This may look very much like a redundant and unpleasant horror comedy about the umpteenth serial killer wasting a group of film students but, if you give it a chance, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The premise is quite creative, the film pays homage to legendary titles and directors and believe it or not there even is tension to detect in the script. Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather, Phantom of the Opera) is the ambitious student Maggie who wants to turn her always-returning nightmares into a screenplay. When she's preparing a horror marathon event with some fellow students, she stumbles upon footage that proves her nightmares are real and that she might even be a completely different person. During the movie shows at the remote theater, an actual murderer shows up and goes after Maggie. Granted, Popcorn is an 80's slasher in disguise but at least it tries to be ingenious on several levels. The invented titles that are shown during the "horrorthon" also have potential if you ask me! Who wouldn't pay money to see flicks called "The Amazing Electrified Man"," Mosquito" or "The Stench"? I sure would
As said before, some sequences are quite suspenseful (like the eerie "possessor" film) and the murders aren't too gross. I had some prejudices as well before watching it but I'm glad to admit I was wrong. Too bad the last twenty minutes (and the climax in particular) are a bit of a letdown. Logic wasn't Popcorn biggest trump to begin with but, near the end, director Mark Harrier completely loses his grip on the messy screenplay. Also, the humor most of the time is painfully unfunny (for example on of the male leads constantly bumps his head or falls down) and irritating. Best aspects truly are the light-headed atmosphere, creative plot-twists and very good costumes and scenery. Surely this underrated gem beats the overload of 80's and 90's no-brain horror productions. Check it out!
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Coventry2 January 2005
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Leofwine_draca6 January 2012Although it takes a while to get going, POPCORN proves to be a warm and affectionate little slasher movie made along the same lines as Joe Dante's Matinée – i.e. a celebration of the world of the B-movie in its cinematic form. Indeed, the ghost of William Castle seems to be watching over this movies, both in the presence of the cheesy films shown by the fictional cinema and in the bizarre antics of the film students, determined to give their audience an interactive experience!
It's all about the gimmicks and the celebration of the weird, so much so that the actual slasher plot comes second. It's a slight shame, because the story isn't bad, even if it is remarkably familiar: there's an evil killer from the past returning to affect the heroine in the present, and his calling card is that he uses prosthetic masks to disguise himself as anyone and anything. The subsequent kills aren't particularly gory, but they are well staged with an element of Grand Guignol that becomes especially apparent during the over-the-top climax.
POPCORN was made in Jamaica doubling for small-town America, which gives it even more of an offbeat vibe – and the reggae soundtrack is great. The acting is nothing to write home about (THE HOWLING's Dee Wallace-Stone is the only actress of note in a minor part), but when the story and screenplay are so obviously written by genuine fans of old-time horror shows – well, this becomes a film impossible to dislike. -
blanbrn5 September 2017"Popcorn" from 1991 has to be one of the better feel good horror flicks that's a blend of old style horror meeting the present day and being a film within a film of the 80's slasher style. It's also a twist and tease of drama, suspense, fun comedy, and murder in a bloody slasher type of a way. Set in California at a college some film students decide to run an night horror marathon at an old run down cinema house. The students will do crazy special effects while the crowd watches the old vintage 50's and 60's films. Thru it during the night a crazy sadistic killer is on the loose causing an 80's slasher type stalker feel, from behind the curtain and thru the audience. As this creep has a connection to an old film called "The Possessor" plus this monster knows one of the film students from his past. Also horror queen legend Dee Wallace Stone has a part that's memorable as a damsel in distress who's kidnapped and has her mouth taped with white duct tape! Overall "Popcorn" provides thrills and chills to any horror film buff as it's a little independent horror gem to belong in any fan's chest!
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billybrown4122 September 2001This is a really well-done, early nineties horror flick that actually made it to the theaters. At the time this was a very original movie. It was back in the day before Scream (hate what that movie did to horror) and all the clones dominated the horror box office.
It all starts when a group of film-students looking to raise money, fix up an old movie theater for a one-night-only horror festival. They plan to show 50s horror flicks using old gimmicks (aroma-rama, 3-D glasses, and shock seats). In a box of old junk they find an ancient film reel containing some really graphic and disgusting footage of an insane, demonic looking hippy chanting "posessor" in a reallly sick voice. One of the students is shocked to discover that the man in the film is the man who has been plaguing her dreams lately. The festival rolls around and all is fine until someone starts offing the students one-by-one. It then turns into a whodunnit and things never get boring
I enjoyed "Popcorn" because it was a highly original take on the slasher genre and it was before there was any other films like it too rip-off. There are a few cliches but the acting is top-notch from a great cast. Ray Walston had an amusing cameo and Tom Villard was never better. It's a shame that he's not around any more. The guy had a lot of potential and was very underrated.
