the 88. uh Blu-ray. Um, and sort of like they've they've got some of the cast there and stuff like that. And but it's quite interesting because the mainly they sort of like say, oh, um Alan Ormsby was taking a long time on the thing. But also they were saying that the stuff he was doing the present day for some reason, they don't really describe it, but the producers are sort of talking about it wasn't quite working or whatever like that. And and even like the guy who came in to take over as director's like, oh, I watched all the short films and I was like, what's your problem? This looks great. But then they showed me the other stuff and I was like, oh, okay, that's why I've had to come in and. And I wonder if they were trying to go in a weird way, I wonder if they were trying to make the proper story. feel eighties slash. So it's like, you've done a spot on parody of like them, like the giant ant movie, or you've done a a spot on sort of attack of the 50-foot woman sort of here and stuff and stuff, and now it's like, but also we'll make the film quite, you know, it's here's all the eighties elements that would be in there and stuff like that. So I maybe wonder if he was going in that direction and it was like, no, it needs to we can't undermine this. You know, it's it's sort of it's too close for you to do an affectionate parody, so it's just going to feel like a dick.
- Film's intended PG-13 rating, lack of nudity, and impact of killer's makeup
What I think, I think weirdly enough, as well, is because at that point, you're like, he's an excellent mimic, but the mask somehow helps the fact that his lips are fucked. Because like you say, when he when he's in sort of like his O Naturall form. Um. Which actually that that was another thing, I think I saw that it was um they thought they were going to get PG 13 for this. And actually it does the one thing that is missing for something that would be an 87 horror film is nudity. You know. … And a lot of the kills are not quite they're not horrific. You know what I mean. They're very comedic or they're sort of done like the electrocution is quite OTT. And reflective of the um the movie that they are watching and stuff like that. And um. But I think genuinely, I think it's that makeup that probably tipped it. Because the makeup is really fucking it's terrific, it's a real look. You know, and I think it's sort of probably rang too many sort of Freddy Krueger bells. … Clare put it, it was like, well, you either have the mask but not the burnt eyes or you have the eyes but not the mask. Because altogether, it really is, you know, that's a. You know, that's a a real shocking sort of look. And it has to be said, I mean Tom Villard.
- Actor Tom Villard's performance, death from AIDS, and career challenges
Like who the the killer, Toby. Um. is um fucking brilliant. And once he once he's sort of outed as the killer and he's given free reign. He is fucking extraordinary. … And. Uh, but I mean it's cuz he um he died about three years later. Um, yeah, he died died of AIDS which he'd actually he wasn't, he told the, he told the director. But he hadn't been telling anyone because obviously in terms of like film, like insurance and things like that, you know, you could not as an actor, you would not get you would not be able to work. And so he'd kept it obviously he was trying to keep it to himself but he sort of opened up and told the director. I think out of courtesy more than anything else that it was just so but um. But it's such a shame because he's so good in it and you know, plays just the right level of over the top for a villain for this. Because it really becomes sort of Grand Guignol at the end. And yeah. And uh yeah, it's I think he would have gone on, you know, he would have gone on to have quite a good career. I mean the stuff where he's doing like sort of puppet arms and things like that as well where you're like, you know, he's an incredible like physical actor and so sort of like tall and extraordinary looking that it's sort of like yeah, he would have been um, you feel he would have like been. He probably would have been. A lot of villains. And a lot of memorable ones as well.
- Authenticity and quality of the films-within-the-film
And that's the thing, apart from apart from the stench, unfortunately. You but you you get you you see a lot of um the other two films. You know. And and and they are perfect. You know, because they they are the right sort of thing. Where it's like, no, we've got you know, wooden performances or sort of, you know, sort of bits where it's like, well. If it wasn't for the intervention of God. And it's like, yeah. These are absolutely perfect and the fact that you watch an audience. watching them as you do watch you you would be at a film festival watching these old like Return of the Fly or.
Highlights
Transcript
Show full transcript
Unknown
Lee Good evening and welcome to horror. I'm Lee.
Chris I'm Chris.
Adam I'm Adam.
Lee And we are here this evening as promised for 1991's Popcorn. a film that I cannot believe came out the same year as Terminator 2, but, you know, there you go.
Adam What are you talking about? I think they're comparable in effects.
Lee yeah, so just I I realized we we've stopped kind of giving you a rundown of the story, so just a very quick, a rundown of what happens in the film or the setup for it.
Lee so it's a young student at film school, and they are she keeps having recurring dreams.
