Memorable, crazy movie

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

This movie has one of those soundtracks that literally describes what is happening on screen, but its all cheesy 80's music so it's awesome. There are loads of aerobics montages with gratuitous crotch shots and zoom ins on the girls in skimpy outfits which I guess is cool if you're into that. The plot is standard and the gore isn't much to look at, but it's a corny fun that makes this worth watching.

The first time I watched this film I did not like it, I found it horrible. And I was absolutely right, but on this second viewing I was able to enjoy it quite a bit more. For some reason, even though I completely wrote it off, I found myself thinking about this cheesy flick several times and eventually decided to go ahead and give it a repeat viewing. This film is absolute eighties slasher gold. Everything about it screams eighties from the haircuts to the colorful leotards to the hilarious soundtrack and cringey acting. The dialogue is so bad it hurts and the delivery is worse. I still have yet to determine whether or not this film was intentionally bad or just a quick attempt at a cash-in on the slasher sub-genre... due to the 5 or 6 long work out sequences featuring nothing but scantily clad women I'm inclined to think the latter which only makes this so much better. Probably better with a few drinks.

It's almost pointless to give a film like this a proper plot summary. Girl has an accident on a sun bed, flash forward two years later, and someone is killing members of a gym with a giant safety pin. It doesn't matter though the patrons are more or less seeing the murders downright before their eyes, but still return the next day.So it's up to your atypical grizzled detective from the eighties to solve the crime, not that you'd need a degree in criminology to guess the outcome of the film......it's not exactly Se7en......If you were to take away the prolonged dance sequences and workouts, then you would a have a very short film indeed, and this is because the makers wanted to pad their film, because there isn't much of a plot, and even less of a narrative.So all you can do is sit back and tolerate the garish eighties clothing, the wonderfully ridiculous big hair, and the occasional murder with a giant safety pin.There is some sort of strange twist at the end of the film, featuring the tables being turned, but even though it's only a slight film, you feel like you've sat through a four hour training video on how to use gym equipment safely.Not good, the burn make up almost makes the film worth watching, but at the end of the day, it's only a cash in on the slasher movie.See Death Spa instead.

"Killer Workout" is a rather decent with some nice cheese elements thrown in.**SPOILERS**Working at her aerobics studio, Rhonda Johnson, (Marcia Karr) becomes concerned with the growing number of fatalities of those who work out in the gym. When Det. Lt. Morgan, (David James Campbell) appears on the case, he thinks it's a little suspicious that newcomer Chuck Dawson, (Ted Prior) has showed up at the same time as the killings. While the other workers there, Jaimy, (Teresa Van der Woude) Diane Matthews, (Laurel Mock) and Cathy, (Lynn Meighan) are all a little worried that they're targeted by the killer and are even more at odds with each other. As he continues to crack the case and track down the killer, he comes across a rather unusual piece of information that allows him to crack the case wide open, and when he presents it, he finds that it's the wrong suspect and the real one is out continuing their rampage, forcing him to go against his instincts and trail the real killer.The Good News: There's some nice stuff to this one. The fact that there's a really decent slashing moments to this makes it the most worthwhile, since there's some really good ones on display. The one through the alley behind the gym is really great, as there's multiple targets to be attacked and killed off, which is really nice because of the way it plays out with the stalking, which is where the real fun comes from here. The ending confrontation in the car is just superb, thrilling and actually inventive, mainly because the killer actually goes for the side of the victim and stays in the area instead of just going all over the place, a nice touch and is finished with a great kill. There's a couple more in here which aren't all that bad, mainly towards the end which make it work out nicely, from the chase through the apartment to the one in the shower at the beginning which is quite nice. The fact that the kills are as bloody as they are with the murder weapon is nice enough as it is, since it's not exactly the most brutal one out there this is still pretty graphic. There's a stabbing in the neck, chest and top of the head with a gigantic safety pin, struck in the head with dumbbells, stabbed with a screwdriver, burned alive in a tanning bed and found hanging from a rope noose tied around the neck, which is a really great visual that really sets up the brutality factor along with the gore in here. The cheese in here is also really nice, as it's off-the-charts in this and really manages to stick out. From the cheesy 80s dance moves to the over-stylized manner it forces the clothing out to the physical appearance of everyone in here, this one just screams 80s cheese of the highest order and it's quite fun at times. The last thing is that there's a couple of really nice action scenes in here coming in the form of several really great brawls that have some really hard-hitting action in them to make up for the other stuff in here. These here are the film's best parts.The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot to this that doesn't work. The main thing with this one is the rather convoluted and hard-to-understand story to it. There's a decent mystery here that seems to go back and forth between three primary suspects, all three are given motive and opportunity to do so and it really goes back-and-forth as the main culprit responsible. Normally this results in some really good suspense and mystery, but here it just has the appearance of making the film seem longer and not knowing which one to end the film with and throwing them all in for the sake of giving it a red herring. This makes the ending come off a little disjointed and doesn't have a whole lot worthwhile. The only other part to this one is that there's a little too much cheese for some to get over. Seeing as much as this one has could be even for some to be through with before it ends, and it's one of the better examples of this out there. These here are the film's worst flaws..The Final Verdict: A really enjoyable cheesy 80s slasher that really only gets into trouble with it's story, but it's the only thing really wrong. This is easily essential viewing for those who enjoy the cheesier side of the genre, while slasher fans should take a look at it, while the ones who can't take the style should heed caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Nudity and Language