I was lucky enough to find this film for sale in a video store that was going out of business. It may be kind of hard to find (don't know if it's available through Amazon) but if you can find it, it's definitely worth seeing. -
DrGigglesX1 December 2004This has got to be one of my old favorite horror flicks, I remember renting this when it first came out, and I loved it since then!
The storyline of this movie is so classic and original, but thats what it made it so great!
I was a little shocked to read that Toby (Tom Villard) had passed away, I had no idea, he was one of my favorite movie psychos, and I was wondering if he'd be in any other movies...R.I.P Tom Villard.
If you haven't seen this movie, rent it now! Or since its been released on DVD, pick it up! remember, "Buy a bag, go home in a box." ! -
lost-in-limbo27 April 2007Maggie, a film student at University, continuously wakes up with one bad dream after another involving some bearded wacko, which she records about on a tape, so to come up with some sort of screenplay. Her film teacher and fellow peers have organised a all-night film festival at an old theatre, which will be featuring old b-horror movies with the use of interactive gimmicks in the hope of raising enough money to support the film department, after the university cut their funds. While setting everything up, they stumble across an old film known as "The Possessor" and learn from their teacher about its macabre past. This startles Maggie, as the images in the film are the same ones in her dreams. When the fun starts, Maggie is sure that the supposedly dead star/director Lanyard Gates of that film is wandering the theatre.
Bad dreams might appear early on, but Mark Herrier / Alan Ormsby's contributions are a far more pleasant experience in this fashionably inspired parody of gimmicky (think of William Castle) 50's b-grade horror films interwoven into a silly slasher formula of a film-within-a-film. Since it knows what it is, it plays itself accordingly to the budget and material.
The enthusiastic concept is freshly staged with plenty of neatly devised novelties, vividly fruitful backdrop and a preposterously far-fetched screenplay streaming with admirable imagination, fruitiness and ingenious twists. However most of the oddball fun is derived from the stylishly correct mocking of the "horrorthon" b-films; "Mosquito", "Attack of the Amazing Electrified Man" and "The Stench" and their cinema gimmicks (like the 3-D flying mosquito in "Project-O-Vision", "Shock-O-Scope." in the audience seats and releasing bad odours in "Aroma-rama" for the proper experience), which is being screened to the boisterous audience with their smart remarks and in-spirit costumes. Ormsby was the mastermind behind this enjoyably down-pat features with their natural fondness to the era, which I believe outdid the slasher element of the picture.
Now that side of the fragmented story starts off strong, compelling and eerie, but it crashes towards the back-end with contrived, illogical and overblown developments working there way in. But hey that's part of the parcel and makes this festivity wildly fun. It's kind of like a melding together of "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" and "The Phantom of the Opera" with severely likable 80's camp. There are only few deaths, but they're done with enough macabre creativity to cover-up the lack of blood and the spongy script delivers on the wit and overall weirdness. Although some on going gags turn out to be less funny.
Herrier's panache direction is on cue for most part with snappy pacing, atmospheric lighting and the right sense of mood when drilling those moments of tension with the lurking quirkiness. He makes great use of the flamboyant scenery and vintage theatre settings. Expressive make-up / special effects are strikingly crafted to achieve the right effect and the killer looks menacing with there ingenious hobby involving faces. Ronnie Taylor's understated, polished cinematography works the floor well and Paul J. Zaza's tingly spooky music score suit's the film's light-hearted air. Also the bouncy soundtrack has that reggae/pop touch to it.
Largely shaping up is a likable cast with agreeable performances. The always sweet Jill Schoelen is typically fine in a valiantly airy turn as Maggie and Derek Rydall measures up as the heroine who can't take a break Mark. But it's the support roles where the most interest arises with the likes of Tom Villard's superb performance as an obsessively nutty film student, Tony Roberts' amusing turn as the film teacher, Dee Wallace Stone plays it sincerely as Maggie's mother and Ray Walston's avidly effortless cameo as the gimmick man.
This winsome little low-budget item is a rather solid cheesy comedy/horror/parody effort even with so many uneven distractions inbound. Don't wait around, get your tickets now if this sounds like your kind of entertainment -
bhanna2321 September 2001This movie isn't really all that bad, I mean it has a pretty good story and the acting is good, nice touch throwing Dee Wallace-Stone in. But for some reason this isn't a movie a want to own or watch again for that matter. If your bored and have nothing to do, and have never seen it before pop it in, it's worth watching once or twice.
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brooklynbd-776249 November 2018This film combines the nostalgia of drive-in cheesefests with the tried and true slasher formula. Flawed but certainly holds up against more popular entries of the time.
