All month long we will be doing posts about some of the most overlooked slasher horror movies from the 80s. This includes movies like The Slumber Party Massacre, Slaughter High, Intruder, and--my personal favorite 80s horror film--Chopping Mall!
We have picked films that specifically capture the culture, styles, and overall mood that made the 80s great. Big hair, synthesized music, garish pizza parlors, neon colors--all stereotypes of the 80s.
The 80s were the perfect time period for combining the goofy horror of b-movies that we got used to in the 1960s along with the nudity, violence, gore, and practical effects of the 80s. There was a purity to films from this era. They weren't trying to be new, groundbreaking, or original. They were just fun popcorn flicks for a night at the drive-in.
Some of the goofiness and craziness of this time period seems gone forever in poorly done parodies and homages. Luckily, we still have the original films form the 80s to for us to go back and enjoy and remember. And this week we are starting off by reviewing one of my favorite slasher films ever made--Chopping Mall!
But, as luck would have it, a thunderstorm that night moves through and shocks the computer system that controls the robots. Due to this malfunction the robots no longer have the safety measures to keep them from attacking innocent people.
A group of teenagers who work at the mall have decided to throw a secret party after hours, unaware that the robots are on the loose. By the time they realize they are in danger it is too late. The mall has gone into lock down and the teens are stuck inside with the killer robots until morning.
The film stars a few solid actresses--namely Barbra Crampton (most well known for her roll in Stuart Gordon's film adaption of Re-Animator) and Kelli Maroney (famous for her roll in the fantastic cult classic Night of the Comet). These actresses, along with a whole set of other great actors, makes this a fun watch. Even if they are cardboard cutouts we find ourselves loving them.
Where this movie really shines is in its use of an interesting and original killer. The robots make for great antagonists. Since they are not human, and because they are armor plated, they make a pretty frightening foe who doesn't go down so easily. The robots use lasers, explosions, fires, and other creative ways to dispatch their victims.
And on top of all these goodies Chopping Mall makes all kinds of nods to other great horror and sci-fi films. The teenagers watch Roger Corman's Attack of the Crab Monsters in an early scene, and there are posters all over the mall advertising movies like Barbarian Queen, Forbidden World, and even Slumber Party Massacre.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 9
Language: 2
Gore Factor: 3
Sex Factor: 3
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 5
Overall Rating: 5