Lee they they are doing an all nighter at their local cinema to raise a bit of money, and they find an old tape by a guy who ran a film cult, and his the plan for the cult was to run the film and at the end lock the doors and kill everybody, which happened, and they found the the tape and when she watched it, she realized that that was her dream, and then when they do the all nighter, people start getting bumped off all over the place.
Lee So that is the very quick setup for this movie.
Lee yeah, you've seen this before, haven't you, Adam?
Adam Yes.
Adam I've seen this, I saw this once before at your house.
Adam So that's that's the only time I've seen it before.
Adam And I remember I I mean, I enjoyed it then, and equally enjoyed it this time.
Adam So, yeah.
Lee It's great, so this was one that Lady Jennifer picked up in Tesco's or somewhere in a pound bin.
Adam Yeah, I can see that.
Lee Yes, DVD for a quid.
Lee The cover is the cover alone.
Adam Yeah.
Adam Well, I, I, because because I felt because we were doing it, I I thought I'll invest, so I got the 88 films Blu-ray.
Lee Oh.
Adam
Adam
Adam And
Adam But yeah, that cover is pure video rental shop.
Adam It's lovely, and exactly exactly the sort of film you should find in an off license or on a rack in a garage.
Lee Yeah.
Adam 20 years ago.
Lee Yeah.
Lee Fantastic. so Chris, with it being your first viewing, what did you make of it?
Chris Yeah.
Chris Yeah.
Chris so I had a sense that it it was funny.
Chris So, as it went on, it was one of those that for me got better and better.
Chris And at the end, I sort of felt like it suddenly seemed like it was ahead of its time.
Chris And then I was like, it's not 1991, but for some reason, it felt earlier.
Chris And then I don't know if that was eighties.
Lee It was very eighties.
Chris Was, yeah, right, it really that became clear.
Chris But also, I think because of the three films they show, you kind of like you have a sense of those.
Chris Because they're all through those are old ones as well, I think.
Lee Yeah, so I think they were, I think they were made by them.
Lee But but the idea is, so William Castle used to do these two.
Lee We've covered some of his films before.
Lee And he used to do.
Adam I was I quickly wrote it down, if you go back to 2018 an episode 33, was when we did House on Haunted Hill.
Adam And we discussed a lot about William Castle and his career and stuff.
Lee Yeah, so that having something flying across the cinema and having the electric shock seats.
Lee And all that that was all stuff that William Castle used to do.
Chris Yeah, I'd say yeah, I thought that was quite good. Yeah.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Right.
Lee
Lee Yeah, so they use it in this.
Lee which I like, I like, I think it's a really good nod to and.
Chris Yeah.
Lee Yeah, but yeah, I think that it's that, again, I think it's because it's that one massive screen cinema.
Lee That feels so eighties, like you don't you don't feel like you'd see one of those still in 1990.
Lee So I think that's possibly why you that part of and the graininess of the film, and the fact Dee Wallace is in it's probably.
Lee But
Adam Yeah.
Lee All of those are great things in my opinion.
Lee Sorry, Chris.
Chris And it's.
Chris Well, yeah, so I think the film really starts to kick in when they all go to the cinema.
Chris And the amount of different costumes they're wearing, it's like all of a sudden it looks like they probably had a lot of fun making this.
Chris And it starts to become more comedic.
Adam Yeah.
Chris And of course, as it goes on, it becomes even more and then the twist.
Chris It was almost like a kind of thinking it was like an early draft of.
Chris Of Scream almost in that, I suppose the character became.
Chris Very different as well from what you originally think it's going to be.
Chris So I was like, yeah, it's like that's quite good.
Chris
Adam I have seen a few people online saying.
Chris Yeah.
Chris I mean it was.
Adam I've seen a few people online saying it's a progenitor of Scream even down the fact that it's unlike all eighties horror films.
Adam It's got a one word title.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Because most of them after Texas Chainsaw.
Chris Wait, we keep calling it 1991 Popcorn, but I guess it's not actually called that, is it, it's just called Popcorn.
Lee It's Popcorn.
Chris But is that There are other films called Popcorn?
Adam No, it's because that's the only way you can find anything about this online if you Google it.
Chris Because if you search.
Adam Because because popcorn and film just does not give enough.
Chris Yeah.
Chris It's terrible.
Adam They're quite intertwined, so you have to go through a few pages before you get there.
Adam So, yeah.
Chris That must be why the year was stuck in my head so much, because I was like, I know it is 1991, but yeah,
Chris So no.
