User Reviews

Blades is a parody of Steven Spielberg's classic Jaws, with a deadly lawnmower terrorising the staff and customers at the Tall Grass Country Club, where Roy Kent (Robert North) has just started work as the resident pro golfer. After several horribly mutilated bodies are found on the course, Roy teams up with his pretty assistant Kelly Lange (Victoria Scott) and ex-Tall Grass employee Deke Slade to try and prevent the whirling blades from claiming any more lives.

I doubt you need me to tell you this, but this film is very silly; it isn't, however, all that funny. Any attempts at humour fall flatter than the grass on the golf course's immaculate greens. That said, the film isn't totally worthless if you're a fan of Jaws: a lot of fun can be derived from spotting all of the parallels with Spielberg's movie, from a victim's distraught wife slapping Roy in the face, to Roy cutting open the bag of a lawnmower to investigate its contents, to Deke recounting a harrowing story while drunk, to the gimmicky use of a dolly zoom, to Roy dispatching of the killer mower with a well aimed golf stroke.

Blades is also surprisingly well made: there's competent direction from first-timer Thomas R. Rondinella, who uses some creative camera angles and POV shots; the cast give solid performances despite the weak comedy material; and we get a few enjoyable gore effects (Deke losing his legs before being dragged away by the mower is great). While I didn't love Blades - I had hoped to find it funnier - I was still entertained enough to wish that the intended sequel, Hedges (as revealed in a post-credits scene), had come to fruition.

The Tall Grass Country Club is a gorgeous piece of heaven on Earth, but just like Amity, once a major tourist event starts happening, it doesn't matter how many dead bodies show up. Things will proceed according to schedule. Except that instead of a great white, Tall Grass is dealing with, well, a possessed lawnmower.

I got past the Troma logo at the beginning - their cityscape and jingle have made me rage quit many a film - and am glad I did. Blades is an adorable film if your definition of adorable means that people are repeatedly torn to shreds by landscaping equipment gone wrong.

This is the kind of movie that can get away with the tagline "Just when you thought it was safe to putt." And the closing credits set up a sequel that never came: Hedges. "Just when you thought it was safe to trim."

Blades was written by the same man who wrote and directed Girl School Screamers, John P. Finnegan. That should give you a little fair warning of what you're in for.

Man!! I never thought I'd see such a fantastic film! Picture "Jaws" on a golf course. Yes, you read that right.

There's a killer lawnmower out there and the big golf tournament is this weekend. Will the big wigs of the course shut down? No way.

Locals are deputized to hunt down the lawnmower and they catch one. But when the hard drinking former golf pro noticed the tracks that are killing are wider then the mower is caught, they have to open its bag to see if there's any body parts in there or just grass clippings.

Authorities think it's the groundskeeper killing folks, but when the killings continue, they have to set him free.

You can see where the storyline is going. It is absolutely entertaining, fun, and violent! You'll have a blast!

Of the numerous films that tried to cash-in on the success of Jaws, this easily up in the top 5. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is, a shameless knockoff of Jaws. Yet it goes beyond that and actually does a near shot-for-shot remake approach. Take Jaws and change the setting to a golf course and this is what you get. Brody, Quint, and Hooper, the quickly paced music, checking to see if they really got the monster, even the chase scene from the end perfectly recreates the end of Jaws but in a van.

Granted that while most of the knockoffs take themselves seriously, the filmmakers knew that this couldn't be taken seriously at all and simply had fun with it. It got a few chuckles out of me so I'd say give it a watch if you can.

