Here's another one of these spoofs, early 80's, done by a director who quite intrigued me, with his other flicks, The Return, and the almost, invisibly known Hi Riders. Like Full Moon High, takes off the werewolf movies kind of, Here, they're sending up Halloween, and the movie is that insane and filled with lunacy, it pays off in it's absurdness. It's a film that had me laughing more on the inside, but you do praise it's cleverness, or inventiveness, where it just falls back into such inanity, featuring a few repeated lines, comedy related, you're aren't annoyed to hear, with some familiar young 80's actors, you don't see now. One young face, I won't mention, who did her share, was sad, in light of how talented she was. A messed up and taunted, Joe Don Baker, who has great screen presence as an actor, is fun and enjoyable to watch as the tortured, cop trying to track down the lawnmower killer, responsible for a murder, lucky 13 years ago (also a locker combination to a jock, obviously a sent up, Travolta type) where the film becomes a comedy thriller too. The movie plays homage to other films, but you have to admire it's ingenuity and praise it's ambitiousness, but it just wanes in it's stupidity, despite being very entertaining, none the less. Jeff Altman was memorably funny, and appealing, putting his hundred percent in as Harry Palms, while again, the great George Kennedy is wasted here, alongside the extra talented Stella Stevens, who like Barbra Eden was also told, she was wasting their time, in the chosen profession, but look who had the last laugh. Julia Duffy was really good as the hot daughter, while you won't forget little brother Damien, especially if happening to ponder in your oven. The other memorable highlight or the biggest one, is seeing the world's biggest Twinkie known to man, being devoured by a quartet, Joe Don Bakers family. Yes it is a bad movie, but it is not without interest, that's for sure.
Review of Wacko
