The first thing you see under user reviews for this film on this site is a slew of 1 and 2 star reviews from a bunch of people who probably eat hot air for breakfast.
Is this movie going to blow people away who already consider horror to be a sub par genre, and only recognize specific horror films such as Halloween (1978), The Exorcist and Silence of the Lambs (all the while arguing they're thrillers and not horror) as being respectable films? No, it won't. But if you're a fan of 80's horror, you know darn well this is far from a 1 or 2 star rating.
And if you are a fan of 80's horror and haven't checked this one out due to its stupidly low rating on this site and others, do yourself a favor, kick back and get ready for a good time. This film won't disappoint.
***
8/23/21: Finally bumping this up to the full five stars it deserves. I rewatch this more than any other movie these days. Class S suspenseful horror from start to finish. Nothing has made me happier over these last few years than finally seeing this flick get the love it has long deserved. Keep it comin'!
***
9/23/21: Listened to the audio commentary with Tommy Lee Wallace and a couple of moderators whose names are currently escaping me. This was a pretty enjoyable commentary -- not the best, but a must-listen for any die-hard fans of Halloween III. I actually thought I'd listened to this already but apparently not. Tommy Lee Wallace is a very laid back guy, so having moderators to ask him questions and keep him on track was a great choice.
While the commentary played, I went on Google streetview in Loleta, California and explored the filming locations for Santa Mira as best I could for someone who lives on the opposite side of the country. Man, what a weird little town. The little motel huts where Stacy Nelkin and Tom Atkins seek shelter are actually little apartments now, and on streetview they're currently donning Halloween decorations. Neat!
The factory has seen better days. A lot of the windows have been busted out and the garage doors (which were near-immaculate in the film) have begun to partially rot away. Fun fact: the "Silver Shamrock Novelties" factory was actually a dairy factory during its operational days.
Believe it or not, the downtown area (with the large, white bank building with tall pillars) looks almost exactly the same. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the businesses have since left. Even the bank appears to have left. The small store next to it, which I believe is a grocery store, is still going strong.
The building which sported a "DUBLIN INN" sign, seen as Tom and Stacy are first arriving into town, appears to have been since torn down. Tall hedges have been planted in its place.
If you're a big fan of this movie like I am, I can't recommend exploring Loleta, California via Google streetview enough! Revisiting these locations while listening to TLW discuss his time on set was a blast!
I'll be listening to the Tom Atkins commentary very soon.
***
10/1/21: Listened to the audio commentary with the legendary Tom Atkins! The moderator here did a FANTASTIC job with the questions. If you're a fan of Tom, you absolutely owe it to yourself to listen to this commentary. Him talking about his time working on this film is great, but what shines here is him talking about the breadth of his career, from small television roles to the cult horror films and the gargantuan Lethal Weapon.
Never a dull moment in this commentary. Tom is humble, genuine, and most of all, hilarious. Far from your typical Hollywood-type.
Is this movie going to blow people away who already consider horror to be a sub par genre, and only recognize specific horror films such as Halloween (1978), The Exorcist and Silence of the Lambs (all the while arguing they're thrillers and not horror) as being respectable films? No, it won't. But if you're a fan of 80's horror, you know darn well this is far from a 1 or 2 star rating.
And if you are a fan of 80's horror and haven't checked this one out due to its stupidly low rating on this site and others, do yourself a favor, kick back and get ready for a good time. This film won't disappoint.
***
8/23/21: Finally bumping this up to the full five stars it deserves. I rewatch this more than any other movie these days. Class S suspenseful horror from start to finish. Nothing has made me happier over these last few years than finally seeing this flick get the love it has long deserved. Keep it comin'!
***
9/23/21: Listened to the audio commentary with Tommy Lee Wallace and a couple of moderators whose names are currently escaping me. This was a pretty enjoyable commentary -- not the best, but a must-listen for any die-hard fans of Halloween III. I actually thought I'd listened to this already but apparently not. Tommy Lee Wallace is a very laid back guy, so having moderators to ask him questions and keep him on track was a great choice.
While the commentary played, I went on Google streetview in Loleta, California and explored the filming locations for Santa Mira as best I could for someone who lives on the opposite side of the country. Man, what a weird little town. The little motel huts where Stacy Nelkin and Tom Atkins seek shelter are actually little apartments now, and on streetview they're currently donning Halloween decorations. Neat!
The factory has seen better days. A lot of the windows have been busted out and the garage doors (which were near-immaculate in the film) have begun to partially rot away. Fun fact: the "Silver Shamrock Novelties" factory was actually a dairy factory during its operational days.
Believe it or not, the downtown area (with the large, white bank building with tall pillars) looks almost exactly the same. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the businesses have since left. Even the bank appears to have left. The small store next to it, which I believe is a grocery store, is still going strong.
The building which sported a "DUBLIN INN" sign, seen as Tom and Stacy are first arriving into town, appears to have been since torn down. Tall hedges have been planted in its place.
If you're a big fan of this movie like I am, I can't recommend exploring Loleta, California via Google streetview enough! Revisiting these locations while listening to TLW discuss his time on set was a blast!
I'll be listening to the Tom Atkins commentary very soon.
***
10/1/21: Listened to the audio commentary with the legendary Tom Atkins! The moderator here did a FANTASTIC job with the questions. If you're a fan of Tom, you absolutely owe it to yourself to listen to this commentary. Him talking about his time working on this film is great, but what shines here is him talking about the breadth of his career, from small television roles to the cult horror films and the gargantuan Lethal Weapon.
Never a dull moment in this commentary. Tom is humble, genuine, and most of all, hilarious. Far from your typical Hollywood-type.