Chris So it's kind of funny, so yeah, it definitely felt ahead of its time in that sense, even though it was perhaps a bit later than you kind of think it is, while you're watching it.
Chris but yeah, and so it did it it sort of kept changing.
Chris And and the characters are fun.
Chris And I I did really like Mark's character arc, because he is awful.
Adam Oh, the the the pseudo boyfriend.
Chris The attempting yeah, trying to become boyfriend.
Chris And then he's like he's quite a sweet end with him.
Chris You're like, yeah, that's all kind of fun.
Lee Yeah.
Chris He's he's useless still, but at least he's trying now.
Adam It reminds me of a bit of Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China.
Adam It's someone who's like, I'm fulfilling the hero role, but I'm actually not very good at it.
Chris Yeah, like anti-hero, an early kind of yeah.
Chris But also he's he's not he's he seems like he could be charming to begin with, but he's just really not getting it right at all.
Adam Oh, no, he's a dick.
Chris And then later on he's like almost matured slightly.
Chris So yeah, so I thought that was quite good.
Chris So yeah, the characters worked really well together.
Chris and I liked the whole setup, you know, it being.
Chris Films within films and it's a film school and like, yeah.
Adam Yeah.
Lee And the whole angle.
Adam Yeah, cuz I I like.
Adam Yeah.
Adam I like I like the fact that rather than they they made their own, they create their own films for it.
Chris Yeah, that's really good.
Adam And unlike say well, for example, Scream, obviously they actually watch Halloween.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And talk about it, but it's like, oh, that exists blah, blah, blah, and so on.
Adam Whereas these, they were like, no, we're going to we're going to make the films and the the three that they do are so perfect for a like horror film festival, especially like sort of slop.
Chris Yeah.
Chris Yeah.
Adam Because you basically you've got two sort of proper that sort of fifties atomic age sci-fi but not really that sci.
Adam horror.
Adam And but also the fact you you've also got like a a clearly sort of like like a Japanese film that with that and and it has that proper it the same time period look.
Adam It has that sixties Japanese film look like the sort of like the Kaiju films and stuff and like Godzilla franchise things.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And yeah, I just love they they all look perfect and are done perfectly.
Lee Yeah, they did.
Lee They really sold it.
Lee Also I was funnily enough I was listening to a thing a podcast recently where they were talking about because obviously in this one of the gimmicks was they had the smell that came into the cinema.
Adam
Lee and apparently that was a thing that did that in a sixties, I think they were saying.
Chris All right.
Chris Yeah, they tried.
Lee They sort of built a couple of cinemas specifically for it, but it ended up costing so much money that it cost you the equivalent of like £350 in today's money for a ticket to go to the films because all the equipment was so expensive to make it work.
Chris Oh, so you couldn't make that money back on this?
Lee They must.
Chris I'd be amazed if people actually really liked it as well.
Chris Because surely like pumping bad smells can't actually be fun, can it?
Adam It depends on your what you're watching, but I certainly wouldn't want it on a scap movie.
Lee I think it was things like like cigar smoke and coffee and flowers.
Chris Yeah, yeah.
Adam Yeah, John Waters did for a film, didn't he?
Adam John Waters did he gave out scratch cards and you could and you like scratch and sniff sort of thing.
Adam So it would come up, it would flash up on the screen and say scratch this card, don't get it wrong though, and it would be the smell of cannabis or whatever it was.
Adam Because apparently there was apparently they when they did it the first time round, one of the smells was glue and they just put glue on there.
Adam But obviously that's you know, they couldn't do it if they were to do it subsequently.
Adam Because you are actually that everyone comes out with that face.
Chris That's everyone comes out with that face.
Chris Yeah.
Adam You know, to achieve that smell, you wouldn't just like, oh, we'll chuck a bit of glue on the card.
Adam You know.
Chris That would add to the fun of the film, I'm sure.
Adam Oh, absolutely, yeah.
Adam The audience of people huffing.
Adam It's like.
Adam I mean.
Adam But the cuz so I looking at this.
Adam Because I've only like I said, I saw it at yours Lee, and I was like, oh, I don't know, you know, I don't know a thing about it, apart from D Wallace, I don't recognize anyone in it.
Adam So so I like had had a look back on it.
Adam But originally it was meant to be or it was offered to Bob Clark who did Black Christmas.
Adam That obviously we did a few years back.
Adam But obviously he he did Porky's and a Christmas story.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And loads of sort of you know, Murder by Decree, which I I still think we could fit in on here somewhere.
Lee Yeah, I rewatched that about a month ago, actually.
