So what happens when you intend to write a review of a bad slasher flick that actually turns out to be, at the very least fun, you get Popcorn.
Popcorn was a slasher flick made at the end of the era, 1991. These movies seemed to have played themselves out at the time, and the low budget ones were heading straight to VHS. This was no exception.
The basic plot runs like this: while trying to raise money for their film school projects, a group of very annoying college film students fix up an old movie theater for an all-night horror festival. The festival includes three flicks from the 50s and 60s using gimmicks of the William Castle tradition (3-D, a giant insect on a wire, electrically buzzed seats, and "aroma-rama"). In the meantime, in a box of old props, they discover a disturbing reel of film featuring a Manson look-alike chanting the word "possessor." This is the same character that one of the students (the excruciatingly bad Jill Schoelen) has recurring nightmares about. On the night of the festival, the killer returns….blah, blah, blah. You get the gist. What makes this movie great is its sthe "film-within-a-film" segments that pay clever homage to horror and sci-fi films of this bygone era. "Mosquito”, is a 50s era giant bug movie, complete with a handsome general, his goofy adolescent sidekick, and an attractive female scientist/love interest; The Incredible Electrifying Man" is a direct spoof of the Lon Chaney 50s favorite, THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN. The last (and only color) of these segments is "The Stench," a late 60s era Japanese Toho spoof (complete with bad dubbing and beehive hairdos). “The Stench” segment is sadly, all too brief, but oh so funny. Guest stars include: Dee Wallace as Schoelen's mom, Tony Roberts as the film school instructor and also a bit by Ray Walston as an old-time showman that was also way too brief. The rest of the actors are serviceable chattel for our killer, the kills are pretty PG-13, but at least fairly inventive.
My intent for Popcorn was to be my first written, “What the Hell?!?” movie segment, but I found myself really into this movie. I discovered it solely based on the awesome box cover and I am really glad I did. I give it 2.5 stars.