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Wuchakk31 March 2023To raise funds, several film students & their teacher in SoCal hold a one-night horror marathon at an old theater set to be demolished. Unfortunately for them, a supposedly dead filmmaker who doesn't like criticism is apparently in attendance.
"Popcorn" (1991) has everything going for it, highlighted by the old downtown theater, a plot that meshes "Phantom of the Opera" with "The Abominable Dr. Phibes," a colorful tone and an homage to William Castle. The latter was known for creating gimmicks to draw people to his low-budget B movies (e.g. "The Tingler") at a time when television tempted people to stay home. I particularly enjoyed the setting of the aged theater since I used to work at one in downtown for seven years.
Alan Ormsby directed the fake old movies in B&W, such as "Mosquito" and "The Amazing electrified Man," and did a convincing job, not to mention amusing, but he was so detail-oriented that he was replaced by Mark Herrier for the main story.
The female cast is quite good with Jill Schoelen (Maggie), Ivette Soler (Joanie), Suzanne Hunt (Dr. Latimer), Kelly Jo Minter (Cheryl), Freddie Marie Simpson (Tina), Karen Witter (Joy) and Dee Wallace (Suzanne). Regrettably, Herrier & team didn't seem to know how to shoot women (not talkin' 'bout nudity or sleaze).
Amy O'Neill originally played the character played by Jill Schoelen, but was replaced after three weeks of shooting. As a result, Jill didn't have much interaction with the rest of the cast since many of her scenes were simple reshoots.
Surprisingly, the flick started to put me to sleep after the first hour when the story became unnecessarily convoluted, which might explain why "Popcorn" flopped at the box office. Still, there's enough good here for those interested and explains why it eventually become a cult thang.
For a superior movie of this ilk, check out "StageFright" (1987) or even "Curtains" (1983). Going back to an earlier era, there's Christopher Lee's well-done (and unjustly obscure) "Theatre of Death" (1967).
The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was mostly shot at The Ward Theatre in Kingston, Jamaica (of all places), with pick-up shots done in Toronto.
GRADE: C+ -
gavin694220 October 2010To help raise money, a film class decides to throw a horror movie marathon featuring old films. But one they stumble on, "Possesor" is connected to a cultist from the 1960s, and it soon seems he has returned to kill off theater patrons.
I stumbled across this film when video stores began switching to DVD and were selling their VHS for cheap. I had not heard of it at that point, but soon loved it, and its star, Jill Schoelen (who was great in this, as well as everything she has ever done). Perhaps as DVDs are replaced by Blu-Ray, I will again have the luck to acquire this title cheaply.
The film is well-scripted, really plays up classic films and film nerd knowledge, but what really sells it are the films featured in the film. Both "Mosquito" and "The Stench" call to mind the gimmicks of William Castle, and the film "Possessor" is a scary film all its own (and should be included as a bonus feature on the DVD).
I think the film is relatively unknown and not highly praised, as many may consider it "just another slasher", but it's really more deep and well thought out than that. This is not the basic teenagers dying flick, there is a real mystery and some odd back story -- how is the lead character's mother involved, for example? I would urge people to seek this one out, and if a decent DVD does not yet exist, I hope some company comes along and gives us a fully loaded one like this film deserves. -
When I saw the commercial for this, I was all about seeing it. Now, forgive me, but it's been so long since I've seen it that I don't recall how it went. Suffice it to say, the movie I saw bore no resemblance to the "movie" they sold me on.
I was bored, annoyed, and incredibly disappointed by this movie. And if it wasn't bad enough, they had to sink it even further with that awful reggae music. Not exactly mood-setting music for a horror movie, eh mon? I guess if you never saw the commercial (or trailer, I suppose) you may think this is some hot stuff. For my money, the commercial was way better. -
When a group of film students need to raise some cash, they organise a horror movie festival at a run-down theatre, offering fright-fans a selection of old monster moviescomplete with their original promotional gimmicks! As a packed house enjoys a triple bill of hokey trash (fictional B-movies 'Mosquito', 'The Amazing Electrified Man' and 'The Stench'), a disfigured killer proceeds to use the movies' gimmicks to bump off the students, whilst wearing a variety of latex masks to deceive his victims.
Popcorn is exactly like its title suggests: a light-hearted, teen-centric, and not-to-be-taken-too-seriously popcorn movie. Although this means it is fairly light on the gore (and features absolutely no nudity), with its pretty nifty horror-film-themed script (that any fan of the genre should get a kick out of), some fine make-up effects, and a genuine sense of fun, this early 90s offering proves to be great escapism for its duration (plus, I'm a sucker for a gorgeous brunette in peril, so the film automatically scores points with me for starring the lovely Jill Schoelen as its helpless female in distress).