Adam Yeah.
Adam Loose Cannons.
Adam Children should.
Chris If it's good enough, we should find a way.
Adam Yeah, Death Dream.
Adam So.
Adam You know, he he and he was basically like he'd started because he'd done PORKY'S and things like that and even though that's not, that's not something anyone should be proud of, you know, he was like basically he was moving away from doing horror.
Adam So he was like, oh, I don't I won't do it, but he recommended Allan Ormsby to direct it.
Adam And Alan Ormsby was a guy who'd worked with Bob Clark doing makeup effects and was a writer for some of his horror stuff.
Adam So he was like involved with Children should Play with Dead Things.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And so he got him in, and he was directing it, and then very quickly in the production, he got replaced by a guy by the credited director Mark Harrier.
Lee
Adam and from what I can gather, it's basically because Alan Ormsby was taking so long doing the films within the films.
Adam That the actual film proper was falling behind.
Chris No.
Adam No.
Adam
Adam And the so.
Adam Essentially what you see in the film is Allan Ormsby directs the the actual films you watch, the Electrified Man and Mosquito and is it Mosquito?
Lee Yes.
Adam Yes.
Chris Yeah.
Adam Yeah.
Adam
Adam And and the stanch.
Chris And the stench.
Lee Yes.
Lee The stench.
Adam The stench.
Adam And yeah, so he directed all of those, and then but and they also had a different lead actress.
Adam And so they replaced Alan Ormsby because he was taking too long and they were falling behind schedule.
Adam And at that point, they were like, right, we're restarting and they hadn't really the original actress wasn't working out.
Adam So.
Adam then so then what's her name, Jill Jill Showen, Showen came in to play Maggie or Sarah.
Adam And and Bob Clark apparently was kind of still doing second unit directing on it and advising it and.
Adam So it seems a bit strange.
Adam But I mean, the weird thing is Mark Harrier who they brought in, this is the only film he's ever directed.
Adam And he's actually an actor and he's in he's Billy in all three of the PORKY'S films.
Adam And he's like been in Murder She Wrote and Freddy's Nightmares and stuff like that.
Adam But yeah, this is the only actual film that he's done.
Adam And you know, I mean, fair play.
Lee I thought we did a really good job.
Lee Like you know.
Adam Yeah.
Adam This is the thing is I I think to to be called in and do do it under those circumstances where it's like, right, we're already behind.
Adam We're replacing a lead actress.
Adam And you've got to walk in.
Chris Yeah.
Adam And get the crew on side, cuz obviously everyone's worked with the first director.
Adam And kind of used to him and everything else like that.
Adam So I think you know, it's what could have been an absolute shit show.
Adam You know, there's no there's no failing in this of competency or anything like that.
Adam You know what I mean, it still it still looks good.
Adam It still makes sense.
Adam And you know, they didn't lose anything, so it's maybe maybe it was just the fact it was such a fucking.
Adam Shit show that it's like, do you know what, I don't want to direct anymore.
Lee Yeah.
Adam So, you know, maybe maybe that's the case.
Adam But
Adam Yeah, so and also it was filmed in Jamaica.
Adam Which is why there's reggae all the way through the soundtrack and they've got the the band in who who can miraculously play during a power cut.
Chris All right.
Lee I said that.
Lee I said.
Lee Oh, luckily they've all got acoustic acoustic instruments, and then he said acoustic weapons.
Adam They were acoustic ketars that they're playing and they.
Adam But yeah, it's so it's so and I think that's something that comes across is that so the cast were there but literally.
Adam living together.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Because they're they've gone to Jamaica to film it, they're filming it in like this derelict cinema or theater.
Adam Apparently it was a theater that then got turned into a cinema, like a lot of older theaters did.
Adam So it was really old and that's why it's so grand and everything else like that.
Lee It looks incredible.
Lee I mean, what.
Adam Apparently, and unfortunately I I saw an interview with Dee Wallace and she was just saying that it just stunk of like piss.
Lee Oh.
Adam Because basically it had just been squatted for like homeless people were using it and stuff for years.
Lee Oh, no.
Adam And so they were like and presumably also they're on not the biggest of budgets.
Adam So it was probably just like just hold your nose and go outside after you've done your take.
Lee Yeah, exactly.
Lee They can't afford to have the entire place fumigated.
Adam Yeah.
Adam And but yeah, so they were sort of living together.
Adam And I do genuinely think that comes across.
Adam Is I think everyone, you know, like any film, there are levels of acting chops.
