A
misfit teenage outcast headbanger named
Eddie Weinbauer (Marc Price) worships a
rebellious rock star named Sammi Curr
(Toni Fields) but the kids at school pick
on him lead by a head preppie named Tim
Hainey (Doug Savant) for his taste in
music and how he dresses.
Suddenly he discovers that his mentor
dies in a hotel caught on fire and his
world is torn apart. However, the local
DJ at a radio station named Nuke (Gene
Simmons) gives him Curr's final record
that was unreleased.
There are messages in the record to get
even with the bullies at his school as
Eddie thinks that it's great that Curr is
with him in soul but this devilish rocker
has some bigger and more frightening
plans and he will stop at nothing to do
so.
I looked at the video box cover which seemed like an awesome movie to check out and I started watching it one Halloween night and it looked very interesting watching some outsider who loved heavy metal named Eddie Weinbauer having to survive school with clean cut preppy asshole constantly tormenting and humiliating him. The film left off to a great start and it gets even more exciting.
It shows on the news while the death of him biting the head off a snake in which there's fabricated tales on heavy metal musicians like Ozzy Osbourne doing this in concert spoofing alot of it as well as preachers being interviewed that it's wrecking the youth of today in which shows some more good timing spoofing heavy metal musicians and their lyrics. It's disturbing to watch Eddie tearing down posters of heavy metal and hard rock bands after discovering that his hero died in a fire in which they are nowadays collectibles and hard to find.
The stuff is well paced when Eddie is invited by a popular girl named Lesie who seems to feel bad for him to a pool party and then she's not there with the bullies at his school like Tim Haney spotting him and giving him idle threats which seems very realistic as well as Eddie later on swearing revenge on them with a nasty prank they do to him which was impressive on what will happen later on.
Many musicians put backwards messages in their music and it's clever that Eddie listens to his record backwards and finds a message for him to seek revenge on the bullies. Plus there's good dream sequences and hallucination sequences with the rocker Sammi Curr meditating in Eddie's room with flames throwing around and things floating in the air giving it an extra horror touch to the story.
There's more interesting moments like when Eddie's Mother named Angie puts his clothes away and browses through his records which as all heavy metal bands including Exciter and Megadeth. All the goodies for a major headbanger and then his stero goes off and she tries to shut it off which seems intense wondering what to do when something starts up and wanting to turn it off without messing with it or wrecking it even.
My favourite scene of them all is when
the stuck up girlfriend of Tim's named Genie is in the backseat of his vehicle listening to a walkman of a tape that Eddie copied of Sammi Curr and her getting lustful with some ghostly green hands taking off her clothes and then she spots a monster in the car and she screams. I found this to be a real classy scene as well as a bit spooky too.
Suddenly peer pressure breaks loose when Eddie realises that Sammi Curr has more frightening plans as well as neat special effects on him appearing out of the stereo and turning on a TV with a preacher on and him crushing his head on the TV screen. I found that to be a bit corny and far fetched but at the same time there was good timing with the comedic parts used here. Plus Eddie smashes up his stereo which I gasped as it's alot of money wrecking stuff like this.
I did enjoy another corny moment when Eddie's dweeby friend Roger is playing Sammi Curr's tape and he enters his living room turning on the TV once again with a female precher talking and he grabs her from a TV screen and pulls her out. She's a body of dust afterwards. I mean how can this happen??? So weird!!!
The excitement really starts up is when Sammi Curr appears at the highschool dance and really gets into a song and destroying some of the people there along with struggling moments on Eddie and Leslie trying to find some way on stopping Sammi in which there's alot of nonstop great special effects when all of this happens especially when they try to enter a radio station with objects like a record flying in the air and lightning bolts galore. It was totally wicked.
The most exciting moment is when Eddie drives a police car at full speed with a radio in the back seat trying to get Sammi to appear with mocking him in which he has a deadly plan to flush this maniac ghost of a rocker out.
There's also some nice romatic moments between Eddie and Leslie which I really liked and made the story seem quite uplifting too. The story has a nice ending and unlike most horror films doesn't always have a moment when a possible sequel could happen saying the nightmare isn't over yet.
Bottom line is that this is an excellent
Halloween flick with dynamic special
effects and a fun movie to watch all the
way through. A total 80's teen
comedy/horror flick with the odd touches
of romance and heavy metal!!!! I love
metal.
It was a realistic look at mean kids for
tormenting the odd one for his own tastes
of style. The film is very clever and
corny too but in a good and fun way. Too
bad we don't see fun film like this
anymore and more of a shame a sequel
never arose.
A terrible movie named Black
Roses came out a year later
trying to borrow similar formula but was
darker and badly performed.