The screenplay, by talented genre scribe Alan Ormsby definitely shows that the man knows his stuff when it comes to schlock horror, with the three films-within-the-film taking plenty of good natured swipes at the clichés and conventions of the genre. The cast all give spirited performances, with Dee Wallace-Stone racking up another solid horror film credit, Tom Villard giving a particularly memorable performance as goofy film fan Toby, and the always impressive Ray Walston appearing in a short but welcome cameo.
Occasionally the film gets a little too daft for its own good (the running gag where the hero continually gets hurt soon becomes tiresome), and the ending seems to rattle on forever, but there's easily enough fun stuff in this one to make it worth checking out.
7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb. -
I've seen worse horror films, (every sequel of Friday 13th & Halloween.)
Paid a lot of respect to the pioneers of the 50's horror.
I think Wlliam Castle would have loved it.
I think the fake movie (Mosquito, Stench) titles that were mentioned in
Popcorn could have been made, sounds like some of the movies made in the 50's.
Think about the movies made in the 50's: "The Blob, Deadly Mantis, Earth vs. the Spider, The H-Man".
William Castle or American International would had done them.
I think the movie is under rated. -
preppy-37 April 2005A bunch of kids set up a theatre to have an all-night horror movie marathon. However, as the night goes on, there's somebody among them killing them off one by one. Who is it...and why? I saw this in a theatre way back in 1991. I was looking forward to it--but boy! It did not work at all. The premise is a good one, they have a very appealing young cast and some pros like Dee Wallace Stone on board...but it doesn't work. The story stops making sense halfway through (that could be because of some huge editing before the film was released), the killings are relatively bloodless (how this got an R rating is beyond me) and the unmasking of the killer at the end was boring and stupid.
It's really too bad--this movie had potential. With a better script this could have become a great horror film. As it stands though it's mostly forgotten and the cast itself seems embarrassed by it (I heard Stone won't talk about this one). I give it a 3 and that's just for the cast. -
Lunchbox-331 March 1999This actually was kind of a fun horror flick, as the Scream movies were. The best part in my opinion is the movies-within-a-movie the characters show at their sci-fi festival ... cheesy 50s stuff similar to what was done in Matinee.
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BandSAboutMovies20 January 2018Popcorn would be one of those films.
Buried somewhere in its slasher framing story and four films within a film, there are some great ideas that should have been explored further. And the closer the film gets to its conclusion, the more it starts to explain itself. I'm more in the John Carpenter camp when it comes to too much information - I'm often just fine not needing to know every motivation of a film's villain. To wit - I don't need to know that Michael Myers made papier mache masks to assuage his pain. I don't even need to know that he's a human being. I just want the story to thrill me.
Popcorn was filmed entirely in Kingston, Jamaica - which explains the later dance numbers. That's right. Dance numbers. The more you watch this film, the more incongruous it becomes. The production was also fraught with changes, as Alan Ormsby was originally the film's director, before being replaced by Porky's actor Mark Herrier several weeks into filming.
Ormsby has a crazy bio - in addition to working with Bob Clark on Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Deranged and Death Dream, he also wrote Paul Schrader's remake of Cat People and My Bodyguard. And strangely, he's also credited with creating Kenner's 1975 action figure Hugo: Man of a Thousand Faces!
At the same time, Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather) replaced original lead, Amy O'Neill. In fact, Schoelen barely was in scenes with the rest of the cast because so much had already been filmed, so she mostly appeared in reshoots! Even the title had something to do with a plot element that was edited from the final film, but the producers and distributor liked it so much, it was retained.
The film begins with Maggie Butler (Schoelen), an aspiring movie writer and college student, who has recurring nightmares that she is a young girl named Sarah. These dreams - in which a strange man stalks her - happen so often that she has an audio diary of them. Those very same dreams may or may not be connected to the prank phone calls that her mom Suzanne (Dee Wallace Stone, The Howling, E.T., Critters and many more) has been getting.
Sarah is also dating Mark (Derek Rydall, Eric from Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge), who tries to get her to come to his dorm room. She can't - the script that she's writing based on her dreams is more important. And so is the all-night horrorthon (JOIN US FOR THE HORRO-RITUAL!) that the school's film department is putting on. It's all Toby D'Amato's (Tom Villard, who was one of the first 90s actors to openly admit that he was dying from AIDS) idea - with the goal of purchasing new editing equipment. NOTE: One assumes that Toby is named for Joe D'Amato, director of Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals, Antropophagus, Absurd, Troll 2 and the Ator the Fighting Eagle series, plus 200 or more films.
The kids convert the Dreamland Theater - due to be destroyed in three weeks - with the help of Professor Davis (Tony Roberts, Annie Hall, Amityville 3-D) and a quick cameo from Ray Walston as Dr. Mnesyne, the provider of the props that will go with the films.
