Touches You

How sad is this?

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A string of strange deaths in a small-town lead the sheriff to a rather obscure mystery he was involved with years earlier that has resulted in several youths running rampage over the residents that may have a more ghastly ulterior motive.Not really too sure what to make of this one, as there's a lot to work with that really shines through. The initial part of the murder mystery is pretty decent with a couple fun and admittedly enjoyable stalking scenes that definitely give off a tense vibe from time-to-time, and the finale offers some pretty interesting revelations that are definitely unnerving, but the fact that the film is just so slow-going and dragged-out that it really loses a lot of it's steam just by dragging out the investigation and doing nothing with what should've been a tense scene beforehand. Add to that a low number of kills which result in a tame amount of blood, a lot of broad comedy that really isn't funny and shouldn't be in the movie and a far more complex plot that normal really doom this one significantly.Rated R: Language and Violence.

In a small town in Illinois, the local teenagers have found a new way to make after school cash. They have been volunteering as test subjects at the local University in the psychology department run by Dr. Gwen Parkinson (Lewis). Parkinson is secretly doing the work of Dr. Le Sange (Dignam) who is believed to be dead after the crazed doctor was caught doing mind experiments on the kids which resulted in the death of the wife of local sheriff John Brady (Murphy). John's son Pete (Shor) has now began to volunteer and starts showing psychotic tendencies. Also known as "Strange Behavior", this film was shot in New Zealand and passed off as Illinois. Essentially it's the mad scientist behind the evil in this unbalanced horror film. There are a few effective sequences like when a mind controlled girl chases an old woman through a house and when twisted Oliver (Marc McClure) puts on a Tor Johnson mask and stalks and slashes a girl at a party. Unfortunately there are plenty of dull moments spread throughout and both the action and actors seem bored. This movie flicks to life in a few flashes which makes it watchable but it just never catches any momentum and in the end is quite forgettable.

This came out during the slasher boom around the early '80s, except "Strange Behavior" dodged the norm from the infamous films of the heyday such as "Halloween," "Friday the 13th" and "Prom Night," as there isn't one killer at large and the murderers aren't cold-blooded psychopaths with twisted pasts, even if their bizarre motivations make them act like maniacal blood fiends.The continually annoyed and stressed looking local Chief of Police--who never dons a traditional uniform as everything is usually hunky dory--must investigate these mysterious deaths. The strange part is the audience hardly ever witnesses the small town in the grip of fear. Some innocent gets sadistically killed and others go about their lives as if the grass is always greener on the other side with frivolous humor and their regular routines intact. This is the type of plot where there's an "elephant in the room" and only one man detects it, as this focuses on a connection between the Chief, experimenters at the local college and the Chief's late wife fitting right smack in the middle. The story thickens when the Chief's son opposes his stubborn father to make decisions as his own man but gets ensnared by the affiliation."Strange Behavior" throws in some distractions to lighten the load from watching violence and blood, such as a subplot between the Chief's son and the newly met, easy-going, blond secretary, as well as the chipper step mother who wants to fill the role of late wife. This takes cues from "Halloween" type killings meets "Altered States"-esque mad science meets "Bond"-like villains meets small town TV mystery/sitcom/love connection. This had the makings to be an esteemed film, though the filmmaker's ambitions were aiming sky high in an attempt to appease a viewer with scenes of the surreal and macabre, as well as the person who wants established, down-to-earth characters, though both sides bump heads to compete and this hardly feels steadily creepy or like it could actually happen as it doesn't fully come together and keep one on the edge of their seat. Even a potential for one last scare wasn't capitalized on. This could have learned from the weirdness that "Dead & Buried" had: to keep the atmosphere alive by feeding throughout. (Also submitted on http://fromblacktoredfilmreviews.blogspot.com/)

SB is definitely not a reminder of the teen slasher/slasher runs loose at camp/sorority house serial killer films of the 80s. The violence is quite mild (with the possible exception of a certain bathroom scene), there's no mystery about who the killer is or why they're killing, and there's no gratuitous nudity. (In fact, I don't recall any nudity at all.) The plot, which revolves around the ability of mad scientist types to remotely control the behavior of teens and to make them commit murder, is hackneyed and dated even by the standards of the early 80s. The viewer is let in on the plot fairly early in the film. Combined with the low overall body count (and some inexplicable gaps in the storyline,) the film can be both boring and puzzling.Several well-known actors put in obligatory roles, but only Louise Fletcher seems embarrassed by her marginal and insignificant character. Fiona Lewis plays...well, Fiona Lewis. Charles Lane appears in the movie, but we're never sure exactly why. Dan Shor is a somewhat odd and inappropriate choice as the teen lead. He was 25 when the movie was made and while this is not uncommon in casting teens, he is not able to pull it off. Besides being a couple inches shorter than the romantic interest, he walks around like a zombie BEFORE he's zombified and his face makes him look like he's just come off a three-day bender. From the right angle, he'll remind you of William Katt, but with none of Katt's charm or boyish sense of humor.One distinctive touch to this movie is the odd little scene that serves as a coda. The scene does not really serve any purpose...there are no revelations...no suggestions that "the evil" will return...no surprises or shocks...no final resolution of the fate of Fiona Lewis's character. It's just filler stuck on the end.In spite of all the film's flaws, it is fairly well-made and the NZ scenery does stand in well for Illinois. Overall, it's quite competent, just not memorable.Strictly for those who enjoy such movies, as there is little else to recommend it other than the genre.