Adam But I believe they all know like are a gang.
Lee Yeah.
Chris Yeah.
Adam They still I mean, you know, I I sort of feel they're all.
Chris It seems like they are having a bit of fun together.
Adam Yeah.
Adam I think it was you know, I mean obviously there was a lot of stop starting and fucking around and changing actress and directors and so on and so forth.
Adam And yeah, it was even then, they they still managed to have a good time and sort of, you know.
Lee And I love that like the eighties montages and all that like it's just.
Lee I think that's what adds to the fun of this, like you say, it's although it's you know, 91.
Lee It does feel like a mid-eighties film, you say, you can kind of see why they were originally going for the director of PORKY'S because it's got that same like college kids feel about it.
Lee but yeah, just with a lot more death.
Adam I think certainly, apart from what even actually even the sort of like drum machine soundtrack is more 87, I mean certainly the one thing me and Clare have been watching.
Adam we've been rewatching the complete League of Gentlemen, so we've done the series, we're doing the live shows now.
Lee Nice.
Adam And the rap song at the end of this really feels like when Legz Akimbo come out and try and do a rap to look cool to the.
Adam When the name is Johnny and I'm in London now.
Lee Yeah, it it does feel like that.
Lee I I mean, I I normally sit through for the half of the credits or anything just to see if anyone have knows pops up or anything interesting.
Lee But yeah, it was so bad, literally as soon as the first card come up, I was like, nope.
Adam Yeah.
Adam And it's it's actually weird cuz like the the the reggae side of it sort of like pretty good and pretty unusual for a horror film that you're like, you know.
Adam
Adam But yeah, I but I I yeah, showed this to me, I'd say 87.
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know, you're nearly in the nineties.
Adam But yeah, that's where I would have sort of pegged it.
Adam
Adam So, yeah.
Adam But.
Adam And weirdly enough, I I wonder because there's sort of again, there's a there's a good making of on the 88.
Adam Blu-ray.
Adam and sort of like they've they've got some of the cast there and stuff like that.
Adam And but it's quite interesting because the mainly they sort of like say, oh, Alan Ormsby was taking a long time on the thing.
Adam But also they were saying that the stuff he was doing the present day for some reason, they don't really describe it, but the producers are sort of talking about it wasn't quite working or whatever like that.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And and even like the guy who came in to take over as director's like, oh, I watched all the short films and I was like, what's your problem?
Adam This looks great.
Lee Yeah.
Adam But then they showed me the other stuff and I was like, oh, okay, that's why I've had to come in and.
Adam And I wonder if they were trying to go in a weird way, I wonder if they were trying to make the proper story.
Adam feel eighties slash.
Lee Yeah.
Adam So it's like, you've done a spot on parody of like them, like the giant ant movie, or you've done a a spot on sort of attack of the 50-foot woman sort of here and stuff and stuff, and now it's like, but also we'll make the film quite, you know, it's here's all the eighties elements that would be in there and stuff like that.
Adam So I maybe wonder if he was going in that direction and it was like, no, it needs to we can't undermine this.
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know, it's it's sort of it's too close for you to do an affectionate parody, so it's just going to feel like a dick.
Lee Yeah.
Chris Yeah.
Lee But yeah, I and it and it's it's funny, yeah, you say that, you know, they obviously shipped everybody out to Jamaica and did it.
Lee but yeah, that that that theater is just so, but like you say, you can.
Chris It works perfectly, doesn't it?
Lee As soon as you see it, you can smell popcorn.
Lee It's that like it is, it's just like you know yeah, and the the stuff of them cleaning it, you know, sort of tidy it and getting the prepping everything ready.
Lee It's an incredible building, so yeah, if it'd be derated, it must take ages for them to make it look good again.
Lee You know, like.
Adam It looks sort of, yeah, it looks habitable.
Adam I'm, you know, I think a lot of that cleanup was probably what was going that that must have been what was going on anyway.
Adam As you say.
Adam Cuz it's sort of fact that's probably the easiest way to do it is you do do your opening sequence while it's derelict and then.
Lee Yeah.
Chris I do think like even though I enjoyed it as much as I did watching it on my own.
Chris It definitely does lend itself to, you know, a fun night of putting on a movie at a party.
Chris And not not worrying too much about it, having laughed in the background.
Lee Yeah, something daft in the background.
Chris There's there's a few inconsistencies, there's a bit like, but it's just not, you know, you don't need to think too hard.
Chris You just.
Adam It's.
Adam It has a weird thing where it's like there's little bits where you go, is this supernatural and it's not?