Ah, those films - these movies-within-a-movie provide the best part of Popcorn. They are:
Mosquito: This 3-D film is a tribute to nature gone wild and nuclear terror movies of the 1950s. Even better, it pays tribute to Emergo, the technology (well, as far as sliding a skeleton down a rope can be called technology) that William Castle used to gimmick up The House on Haunted Hill.
The Attack of the Amazing Electrified Man: A callback to films like The Amazing Colossal Man, while at the same time it's a nod to German expressionistic camera angles (certainly an odd blend). There's a great scene here where the Electrified Man battles a gang of greasers armed with switchblades. There's another gimmick here called "Shock-o-Scope" which is another tribute to William Castle and his film The Tingler.
The Stench: This is obviously a dubbed Japanese film, ala The Green Slime, but with the added gimmick of Odorama. There have been actual movies that use this technology, such as Scent of Mystery and, more dear to this author's heart, John Waters' Polyester.
Possessor: Found within Dr. Mnesyne's - his name translates as memory - equipment, this short film is the most interesting part of Popcorn. It's supposed to be a snuff film made by a Mansonesque cult of acidheads, but it looks and feels like something straight out of José Mojica Marins' oeuvre (known as Coffin Joe, he's made some of the strangest and best-titled films ever, such as At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul and This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse). Seriously, this strange little film, in which a voice just says "possessor" over and over and over while blood fills the screen is awesome. If only the rest of the film - and one scene I'll get to shortly - had been as imaginative and odd as this, we'd have a real winner on our hands.
Just by watching Possessor, Maggie passes out and has another nightmare. Upon awakening, Professor Davis informs the class that the film comes from Lanyard Gates (Bruce Glover, father of Crispin Hellion Glover), the leader of the aforementioned cult who ended his final film by killing his family onstage while the theater burned down in flames around the audience. There were no survivors and no explanation for why the film survived.
As Maggie grows more and more obsessed with the film, her mother becomes upset, telling her to just quit the film festival. That night, her mother gets a call from Lanyard Gates, telling her to meet him at the festival and to bring a gun.
The next day, when Maggie mans the box office, a man buys a ticket and calls her Sarah. She freaks, thinking it's Gates. Meanwhile, just as the Professor is about to launch the mosquito prop during the film cue, a shadowy figure takes control of it, impaling him. Then, we see the same figure making a mask of the dead man's face.
Oh yeah - Maggie's mom shows up to the theater with a gun and in the best scene of the film, Gates takes over reality, transforming the marquee to read "POSSESSOR." That said - this scene has NOTHING to do with the rest of the film, as our villain has no such psychic or reality warping powers.
No one will believe Maggie's story and the films continue. A student named Tina (Freddie Marie Simpson, who along with Megan Cavanagh and Tracy Reiner, appeared in both the movie and TV series A League of Their Own) has been having an affair with the Professor, whose doppelganger kills her and then uses her body to electrocute wheelchair bound Bud while he sets off the buzzing seats during the next film.
When Maggie finds his body, she runs into Gates and has a flashback. Turns out that she's really his daughter, Sarah Gates and Suzanne is not her mother, but her aunt who saved her. She tells all to Toby, who turns out to not be Gates, but his imitator. He was badly burned at the only showing of Possessor and holds Maggie and her aunt responsible. He prepares them both for his final act...of murder!
While setting up the Odorama, Leon is killed by Toby (but not before he pees all over him), yet he stops from killing Joanie when she confesses her unrequited love for him - an odd choice for a slasher film.
Whew. There are so many unnecessary characters and extra girlfriends and weird asides like a landlord who wants to be an actor which, honestly, take away from the film. Long story short, Toby reenacts the end of Possessor to the jeers of the crowd, revealing his full face - a gruesome visage of wires and burned flesh. Luckily, he's killed by the Mosquito prop just in time to save everyone - which is either a cheap repeat or a previous kill or a sly comment on sequels. Let's go with the former. That said - it has a really nice pre-Go Pro mounted camera effect as Toby dies, but not before hearing the cheers of the crowd.
Honestly, Popcorn is a mess. But it's an enjoyable mess. It's simultaneously a tribute to 1950s black and white gimmick films while attempting to be meta commentary on the slasher genre, with none of the teeth of a film like Scream. There are ridiculous parts, like death by toilet and a way too long musical number where a reggae band plays while a cosplay heavy crowd dances and Toby going from quiet kid to Freddy Krueger clone in the too quick conclusion to the tale. Throw in a balls out bonkers end song - "Scary Scary Movies" - that features lyrics like "psycho on the move got a blade two feet long, kisses for his wife while he slices the bitch....so long!" screamed at the top the rapper's lungs.
