Sadly Over-hyped

good back-story, and good acting

A Brilliant Conflict

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Inventive horror yarn that transcends the usual slasher fare by mixing in an imaginative, sometimes scarily plausible plot with the usual nasty in-your-face violence that goes with the period. Filmed in New Zealand but set in America, the photography in this film is ruined by a hideous print and poor pan-and-scan job on the video version I saw, but that doesn't stop it being a tense and grisly exercise in terror that proves to be a lot stronger than other '80s horror fare. I know I always use it as a whipping boy, but the Friday the 13 series in comparison is sterile, comic book stuff.I really liked this film's plot of a science lab being the front of a brainwashing cult, which I believe hadn't been done elsewhere. Some scenes are packed with tension and the film as a whole is very suspenseful. The gore isn't overdone, but is still pretty strong stuff and used in a way to make you squirm (for example, in one scene a boy slashes open his own wrists - ouch!). The scene in which the maid discovers a girl sawing the arm off a corpse is particularly grisly. At the same time, there's a great final twist in the plot (the "kill your father" scene) which I have to say I didn't see coming, although some other moments are predictable.The acting as a whole is impressive, especially when you consider most of the cast are unknowns. Particularly affecting are Dan Shor as the brainwashed teen, Fiona Lewis as a despicably evil nurse and, most of all, Arthur Dignam (for trivia fans, he went on to play Ernest Thesiger in GODS AND MONSTERS) as the weird-looking, immortal scientist. Great stuff. While the film does have some lulls and seems overlong at even a fairly shot running time, it still manages to be quirky, unpredictable and on the occasion, intensely gripping.

A couple of teens looking to grab a few extra bucks sign up to be experimented on by the scientists at the local university. Unfortunately, something strange is going on that will cost the lives of more than a few of the town's teens: The experiments are causing them to turn into violent killers! Though it starts out a bit shaky with one of the least thrilling death scenes ever, Strange Behavior quickly becomes one of the most entertaining and enjoyable slashers I've ever seen. Using a great blend of comedy and horror, Michael Laughlin creates a film that is quite tragically forgotten or overlooked when consulting the huge library of late 70s/early 80s horrors. There isn't much to complain about since almost everything is done surprisingly well. The writing & direction work very well, which results in a film that works on several different levels: horror, sci-fi, thriller, and comedy. The acting is pretty good for a teen film, not over-the-top or cheesy like one would expect, but still not great. There are a few good songs on the soundtrack from Lou Christie and Pop Mechanix. The conclusion is cool and a bit unexpected, though it seemed rather rushed. But, it all comes together to be a very, very watchable slasher. In the end, if this film sounds like it would be enjoyable. . . you will find it enjoyable. It's the kind of movie that was made for one thing: entertainment, and it succeeds. I'll now be checking in on the second installment of the failed trilogy: Strange Invaders. Unfortunately, the third installment was never produced. Never too late, Endeavour Productions (well, for you it is). *wink wink* Obligatory Slasher Elements:Violence/Gore: Well, there isn't much violence (most of it is off-screen), but there's some good gore. The 'smaller' gore scenes are done well, but some of the more extravagant ones aren't so great.Sex/Nudity: Sadly, no.Cool Killer(s): Yes, very. Because the experiments cause the OTHERS to be killers, it made it far more interesting.Scares/Suspense: There are some jump scares and some good tension (especially during the experiments), but it wasn't overly suspenseful.Mystery: Yeah, there is. . . origins of the medical facility & all that.Awkward Dance Scene: There is a totally rockin' costume party complete with an Adam West-style Batman and a tuxedo t-shirt. . . and all the great choreographed 80s moves none of us want to remember.Classic Quote of the Film: ''We're going to find the fat ones!" Final verdict: 8/10. See this slasher! -AP3-

This takes place in a small mid-western town in Illinois (even though it was shot in New Zealand!). Police chief Jim Brady (Michael Murphy) has his hands full with a sudden rash of killings--someone is stabbing people to death and is targeting teenagers. His son Pete (Dan Shor) takes part in some experimental behavioral tests at the local university for some extra money. They're run by creepy Gwen Parkinson (Fiona Lewis) and might have something to do with the murders...This is far from perfect. The script is pretty silly with terrible dialogue; the film is grainy (even in a remastered print) with bad sound; Murphy is just terrible; Louise Fletcher is wasted and the direction and editing are off (to say the least). Still, this film works.It has some pretty good acting by Shor (who is first shown completely nude--back view only) and Dey Young and an excellent performance by Lewis. It has a creepy feel to it, has an excellent score by Tangerine Dream and has a few highlights (especially one particular murder sequence and a great sequence at a costume party where everybody dances to "Lightning Strikes"). Also it's pretty restrained in its use of blood and gore. This is no unsung masterpiece but a good solid thriller that deserves some recognition. Due to lousy distribution this disappeared but is available on video and DVD. Worth seeing.Trivia: The opening victim is writer Bill Condon.

I just got it on DVD because I read of all the positive hype, and loved movies like "Stepford "Wifes", "Desturbing Behavior" and "The Mansurain Candidate", and I hoped to find more movies in this genre. I stumbled over this movie, and though I had found what I was looking for because of the good reviews and interesting plot, but I was really WRONG!First of all, this movie has a really slow pace! You can deal with that is the acting and the atmosphere is good, but none of these were good. There was just about no atmosphere at all, you never get a shock or feel scared or even interested in the characters. The Good: Kid with scare mask makes a kill. (Really great mask!) Nice filming while riding the car. (camera on backseat) Plot with potentialThe Bad: only 5 kills in the entire movie, and only one is interesting. No interest in the characters hardly any focus on the experiments/plot Lots of random talk, no continuation in the movie No atmosphere, you feel nothing but boredom while watching this movie Boring surroundings Boring sound side of the movieConclusion: Not worth watching, even if your a horror fan. There is no reason for watching this movie, unless your a major fan of someone in it :-S Don't know who that should be!