One of a series of obscure 80's features released by Team Troma, Blades is a spoof of Jaws with a killer lawnmower(!)replacing the shark, invading a country club golf course, Tall Grass, during tournament time as a Pro Am Invitational is on the horizon. Troubled, melancholy, alcoholic former circuit star, Roy Kent(Robert North), whose career had taken a turn for the worse, is hired by club owner, Norman Osgood(William Towner)whose wife, Bea(Holly Stevenson)talked him into it..mainly because Bea lustfully desires Roy. Roy's hiring truly angers Kelly Lange(Victoria Scott)because she covets the position of Golf Pro and has worked her way up to earn such a role. Working as his assistant, there's immediate friction. Meanwhile, the killer lawnmower is catching victims off guard, leaving their bloody clothes and remains. Norman, of course, wishes for the murders to remain hush hush due to the tournament(..IT'S ON TV!!)and confides in local inept sheriff, Charlie Kimmel(Charlie Quinn)to find the killer, which includes a manhunt involving a mob of locals. Roy is alarmed at his employer's demands for the tourney to continue despite the fact that innocent lives may be in danger. Wandering around the golf course and nearby wilderness, former grounds-keeper, Deke Slade(Jeremy Whelan)knows the identity of the killer, but is considered a lunatic and sent to prison as the one responsible after being caught by hunters in possession of a regular lawnmower. Roy, not persuaded that Deke's the man, convinces Kelly to assist him in catching the killer, who attacks a pro golfer, Squire Evans(Lee Devin)during the tournament, thanks to their boss's decision not to cancel the prestigious event. Joining forces with "Great White Hunter" Deke, after his release, Roy and Kelly will attempt to put an end to this fiend once and for all.

The lawnmower is often shot through point-of-view, burrowing through grass in pursuit of it's next victim. Until the attack on Squire, the film remained bloodless, just showing the sparse remains of victims after the lawnmower attacked them out of the range of the camera(..often victims were attacked in the woods with only their screams and shaky bush providing us with an indication of murderous activity. The two goriest murders show victims being pulled into the grinding blades of the machine, their legs being sawed into, as the lawnmower drags their carcass away with them shrieking in terror. There are moments where the film lets go of itself, but director Thomas R. Rondinella really gives the film a rather sedate presentation despite the ludicrous premise. One wonders aloud what must be going through these characters' minds in that they are doing battle with an enraged lawnmower, and the serious tone really boggles the mind..perhaps to show these characters unwavering resolve in the face of crisis regarding a lawnmower, the intention was to get giggles by playing the material mostly straight, despite the absurdity of it all. This film doesn't really feature the kind of madness and excess Troma is known for, despite a premise that reads like it would be. The scenes where Derek and Roy are shooting loaded rifles and shotguns at this lawnmower that seems indestructible is simply surreal. I mean there are outrageous moments such as the lawnmower causing a riot on camera as people run for their lives, and the mob preparing to catch the killer on a golf course(..and, in particular, the final showdown with the machine), but, more often than not, even these scenes have a bit of restraint not typical with the usual popular output released by Troma. Could gain a cult following if more discover it, but I'm guessing a majority of Troma fans will find it disappointing.

A vicious predatory sentient lawnmower terrorizes a golf course. Easygoing owner Norman Osgood (a likable portrayal by William Towner) encourages washed-up alcoholic new pro Roy Kent (a solid performance by Robert North) to take care of the situation as quickly and quietly as possible.

Director Thomas R. Rondilla, who also co-wrote the blithely absurd script with William R. Pace, relates the enjoyably loopy premise at a snappy pace, makes the most out of the sprawling golf course location, maintains a deliciously deadpan tone throughout, presents a neat assortment of colorful eccentric characters, delivers a generous sprinkling of outrageous gore, and even generates a good deal of genuine tension in the last third. Moreover, it's acted with zest by a game no-name cast: Jeremy Whelan as the obsessive and vindictive Deke Slade, Victoria Scott as eager rival pro Kelly Lange, Holly Stevenson as the horny and flirtatious Bea Osgood, Peter Wray as excitable groundskeeper Lyle, Charlie Quinn as doltish police chief Charlie Kimmel, and Bruce Katlin as a jolly whistling morgue attendant. James Hayman's surprisingly polished cinematography boasts lots of nifty lawnmower POV shots. John Hodian's spirited shivery score hits the stirring spot. A real quirky hoot.