As an aside, the rapper Kabal has been doing entire albums of cheesy rap songs from horror movies. He even covered the theme from Popcorn at https://kabal.bandcamp.com/track/scary-scary-movies
But even with all of that - there's a heart and inventiveness to the film. There's a real love for movies in here, particularly the fun promotional style of William Castle. It's definitely worth a watch, as the 90 minute or so runtime practically flies by. And while this film was impossible to find for years, Synapse Pictures has finally released a Blu Ray, so no need to buy bootlegs! -
ken-roe20 June 2016The majority of this movie was filmed on location in Kingston, Jamaica in the Ward Theatre, 10, North Parade, Kingston. The theatre was opened December 16, 1912 with a production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance". It is in a poor state of repair after being badly damaged by Hurricane Dean in 2007 and from 2012 funding has been sought for renovation.
I watched this film recently on the Horror Channel in the United Kingdom and found it entertaining, holding my interest until the end. The acting was average for this type of film. As an aficionado of cinema and theatre building, it was its authentic setting which made it most enjoyable for me, and it was great to see the building in such good shape. Let's hope it will be restored in the near future. -
atinder26 May 2010This not to bad at all, all got to do enjoy this movie sit down with Popcorn and watch popcorn.
A Group of teens plan an all-night horror film festival from movies that were made in 50's that was made in 3D and all the seats seem to have electrical shockers on them.
Maggie seem to having these nightmare about man who lost in life in fire in the same place few years ago, after he was being casted into a movie made by Maggie.
Now Maggie think that man is back from the dead and then she find out her friends are dying one by one by this man.
This is really good (very) cheesy horror movie, you need to be a really cheesy mood to watch this movie, or you will really hate it!
I had fun watching this movie so i going to give this movie 5 out of 10 -
Bezenby23 December 2016It's amazing how a horror film can still entertain without gore, scares, boobs or scares. This here is a fine pseudo parody with plenty of eighties cheese dolloped on top (montages, musical numbers etc).
Sarah has been having strange dreams. Not surprising really, as her mum is Dee Wallace Stone. For reasons I've forgotten, Sarah and her class set up a movie marathon at a local theatre, showing old gimmicky horror films. They also find an old reel of footage from some nutcase that went loopy years ago, whom Sarah thinks has come back to the movie theatre. Things then happen. Yes.
So let's get to what's good about this film, apart from the montage of them re-furbishing the theatre. It's wall to wall fun for starters. Not only do we have our regular plot, there's also three films they show in the theatres that come with their own gimmicks (and also done in a very deliberately cheesy way). The audience themselves are all done up in various horror film ways also, some of it quite inventive.
Not much in the way of seriousness either from the actual plot either, with most of the kills played for laughs. Nice way to start off you own movie marathon I think. -
The only reason to see this movie is for a brilliant performance by Thom-Adcox Hernandez who is underused in the movie within the movie. As usual Tom Villard is good, too. Otherwise it's c**p. The possesor doesn't even exist how does he magically change the letters on the theatre marquee to spell out "The Possessor"? Lame.
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Reviews_of_the_Dead24 April 2020This was actually a film that I remember seeing the video case at the movie store, but for whatever reason, I never rented it. It wasn't until I started to listen to podcasts that I heard them talking about this one and how fun it was. I finally got around to seeing it as part of a Top 10 Summer Series for the 1990's over on The Podcast Under the Stairs. The synopsis is a murder begins killing off teenagers at a horror movie marathon they have organized in an abandoned theater.
We start this off with some odd images. We see a bearded man with a sword and there is a little girl as well as a woman that is tied up. It then shifts to Maggie (Jill Schoelen). We see this is a dream and she wakes up from it. She uses a tape recorder to make sure she remembers the images she saw. Leaving her room, we meet her mother Suzanne (Dee Wallace). Maggie goes off to college as she has an early class.
On her way there, she runs into a guy that kisses her, Mark (Derek Rydall). He is in love with her, but she doesn't have time for him at the moment. She is determined to get this movie written that she keeps dreaming about. Her early class is actually a film one. It is taught by Mr. Davis (Tony Roberts). In the class with her is Toby (Tom Villard), Bud (Malcolm Danare) who is wheelchair bound, Leon (Elliott Hurts), Joannie (Ivette Soler), Cheryl (Kelly Jo Minter) and Tina (Freddie Simpson). They have to change the location where they edit their films, but Mr. Davis and Toby came up with an idea to raise money. They're going to take over an abandoned movie theater to show low-budget horror and sci-fi films as an all night event. Everyone isn't onboard at first, but come around with the logic arguments made.