Chris Yeah.
Adam But in a weird way, that's kind of a lot of slashers.
Chris Yeah.
Chris I thought that they they managed to get that balance okay.
Chris I thought, yeah, certainly from the start, you definitely think it's going in that direction and then it doesn't and it yeah, and it worked.
Lee So I normally find that very disappointing if I think it's going to be supernatural and then it is and I'm like, oh, it's Scooby Doo me again.
Lee But actually it isn't.
Lee Yeah, I I thought it it made it a lot more believable and a lot more I mean, not believable, obviously, but yeah.
Chris The bit with just how great he was doing making the faces now quickly, I was like, that's impressive technology there.
Chris I'm sure they wouldn't look quite that good.
Chris But that was even really entertaining when he was showing her and Sarah.
Lee But that's what made me laugh.
Lee So they, you know, all right, so spoilers from here on in people, just to let you know.
Lee So when the killer is revealed and yeah, he's doing that talking to a bit, why don't they just keep him as the face that he has assumed?
Lee Because when they then put those stupid rubber lip things on him, he can't talk through them and you can't understand him.
Lee And I was like, just you there, we know who it is.
Lee You can just show him the way that we know he should look.
Lee You don't need to do.
Adam What I think, I think weirdly enough, as well, is because at that point, you're like, he's an excellent mimic, but the mask somehow helps the fact that his lips are fucked.
Adam Because like you say, when he when he's in sort of like his O Naturall form.
Adam
Adam Which actually that that was another thing, I think I saw that it was they thought they were going to get PG 13 for this.
Adam And actually it does the one thing that is missing for something that would be an 87 horror film is nudity.
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know.
Chris Yeah, yeah, I was actually expecting a little bit from the way it was going.
Adam And a lot of the kills are not quite they're not horrific.
Adam You know what I mean.
Chris No, they are.
Adam They're very comedic or they're sort of done like the electrocution is quite OTT.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And reflective of the the movie that they are watching and stuff like that.
Adam And
Adam But I think genuinely, I think it's that makeup that probably tipped it.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Because the makeup is really fucking it's terrific, it's a real look.
Adam You know, and I think it's sort of probably rang too many sort of Freddy Krueger bells.
Lee Yeah.
Chris I was getting a little bit of that.
Adam Clare put it, it was like, well, you either have the mask but not the burnt eyes or you have the eyes but not the mask.
Adam Because altogether, it really is, you know, that's a.
Chris It's memorable enough.
Adam You know, that's a a real shocking sort of look.
Adam And it has to be said, I mean Tom Villard.
Adam Like who the the killer, Toby.
Adam
Adam is fucking brilliant.
Lee Yeah.
Lee He is.
Adam And once he once he's sort of outed as the killer and he's given free reign.
Adam He is fucking extraordinary.
Lee Yeah.
Lee He is really, really good.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And.
Adam but I mean it's cuz he he died about three years later.
Lee Oh, really?
Adam yeah, he died died of AIDS which he'd actually he wasn't, he told the, he told the director.
Adam But he hadn't been telling anyone because obviously in terms of like film, like insurance and things like that, you know, you could not as an actor, you would not get you would not be able to work.
Adam And so he'd kept it obviously he was trying to keep it to himself but he sort of opened up and told the director.
Adam I think out of courtesy more than anything else that it was just so but
Adam But it's such a shame because he's so good in it and you know, plays just the right level of over the top for a villain for this.
Adam Because it really becomes sort of Grand Guignol at the end.
Adam And yeah.
Lee Yeah.
Adam And yeah, it's I think he would have gone on, you know, he would have gone on to have quite a good career.
Adam I mean the stuff where he's doing like sort of puppet arms and things like that as well where you're like, you know, he's an incredible like physical actor and so sort of like tall and extraordinary looking that it's sort of like yeah, he would have been you feel he would have like been.
Adam He probably would have been.
Adam A lot of villains.
Adam And a lot of memorable ones as well.
Lee Yeah.
Lee Yeah.
Lee Yeah.
Lee He does, he's got that California look about him as well, doesn't he, that works quite well in in Hollywood in the nineties.
Lee So, yeah, I I think, yeah, I think he would have gone on to do really well.
Lee But I mean, yeah, he's excellent in this.
Lee And and you say, I love I love the the way that he he changes so much when he stops being the character of Toby, and then just becomes and that's when he starts, he starts seeing it all fall apart as soon as he's got the mask off and people know.
Lee But yeah.
Lee It it it's yeah, it's really, really good.
