A young man finds out that his parents had been used in an atomic-weapons experiment shortly before he was born, and that the results have had some unexpected effects on him.
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Title: Spontaneous Combustion (1990)
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1 nomination.
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Brad Dourif | ... | Sam | |
| Cynthia Bain | ... | Lisa Wilcox | |
| Jon Cypher | ... | Dr. Marsh | |
| William Prince | ... | Lew Orlander | |
| Melinda Dillon | ... | Nina | |
| Dey Young | ... | Rachel | |
 |
Tegan West | ... | Springer |
|
|
Michael Keys Hall | ... | Dr. Cagney |
| Dale Dye | ... | General | |
| Dick Butkus | ... | Lt. General | |
| Joe Mays | ... | Dr. Persons | |
| Stacy Edwards | ... | Peggy Bell | |
| Brian Bremer | ... | Brian Bell | |
|
|
Frank Whiteman | ... | Young Orlander |
| Judy Prescott | ... | Student Director | |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
See All (206) »
Storyline
A young man finds out that his parents had been used in an atomic-weapons experiment shortly before he was born, and that the results have had some unexpected effects on him.
Plot Keywords:
caucasian | cigerette | smoking | nasogastric intubation | cigarette smoking |Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
23 February 1990 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Combustión espontánea See more »Filming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$5,500,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$50,367, 25 February 1990Gross USA:
$50,367Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$50,367Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (cut)Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The first draft of the script was written in three weeks. See more »Goofs
The position of the syringe stuck in Lisa, changes. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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I really wanted to love Spontaneous Combustion: I like the basic idea, Brad Dourif is a cool actor, Tobe Hooper is the legendary director responsible for my favourite horror film, and some of the flame effects are pretty intense (I repeat: 'some'). Hell, there's even a fun cameo from John Landis. The problem is that the film just doesn't make a lot of sense.
Dourif plays Sam, a young man who discovers that the anti-radiation experiment which caused his parents to spontaneously combust in the 1950s is now responsible for some equally strange side effects in his own body. As Sam tries to prevent himself turning into a small pile of smouldering ash, he realises that his whole life has been a lie perpetrated by sinister industrialist Lew Orlander (William Prince).
With some incomprehensible cobblers about an evangelist who preaches to Sam over the radio, a puzzling sub-plot involving a nuclear power station, a killer who inexplicably uses glowing green goop in a syringe to bump people off, and the never-adequately explained presence of a continually growing birthmark on Sam's hand, I lost the plot about half-way through and had to content myself with the occasionally impressive body burn stunts and a modicum of manky make-up effects.
The first movie made by Hooper after his unsuccessful three film deal with Cannon, Spontaneous Combustion unsurprisingly didn't set the box-office on fire either, and the director's career has failed to reignite ever since.