We see as they plan and put it into motion with the help of a local film historian Dr. Mnesyne (Ray Walston). As they're finishing up, they find a reel of film that states to not open it. As they watch it, Maggie realizes the images on it are what she has been dreaming about. She passes out and when she wakes up, Mr. Davis fills in what they were watching. Maggie knows there's a connection between it and her dream. When she tells her mother, she doesn't want her involve with this movie marathon anymore. We also get the feeling that she is involved somehow. She has been getting odd phone calls and she gets one that night after Maggie goes to bed that tells her to go to the theater.
The event kicks off without a hitch, until an odd bearded man shows up and it gets Maggie intrigued to follow him. Her friends and teacher are then killed off with some creative ways with the gags the films they are showing. Who is this killer? Is it the man from the film that has been haunting Maggie's dream or someone else?
I do have to admit, after finally seeing this film I have to agree it is a lot of fun. This came in at the tail end of the slasher era, but it does have one of my favorite final girls in it, Schoelen. There are definitely some interesting aspects to it for sure. I love the idea that the setting is an abandoned movie theater that has been restored enough to host this event. I like it even more that they're showing schlocky horror films like you'd see from William Castle with gimmicks. To go even farther, the killer is using some of these to kill his victims. My only issue is that they abandoned this a bit earlier in the film than I would have liked.
We really get a couple of generic slasher ideas in that we either know who the killer is and we are just enjoying the mayhem. The other is to be more like a giallo and we have to figure out who the killer is, which we get here. The idea of the dream that Maggie is having and trying to piece it together with the film they are making and why the murders are happening I found to be pretty interesting. Even the reveal was good, but I almost feel like they did it a bit too early, because the film falters after that.
Since I'm alluding to the pacing a bit, I might as well tackle that now. I do have to say that I really enjoyed the set up to the film. I've already said how much I enjoyed the setting and I think the mystery was pretty solid as well. It is later in the second act and into the third act that the film kind of loses its way a bit. I do think that the ending is satisfying for what we've been building to though. For that I have to say that the pacing overall is decent, there are just not enough characters that I'm worried about what happens as they aren't placed in danger.
Speaking of the characters, the acting for the film I think is pretty solid for a slasher film. I've already said that I love Scheoelen and this film does nothing, but continue to build on it. I find her to be absolutely attractive and I love her drive in the movie. She is determined to make the movie that is haunting her and I just wish I had that passion to create like she does. Villard is solid as well. His character has an interesting arch as the film progresses that I didn't really expect. Wallace is just a legend and I liked her small role in the film. The rest of the students were solid. Shout out to Simpson, Minter and Walston in their roles as they're all actors and actresses I've seen in other things as well. I would say the rest of the cast rounded out the film for what was needed.
For as bad as I thought the effects were in the 1990's, early on in the decade they were still sticking with practical. The only time I can remember some kind of computer generated would be the electrocution scene, which didn't bother me in the slightest. The look of the killer is great and the concept used there was pretty solid I would say. The blood we get looked good and the setting is amazing. The film was also shot well in my opinion.
Now with that said, this film is definitely one that I enjoyed. It does come with its flaws, which for me is that they decided to go part comedy here. I almost feel this would have been better if they would have just played it straight. I do like the story and concept of why the killer is doing what they are. I do think that it just loses its way late in the second act and into the third. The film still has a solid conclusion. Setting for the film is great, thought the acting was above average and the effects were pretty solid as well. The soundtrack of the film really didn't stand out to me, but it also didn't hurt the film. Overall I'd say this film is above average and not a bad slasher from tail end of the craze for that genre. -
A film club hosts a horror festival at their local cinema. The main character turns out to be the daughter of a film-maker and murderer and she is stalked by someone who she thinks is said killer returned to finish what he started. I liked the low-budget film look and there were some amusing moments and I really liked the films within the film. However, the characters mostly blended into one and although the setting is kind of unique, the story has been done so many times before that this film became dull and uninteresting during the last half hour when we find out who the killer is and then the day is saved by the 'hero' in a rather anti-climatic and predictable manner. While Popcorn has its moments they are few and far between.
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meddlecore8 October 2018Popcorn is one of the most iconic horror films of the early 90's.
Even if you didn't happen to see it...the cover (with the skeleton pulling off it's face) would have stuck in your memory from when you parused by it on the video store shelf (ahhhh...those were the days *sigh*).
That aside, however...it's also one of the best.
Chock full of reflexivity and references to the history of horror- with a particular focus on special effects- it's constructed like a 4-D cinematic version of Dead Of Night; and acts as a commentary on human nature...well, when it comes to bloodlust and herd mentality, at least.
Things begin when a highschool videography club begins to plan a fundraising event.
They all agree that holding an all night movie marathon in a classic Los Angeles movie theatre (Dreamland)- screening only schlock 4-D films from a bygone era of cinema- is the best idea.
While setting things up, they find an odd old short film called Possessor.