Lee And I've I've seen this film probably three or four times and I had forgotten that it was him, so I watched it the whole time thinking as you're supposed to, that it was the bloke who body was never found from the initial.
Chris The old lanyard gate.
Chris Yeah.
Lee Only when Toby sits down and puts his arm around Maggie that I was like, oh, hang on a minute, there's something not right with this.
Lee Yeah, then that's when it all come flooding back to me.
Lee I was like, oh shit, yeah, it is him.
Adam It.
Adam And it's quite it's quite nice that it's a sort of double step reveal because it starts off she's having the dreams, then they see the the movie and she realizes it's not dreams, it's memories.
Chris
Adam And at that point, you're like, all right, so she's the little girl in the dream, blah, blah, blah.
Adam And that feels like we've blown your twist quite early.
Lee Yeah.
Chris Yeah.
Adam But not not that it's a twist, but you know what I mean, you've you've blown the sort of like uncovering thing.
Chris Yeah, we definitely know what's going on now, but.
Adam And then they spent so long misdirecting you and then it's like, oh, nothing to do with this, you know, what he he is the cause of this.
Adam But, you know, he is dead, and this person this other person just happened to be the misfortune to be there.
Adam And sort of go on from there.
Adam And it's actually quite nice that you've got that sort of because you like I say, you think, oh, well, it's a bit bit basic.
Adam And it's like, oh, no, actually, now you've gone you've gone.
Lee Yeah.
Lee And again, it's a lot of film for 91 minutes as well.
Adam
Adam Absolutely.
Adam Well.
Adam You.
Adam You get almost.
Adam And that's the thing, apart from apart from the stench, unfortunately.
Adam You but you you get you you see a lot of the other two films.
Chris Yeah.
Adam You know.
Adam And and and they are perfect.
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know, because they they are the right sort of thing.
Adam Where it's like, no, we've got you know, wooden performances or sort of, you know, sort of bits where it's like, well.
Adam If it wasn't for the intervention of God.
Adam And it's like, yeah.
Adam These are absolutely perfect and the fact that you watch an audience.
Adam watching them as you do watch you you would be at a film festival watching these old like Return of the Fly or.
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know.
Adam What.
Adam Whatever it is.
Lee And I love that, I mean, I think the closest we've ever been was when we went to the John Carpenter all nighter at the Prince Charles.
Lee But that that like it's films that everybody knows and you've all seen them, so you're all going to shout at the screen and you're all going to throw popcorn at one another.
Lee Like I love that.
Lee And I I just wish that that were a real thing.
Lee But yeah, I think in my now 40 something head, all I kept thinking the whole time they were frying that popcorn was.
Lee Someone's got to clean all that shit up at the end of the night.
Lee Like it.
Lee It's going to be everywhere, that's going to be a nightmare.
Lee What are you going to do?
Lee But yeah.
Chris Probably makes that place smell better, but.
Lee Yeah.
Adam That's true, yeah.
Adam Give it give it back the old feeling.
Adam You know.
Lee Yeah, so yeah, always it is always a fun watch this film.
Lee And I think it's why I go back to it quite often, but yeah, like you were saying, Chris, it's it is one of those, I think that's why I forget the twist.
Lee Because this is a late night movie for me, this is the I should be going to bed.
Lee But I've got a half an hour left, so I'm going to chuck something on for an hour.
Lee yeah, because you can just come in and just enjoy it, and if you don't get to the end, it doesn't matter, you've had a nice, you know, you had a nice half an hour getting there.
Lee So, yeah, so I think that's why I've.
Lee I I go for it quite often and again, it's that whole, I love the old cinema look and feel and that.
Lee So, yeah, so it's just a like comfort food movie for me, really, this one.
Lee So
Adam And I can I can see that.
Adam But then I but also and this is the bit where it gets controversial.
Adam Prefer it to Scream.
Lee Oh, do you.
Lee Yeah.
Chris That's interesting.
Adam Yeah.
Adam So.
Chris Cuz we did.
Chris We didn't we covered Scream fairly recently.
Chris I mean, it's probably about 10 years ago now, but it feels fairly recently still.
Chris But and and.
Adam Every 18 months for the past two 1998.
Adam Yeah.
Chris Yeah.
Chris But I did actually quite enjoy watching that again.
Chris I mean, I hadn't seen it, I probably had only seen Scream once or twice.
Chris But.
Chris So I I still kind of liked that.
Chris I did quite like the similarities.
