Dead Kids (also known as Strange Behavior) is a 1981 slasher film directed by Michael Laughin and written by Bill Condon, director/writer of part 1 and 2 of the Twilight franchise. Looking to score some cash to help pay for his college applications, Pete Brady signs up as a test patient at the local bio lab. Unbeknownst to him, the tests are having some like wacky effects - resulting in expanded mental capacity and an insatiable blood lust. These tests, conducted by vivacious researcher Gwen Parkinson, continue the research of the late Dr. Le Sange, a creepy Oppenheimer-esque scientist who communicates his post-mortem wishes through a library of film. Pete's Dad John, the "Top Cop" in town, starts to become suspicious, what with all the dead teenage bodies piling up, eventually tracing the bloodbath to the research lab, where it turns out his late wife worked, herself a casualty of these strange mind control experiments. John arrives just in time to rescue Pete from what appears to be a lobotomy, meanwhile revealing the still-living Dr. Le Sange's experiments as, to say the least, dubious.
Despite losing steam in the second half, Dead Kids is an enjoyable, worthwhile B-horror flick. Fiona Lewis is great as the ice-blooded Dr. Parkinson, somehow making the act of inserting a foot-long needle into someone's eye erotic. Louise Fletcher makes a brief, but indelible appearance as John's longtime GF, perpetually in the cotton-candy pink uniform of the diner where she serves shakes. Also noteworthy is the excellent soundtrack featuring angular new-wave from NZ's Pop Mechanix, typically drizzle-y goth-rock from The Birthday Party, and this:
This amazing Halloween party sequence, featuring the wonderful "Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie, is by far the highlight of the film. From the scantily clad seductresses to Waldo puking in the sink prior to hitting on a 13 year old, this scene perfectly captures the innocent debauchery of high school partying. Overall, a fun flick, mildly recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment