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| MGM (USA). Region 1, NTSC. 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 2.0, English DD 1.0, Spanish DD 1.0. English and Spanish Subtitles. 95 Minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Thom Eberhardt
Starring: Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney Screenplay: Thom Eberhardt
Music: David Richard Campbell
Tagline: It was the last thing on earth they ever expected
Country: USA |
The eighties was a wonderful time for B grade horror movies, there is no denying that. Not since the glut of 1950s horror and monster sci-fi films was there a time when acting came second to screaming, sexy sluts were always victims and monsters were, well…rubbery. The 1980s saw the rise of the Scream Queen: a group of ladies whose appearance in a film stood for whatever the opposite of quality is, but we loved them nevertheless. Actresses like Brinke Stevens (my personal favorite), Linnea Quigley and Monique Gabrielle stood amongst these, forever exposing their boobs and a lack of talent for acting, but one stood out, not because she was a greater actor, but because she played the spunky, sparky nice girl, who always beat the beast: Kelli Maroney. Kelli was a poster girl for the eighties, and starred in such films as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the Not of this Earth remake, The wonderfully bad Chopping Mall, and this film, writer/director Thom Eberhardt's Night of the Comet.
A blatant rip-off of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, not to mention A Boy and his Dog, The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man, Night of the Comet tells of a worldwide catastrophe that forever changes the world. A comet is passing over the planet, and everyone is excited to watch it, and gigantic media events have been organized. Everyone is out in the street to watch it pass over. The problem is that anyone exposed to the meteor has one of two this happen to them: they either dissolve into a pile of red dust, or they become flesh eating mutants. Two teenage girls, Regina (Catherine Mary Stewart) and her sister Samantha (Kelli Maroney) survive the tragedy, and utilizing the training given them by their Army Major Dad decide they need to do two things: survive, and go shopping. Along their journey they meet up with fellow survivor Hector (Robert Beltran), and a group of scientists, led by Carter (Geoffrey Lewis) and Audrey (Mary Woronov), whose motives may be less than healthy for the girls…
Paying homage from everything from Dawn of the Dead to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Night of the Comet is one of those ridiculous 'turn off your brain' flicks where you just need to shut up and enjoy the stupidity of it. The is some pretty good make-up effects in this film, and the occasional shock. Having said that, if you aren't into 80s B movies made by people like Jim Wynorski or Dave DeCoteau, you may have trouble appreciating the B-ness of it. |
| Video |
| Considering the fact that this movie is over 20 years old, it is an excellent print that has been presented on this disc. The transfer is in widescreen 1.85:1. |
| Audio |
| Again, taking the twenty years into consideration, this is a surprisingly good soundtrack as well. It is only presented in stereo 2.0 but it is a clear 2.0, and tragically, all that bad eighties music is clear as a bell. |
| Extra Features |
| Not even a one, which is a shame. Some of the shots of empty cities and Irwin Allen styled color effects would have been interesting topics of conversation for a director's commentary. |
| The Verdict |
An amusing mix of I am Legend and 80s pop culture make for a fun albeit not very scary film. The real shame is the lack of extras!
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