Turns out that it was shot by a cult leader named Gates, who is believed to have screened the film for his cult; before attempting to murder his entire family live before the audience; and burning down the theatre with all the members of his cult inside.
And it just so happens to mirror the dream that Maggie- our protaganess- has been having (and which she has been planning to shoot as a movie, herself).
Putting this aside, they move forward with the fundraiser...which is a hit!
Sold out!
Though, things aren't exactly going as smoothly as they might seem...
Turns out that something nefarious is going on behind the scenes. Someone has infiltrated the event with evil intentions.
Could it be Gates? Could he have survived the fire and returned to reap his vengeance?
As the marathon progresses...the members of the video club start dropping like flies; one-by-one...often to the gimmicks they are in the process of employing (for comedic effect).
By the time there is only a handful of them left, Maggie figures out that she is actually Sarah Gates- her real mom was in the cult; Gates was her dad; who she thought was her mom, is, in reality, her aunt (who saved her from the fire); and her dreams are recovered memories from her past, that she had been repressing as a result of the trauma.
So perhaps this Gates has returned to finish the job he failed to complete the first time around, after all?
A double twist won't leave YOU hanging...but it might expose the roman sport observer in you (a commentary on the affect of horror storytelling on it's audience).
And when all is said and done (and you find yourself rocking out to the bomb reggae tracks that play during the credits) you won't be able to help but leave satisfied.
Tom Villard's performace is outstanding. The special effects from Bob Clark and Georgio Ferrari are great. And what's even better, is that you get to see the whole process of the transformation as part of the film (it's reflexive element).
It's these things combined that make this 90's horror classic such a gem.
And that's without mentioning the live performance by Lloyd Lovindeer and Chalice...
This film is also notable for going on to inspire Troma's Chillerama (which also rules).
So see both.
8 out of 10. -
Scarecrow-8824 August 2008Film student with recurring nightmares she records on audio cassette for a potential movie, Maggie(Jill Schoelen)joins fellow classmates in a project to raise money so that they could fund future projects of their own. This project is a theater due to be put to rest in a matter of weeks, which the class will use to show three 50's B-movies using gimmicks to entertain the movie-going public who buy a ticket for the overall night. But, a killer will secretly plot to murder several of the students, and teacher Mr. Davis(Tony Roberts)as the movies are being projected while Maggie and boyfriend Mark(Derek Rydall)work together to find her possible father, a supposedly dead cult director, Lanyard Gates(Matt Falls)who murdered her real mother, not the woman who has been raising her since childhood, Suzanne(Dee Wallace Stone). The nightmares which are actually memories surfacing bringing to light what happened to her mother and that her father was indeed the eerie face talking to her, raising a sword to stab her. Is the one responsible for the series of murders actually Gates, or is someone else(..a fellow film student with an ax to grind?)behind the killings? A film Gates was making, which reflects almost exactly the nightmares Maggie has been experiencing, is found within the theater by fellow student Toby(Tom Villard). Responsible for all the technical and gimmick equipment for the 50's horror theme night is Dr. Mnesyne(Ray Walston), once in this line of work at shocking the audiences while they watched cheesy low-budget romps. The films shown are "Mosquito!" a 3-D flick where a puppet mosquito is sent down in front of the audience by a remote control device, "The Amazing Electrified Man"(..where buzzers on seats shock the asses of customers' theater seats)& "The Stench" where smelly fumes are released into the theater. The tame deaths include one wheel-chair victim being electrocuted, one exploding in a bathroom stall when a chemical agent was dropped into the the toilet, and two nifty murders by the puppet mosquito whose proboscis stabs into two victims. The one responsible for the murders wishes to finish what was started on Gates' unfinished film, The Possessor, putting Maggie in danger. The most disturbing aspect of the film is that the psycho is heavily burned, wearing prosthetic masks taking the faces of victims. This film attempts to put an imaginative spin on the dying slasher genre(..before it's rebirth with Craven's Scream)while also paying homage to classic B-movies and William Castle.
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mrcool112220 December 2002Jill Schoelen (who is not Winona Ryder) is back from her oh-so-captivating performance in "Cutting Class" to bring us more absurdly hilarious "horror" in "Popcorn". This movie best falls under the "teen slasher" category, because lots of people get killed and nobody knows who's doing it and they're all trapped inside a movie theater and who's going out with who and oh my god who's my real father. The body count is relatively low, and most of the characters end up okay in the end, but the few deaths are done with panache and creativity, including a big fake mosquito through the heart and electrocution of a guy in a wheelchair. Nice! The mystery, when revealed at the end, is typical and disposable. Appreciate this movie for what it is: a series of terrible lines, meaningless violence, and just plain hilarity. Go rent this, and "Cutting Class", right now.