Popcorn

"Popcorn" from 1991 has to be one of the better feel good horror flicks that's a blend of old style horror meeting the present day and being a film within a film of the 80's slasher style. It's also a twist and tease of drama, suspense, fun comedy, and murder in a bloody slasher type of a way. Set in California at a college some film students decide to run an night horror marathon at an old run down cinema house. The students will do crazy special effects while the crowd watches the old vintage 50's and 60's films. Thru it during the night a crazy sadistic killer is on the loose causing an 80's slasher type stalker feel, from behind the curtain and thru the audience. As this creep has a connection to an old film called "The Possessor" plus this monster knows one of the film students from his past. Also horror queen legend Dee Wallace Stone has a part that's memorable as a damsel in distress who's kidnapped and has her mouth taped with white duct tape! Overall "Popcorn" provides thrills and chills to any horror film buff as it's a little independent horror gem to belong in any fan's chest!

Maggie, a film student at University, continuously wakes up with one bad dream after another involving some bearded wacko, which she records about on a tape, so to come up with some sort of screenplay. Her film teacher and fellow peers have organised a all-night film festival at an old theatre, which will be featuring old b-horror movies with the use of interactive gimmicks in the hope of raising enough money to support the film department, after the university cut their funds. While setting everything up, they stumble across an old film known as "The Possessor" and learn from their teacher about its macabre past. This startles Maggie, as the images in the film are the same ones in her dreams. When the fun starts, Maggie is sure that the supposedly dead star/director Lanyard Gates of that film is wandering the theatre.

Bad dreams might appear early on, but Mark Herrier / Alan Ormsby's contributions are a far more pleasant experience in this fashionably inspired parody of gimmicky (think of William Castle) 50's b-grade horror films interwoven into a silly slasher formula of a film-within-a-film. Since it knows what it is, it plays itself accordingly to the budget and material.

The enthusiastic concept is freshly staged with plenty of neatly devised novelties, vividly fruitful backdrop and a preposterously far-fetched screenplay streaming with admirable imagination, fruitiness and ingenious twists. However most of the oddball fun is derived from the stylishly correct mocking of the "horrorthon" b-films; "Mosquito", "Attack of the Amazing Electrified Man" and "The Stench" and their cinema gimmicks (like the 3-D flying mosquito in "Project-O-Vision", "Shock-O-Scope." in the audience seats and releasing bad odours in "Aroma-rama" for the proper experience), which is being screened to the boisterous audience with their smart remarks and in-spirit costumes. Ormsby was the mastermind behind this enjoyably down-pat features with their natural fondness to the era, which I believe outdid the slasher element of the picture.

Now that side of the fragmented story starts off strong, compelling and eerie, but it crashes towards the back-end with contrived, illogical and overblown developments working there way in. But hey that's part of the parcel and makes this festivity wildly fun. It's kind of like a melding together of "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" and "The Phantom of the Opera" with severely likable 80's camp. There are only few deaths, but they're done with enough macabre creativity to cover-up the lack of blood and the spongy script delivers on the wit and overall weirdness. Although some on going gags turn out to be less funny.

Herrier's panache direction is on cue for most part with snappy pacing, atmospheric lighting and the right sense of mood when drilling those moments of tension with the lurking quirkiness. He makes great use of the flamboyant scenery and vintage theatre settings. Expressive make-up / special effects are strikingly crafted to achieve the right effect and the killer looks menacing with there ingenious hobby involving faces. Ronnie Taylor's understated, polished cinematography works the floor well and Paul J. Zaza's tingly spooky music score suit's the film's light-hearted air. Also the bouncy soundtrack has that reggae/pop touch to it.

Largely shaping up is a likable cast with agreeable performances. The always sweet Jill Schoelen is typically fine in a valiantly airy turn as Maggie and Derek Rydall measures up as the heroine who can't take a break Mark. But it's the support roles where the most interest arises with the likes of Tom Villard's superb performance as an obsessively nutty film student, Tony Roberts' amusing turn as the film teacher, Dee Wallace Stone plays it sincerely as Maggie's mother and Ray Walston's avidly effortless cameo as the gimmick man.

This winsome little low-budget item is a rather solid cheesy comedy/horror/parody effort even with so many uneven distractions inbound. Don't wait around, get your tickets now if this sounds like your kind of entertainment

Although it takes a while to get going, POPCORN proves to be a warm and affectionate little slasher movie made along the same lines as Joe Dante's Matinée – i.e. a celebration of the world of the B-movie in its cinematic form. Indeed, the ghost of William Castle seems to be watching over this movies, both in the presence of the cheesy films shown by the fictional cinema and in the bizarre antics of the film students, determined to give their audience an interactive experience!

It's all about the gimmicks and the celebration of the weird, so much so that the actual slasher plot comes second. It's a slight shame, because the story isn't bad, even if it is remarkably familiar: there's an evil killer from the past returning to affect the heroine in the present, and his calling card is that he uses prosthetic masks to disguise himself as anyone and anything. The subsequent kills aren't particularly gory, but they are well staged with an element of Grand Guignol that becomes especially apparent during the over-the-top climax.

POPCORN was made in Jamaica doubling for small-town America, which gives it even more of an offbeat vibe – and the reggae soundtrack is great. The acting is nothing to write home about (THE HOWLING's Dee Wallace-Stone is the only actress of note in a minor part), but when the story and screenplay are so obviously written by genuine fans of old-time horror shows – well, this becomes a film impossible to dislike.

This has got to be one of my old favorite horror flicks, I remember renting this when it first came out, and I loved it since then!

The storyline of this movie is so classic and original, but thats what it made it so great!

I was a little shocked to read that Toby (Tom Villard) had passed away, I had no idea, he was one of my favorite movie psychos, and I was wondering if he'd be in any other movies...R.I.P Tom Villard.

If you haven't seen this movie, rent it now! Or since its been released on DVD, pick it up! remember, "Buy a bag, go home in a box." !

i remember seeing popcorn for the first time , it was the most fun i ever had at the movies growing up. sure the story is kinda cheesy and so are a few of the actors but horror movies for the most part are meant for enjoyment not Oscars so as long as you don't try to compare popcorn to saving private ryan this movie is great. go rent it . you will have fun for sure guaranteed. i met jill schoelen when she was filming when a stranger calls back , she is so nice! she signed two movie stills and a popcorn crew shirt for me and my sister. she rocks. if you like movies like popcorn then i would like to offer you these titles as choices for your renting needs.... the gate part 1,the fog, the thing,student bodies, wishmaster (part 1 only, the rest suck), and child's play. a couple of titles that are lesser known are spliced (aka: the wisher), cherry falls, my bloody valentine and black Christmas. beware of black Christmas (the language is quite bad lol) i hope you enjoy these titles and i wish you all well. if anyone cares my fave horror movie of all time is of course HALLOWEEN because lets face it everyone is afraid of the boogeyman right? and we all know that you can't kill the boogeyman. moooohaha! (jason and freddy are lucky they had each other to fight instead of michael.