The acting is very
good with character actors involved. This
marks Marc Price (Eddie Weinbauer) film debut
after his Family Ties
fame as the Keaton's nerdy neighbor
Skippy as he steals the film with his
performance as he knew his character as a
put upon headbanger inside out. Terrific
energy too. He does well with his upset behavior going full adrenaline with his blocking by tearing down posters along with a nice pausing moment and good expressions making himself suddenly stopping himself. He was great at freaking out
after being tormented too on his discussion by getting
even with the bullies in which he was hyped up to the extreme. He shows a good evil expression while being on the front of his porch which looked impressive here. Kicks up a storm driving in a
squad car trying to ressurect Curri in
the car to plan a trap as this was at his best. It's sad he left acting to
pursue stand up comedy and working as a
producer too but of course he was young
when he started acting and many people
when they get older choose to pursue
different types of careers.
Tony Fields (Sammi Curr) was believeable as an
intimidating dead rock star and looked
great on screen too. He really knew on how to have real aggressions to when he speaks out along with great evil expressions too. There's also great menacing looks on him along with a great coldness to his speaking which looked believeably wicked. There's perfect possessive expressions on him while he is standing in a room with fire surrounding him in which eh really gets into this. Had a perfect growly obnoxious voice along with having a harsh reply and having a great aggressive demanding attitude towards him which looked very energetic in the story which was a plus. Shows some terrific dancing
numbers on stage at a highschool dance. Definetely a worthy character actor. Bless his soul as he
is no longer with us due to his battle
with AIDS.
Lisa Orgolini (Leslie Graham) was another one who
did real well as a popular and the
prettiest school girl who is nice and
caring in the film and can come across
believeable at doing so. She shows alot of great enthusiasm and spunk into her role and having a decent amount of energy into what she portrays here. I found her to be a worthy character actress and thought she could've gone far in the acting industry.
Doug Savant (Tim Hainey) played a perfect preppy
asshole in the film as he reminded me
like the kids I had to deal with in
school. He shows a perfect type of sarcastic nasty behavior into all that he did as well as acting perfectly aggressive whenever he needed to just letting it all out. He rolls in with the punches incredibly well here. There's a real great reaction on him at a pool party speaking nastily which made this moment look very believeable. Does well with his physical blocking by throwing the person he's tormenting to the ground as well as speaking viciously towards him really making this moment believeably and well performed without a doubt. Does a good impression by acting drunk at the dance which comes off across naturally too. A great screaming and calling reaction with him at the front of a home. Definetely a gifted actor
since I spotted him in Melrose
Place.
Glen Morgan (Roger Mockus) plays a nice type of a
nerd but not a total nerd. He has a good deep type of speaking voice as well as bringing across a nice seriousness with his attitude along with showing his good sense of humor to his role while coming across as still being serious which really works too. Plus he shows a nice choked up reaction on what he spots in his living room.
Elaine Joyce (Angie Weinbauer) almost looked a little
too young to play the mother of Price
but she pulls it off well as a
single mother trying her best to raise
her son. Does well with her curious reactions while looking at some record covers along with a great jumping reaction when a stereo is activated which was good and natural. She looked a little too wild to portray this role but yet when she delivers her lines seems to pull her motherly attitude in fair shape. She shows off a good calmness and curiousity to her personality.
Supporting actress Elise Richards
(Genie Wooster) stood out well as the typical lusty teen
in the film. She definetely had that snobby type of appeal to what she does and lived to portray one of those popular girl types who can brush others off and act like a total bitch. Her looks were a perfect plus here. Does well with her reactions feeling herself while listening to a walkman which she really seemed to get into this too. She also showed a perfect intense screaming reaction and great shocked expressions too.
We have a great cameo performance by KISS
rocker Gene Simmons (Nuke) who is
terrific as a local DJ really getting into his role by behaving incredibly outgoing, wise and full of life. Any fan of his will get a kick out of his part in this film which was a real treat spotting him in this one without a doubt.
There's a hilarious cameo by Ozzy
Osbourne (Rev. Aaron Gilstrom) as a preacher which is hard
to believe he would play one and you can
tell he did it as a joke due to the past
controversy that has happened to him.
Still he was funny.
There are two teenage girls
topless in a swimming pool
Sexy supporting actress Elise
Richards takes off her lingerae in a
car while listening to a walkman breasts
fully revealed.
On a TV screen
Sammi Curr bites the head off a snake and
drinks it's blood
There is sticky stuff on a stuck up
pretty girl's ears to her headset in a
car.
The music is great
in this film composed by Christopher
Young with dark sounds in the film
especially during a scene with Genie
lustful moment in the backseat of the car
listening to a walkman as it sounds
Elm Street and Return of
the Living Dead like. Plus many good strong drum beats for alot of the suspeseful surroundings.
We also have an
awesome soundtrack by the former 80's
hair metal band Fastway.
They open up with the number "Stand
Up" which has great vocalising to
it.
"Get Tough" is another great
stompin song during a scene where
Weinbauer gets even with the bullies and
runs away from them this one works in very well while watching this scene happen.
"Trick Or Treat" was a perfect
one used during a highschool dance with
Curr dancing around the stage with lots
of hype.
Then they close off with "After
Midnight" which is perfect for the
closing credits as it almost has that
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
type of score to it.
Eddie Weinbauer:
It's definetely you... What are those?
Leslie Graham:
Jeans
Leslie Graham:
This is suicide he can be in there. |