Chris It was also the other one was Who Framed Roger Rabbit because there's a bit of a manic twist to a Christopher Lloyd.
Lee Yes.
Lee Oh, yeah, I've not seen that in a very long time.
Lee I could rewatch that, I think.
Lee I think I saw that at the cinema when it first came out.
Lee I might have seen it once or twice since then.
Chris But yeah, I can remember being young enough when I saw it at the cinema and that was a bit a bit of a bigger twist than I was expecting.
Adam This is something that I've seen come up, maybe we'll get people to, we'll have to get we'll we'll discuss it off air.
Adam But I know that Roger Rabbit comes up as a child horror.
Chris Yeah.
Chris Well, yeah.
Chris I mean, it felt a bit.
Adam Yeah, it's a bit where you're like, actually, this is a bit fucking much.
Chris When he was in the steam boiler and he's like and he's gone proper manic.
Chris You like what.
Adam I know that it's quite that level.
Adam But yeah, maybe we'll have to look into this and you know, we'll find these ones where it's not they're not necessarily a horror film, but they they have particularly kids films because they'll be.
Chris Some shocking moments.
Adam And and I mean, let's face it, kids films and fucking like the the orphaning being orphaned and everything else like that, you know, I mean, that's like part and parcel.
Adam I mean, Disney wipes out families sort of left right center.
Adam You know, that's that's almost the thing, he's like, no, make make sure they're an orphan.
Adam Come on.
Lee Yeah.
Adam You know.
Adam Mild peril, my fucking ass.
Lee I'm so.
Lee so, speaking of mild peril, we will be should apologize again for the fact that we took we missed an episode, yes, it's been the school holidays.
Chris Long time.
Lee So we've all been really busy and honestly.
Lee We just couldn't find time, I know that sounds ridiculous.
Lee But we couldn't find a time for the three of us to sit down and get together for an entire two weeks.
Lee so, yes, we do apologize about that.
Lee But hopefully, you're all out doing things.
Lee In the middle of the crazy heat and everything anyway, so you won't have missed us too much.
Lee It's fine.
Lee
Lee But yes, so to make it up for to you, we're going to be back in a fortnight's time and we are finally.
Lee I can't believe we haven't done it yet and I say that all the time.
Lee We are going to be coming back to discuss Baba Hotep.
Chris Oh.
Adam Oh.
Lee yeah, I mean, just so looking forward to.
Lee Again, this is one of those films, I really, really enjoy, but I don't know why it doesn't come off the shelf as much as it should.
Adam I haven't seen it for a long time.
Adam I'm hoping that it that's not going to be like a reaction to, I don't think it is, but, you know, it will be interesting to watch.
Adam And I again, it's one is for me, it's one of the list of stuff.
Adam Oh, I really have why have I not shown Clare.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Baba Hoep.
Adam You know, cuz cuz that's face it, this is more than this is more than a horror film.
Adam This is a concept.
Adam And a fucking extraordinary one.
Lee So.
Lee Yeah.
Lee It is.
Lee Unbelievable.
Lee I mean, yeah.
Lee How he.
Lee How he came up with it, I will never know, but I'm very glad he did.
Lee Because I think it was one of those things when Adam first told me about it coming out and what it was going to be about, I don't think I believed him.
Lee I think I felt that he was winding me up.
Lee Because it sounded so completely impossible as a.
Lee Nobody's going to fund that, nobody's going to make that movie.
Lee Well, they did, and we're going to watch it and discuss it in two weeks time.
Chris Oh, I'm definitely looking forward to that.
Lee Oh.
Adam Yeah.
Adam
Adam
Adam Yeah.
Adam Yeah.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yeah.
Adam It's.
Adam Yes.
Adam Okay.
Adam It's.
Adam Yeah.
Adam Yep.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yep.
Adam Okay.
Adam Yes.
Chris I take it you've not seen it before, Chris.
Chris No, I just remember both of you talking about it excitedly, probably several times, you lucky bastard.
Lee You lucky bastard.
Adam You lucky.
Lee You lucky bastard.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Oh.
Lee Oh.
Adam Yeah.
Lee Yeah.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Yeah.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Yeah.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Adam Yes.
Lee Yeah.
Adam Yes.
Lee Right.
Lee Thank you so much for listening, everybody.
Lee Go and check out Popcorn from 1991.
Lee go and check out Baba Hoep.
Lee Because we will be spoiling the absolute life out of it.
Lee and we will see you in a fortnigh's time.
Lee Thanks very much.
Lee Good night.
Chris Good night.
Adam Hat and Hat.
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