Jekyll & Hyde... Together Again (1982 film on DVD)

Original film poster

Will the driver of the hearse please move your vehicle away from the rear of the hospital.  It's making the patients nervous. - Hospital Announcement

One of my all-time favorite comedies finally comes to Happy Horror.  At one point, before it came to DVD, I thought about doing an ultra-detailed summary of this film, my thinking being that, since it was only available on VHS then it'd be extremely difficult to come by.  But I found out it was released to DVD, picked it up off of Amazon and am now ready to bring it to you here.

Just about everybody knows the story of Jekyll and Hyde, how a scientist devises a drug to bring out his more base, animal side, only to have said side go out of control.  This film brings the story into the modern day (well, as modern as 1982 can be!).  Dr. Daniel Jekyll is a brilliant surgeon, the best that Our Lady of Pain and Suffering can offer.  As we begin, our star is being watched over closed circuit TV by Hubert Howes, one of the richest men in the world and in desperate need of the world's first full body transplant.  Unfortunately for Mr. Howes, Jekyll takes the opportunity to announce that he's giving up surgery in order to research man's inner nature, and how to tap into man's animal instincts to promote healing, without the need for surgery.  Jekyll's boss, Dr. Carew, swears to Howes that "He'll be standing over you with a knife."

Jekyll, however, throws himself into his research, knowing that he can help more people than ever before.  However, a combination of a late night experimenting and an interesting interruption by the name of Ivy Venus leads to Jekyll distractedly pouring one concoction over another, botching his work.  Vowing to continue the next day, he lays his head on his desk and falls asleep.  His breathing draws in a drink straw into his nose, the straw ends up in the powder of his experiments, and he ends up inhaling a small quantity of it.  Jekyll immediately wakes up, notices what he did, says, "Uh-oh..." and starts convulsing, going through the initial transformation into someone - or something - else...

I saw this movie shortly after it came out, making me about 5 or 6 at the time.  A lot of its humor flew over my head then, but I still thought it was a really funny movie, and that opinion hasn't changed at all about it.  Directed by Jerry Belson, who directed Student Bodies and provided the voice for the Breather, the film does a good job of spoofing the drug culture of the time.  Working in the film is an incredibly talented group of actors.  Leading them is Mark Blankfield, playing Jekyll and Hyde, and he did a phenomenal job.  The two characters do seem absolutely different from eachother, and when Jekyll tries to overcome the effects of the drug later, it really looks like he's fighting with himself.  He was one of several actors on the short-lived Fridays, along with Michael Richards, where Blankfield played a pharmacist character similar to Jekyll.  He also played in Robin Hood: Men in Tights as Blinkin, the blind servant, and in Dracula: Dead and Loving It, as well as The Incredible Shrinking Woman.  He's such an amazing comic talent, I'm surprised he didn't make it bigger over the years.  Bess Armstrong played Jekyll's semi-spoiled fiance (and daughter of his boss, Dr. Carew), Mary.  Besides this film, she played in High Road to China and Jaws 3-D, in addition to numerous made-for-TV roles, and also playing on My So-Called Life.  Playing Dr. Knute Lanyon, plastic surgeon, is Tim Thomerson.  Most famous for the Trancers and Dollman films, he's had a memorable career, making at least one film every year for thirty years, usually more.

This film has a lot of drug humor in it, obviously.  It's a pretty funny film, and one I recommend with the highest regards.  5 out of 5.  Sorry the month of horror comedies has been such a bust, I'll get back to that world soon.  After one more review, we go into May with a build-up to the new Godzilla movie coming out May 16th.  Until then, take care and this is Red Hawk signing out!

Student Bodies (1981 film)

"I didn't do it!  I didn't do it!  I never do it!" - Toby

So, my first horror comedy review!  I came across this one a couple of years ago and picked it up on Amazon.  I had an idea to do a month of horror comedies even then, but it never came to pass, really, until now.  This film was billed as the first comedy horror film (though Young Frankenstein predates it by 7 years).  It is the first film to spoof the then-burgeoning slasher genre.  So, how does it stack up?

The film opens with a card that reads, "This motion picture is based on an actual incident.  Last year 26 horror films were released... None of them lost money."  After that, we fade in on a view of a suburban house.  After the opening credits, a caption tells us it's Halloween... accompanied by a turkey's gobble.  The screen fades out, then fades back in with "Friday the 13th".  Another fade set brings us closer to the door with "Jamie Lee Curtis's Birthday" on the screen this time.  From here, we take on the viewpoint of the killer, aka The Breather, who creeps up to the house's glass door and peeks in through the mail slot.  We switch to the babysitter, Judy, who's talking to her girlfriend, Toby, on the phone.  Toby warns her not to be irresponsible but she just laughs it off.

Finishing their talk, Judy hangs up, only for the phone to ring again.  This starts a series of phone gags that work pretty well, if go on a little long.  Her boyfriend shows up and as they head upstairs for sex, the Breather sneaks over to a rolltop desk and, after perusing a variety of weapons, picks... a paperclip.  Surely, someone's dying horrifically!

The film was interesting, to say the least.  It does successfully lampoon the slasher films of the time pretty well, with a running on-screen body count, the hidden killer who we only hear his breathing and has a preference for unorthodox weapons, not to mention a victim pool of horny teenagers who are never quite prepared.  The film also throws in more twists than M. Night Shyamalan could think of!

When I researched this film, I was surprised to find that many of the cast did not go on to other things.  Kristen Riter, who plays good girl heroine Toby, only has one other credit: the music video for the J. Geils Band song Centerfold.  Playing the Breather was head writer (uncredited due to union rules) Jerry Belson, going under the name Richard Brando.  He was also a writer on Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again, a film I'll be covering this month, as well.  Cullen G. Chambers had a minor role as blind student Charles Ray, who's introduced with his seeing eye dog driving his car.  He's also been in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Deep Impact, and he has an uncredited role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Secretary of Defense.  Playing Malvert, the creepy janitor, is a double-jointed comedian who was known as The Stick.  He gave an interesting performance here, and I'd like to see what his stage act was like.

I give this film a 3 out of 5.  It could have been a bit better, but it could have been a lot worse, as well.  I just felt that it didn't deliver on all the cylinders it could've, but it was still fun to see.  Thanks for joining me for this, and I hope you enjoy all I plan on bringing you this month.  Until next time, take care, and this is Red Hawk signing out!

April Fool's Day (1986 film)

Happy April 1st, everybody!  I hope my readers didn't get pranked too badly (or do any dangerous pranks or jokes of their own).  Today, we have an article I've wanted to write for the past few years, the original 1986 film April Fool's Day.  I always thought this was something of a forgotten classic, until the 2008 remake, that is.  So, let's have a look!

The film is about a group of wealthy (barring one or two exceptions) college kids getting together for Spring Break at their friend, Muffy St. John's, house on her family's private island.  On the ferry ride over, two of the friends get into an argument, one of which gets a knife thrown into his stomach, who ends up falling off of the boat.  Several people jump in to try to help him, but it turns out to be a prank.  One of the rescuers, Buck, stays in the water to try to tie off the boat, but ends up between the boat and the pier, severely injuring him.

After Buck gets taken back to the mainland for medical attention, Muffy greets her guests and they get settled in.  The guests find various pranks and jokes set up at dinner and in their room.  The next morning, however, finds one of their number missing.  And why is Muffy acting so weird all of a sudden?

The film was an interesting exercise.  Barring the faked knifing and Buck's accident, there's very little gore to the film.  What it lacks in blood, however, it does make up for with tremendous suspense.  The acting is well-done, and the characters are believable, if somewhat hard to identify with, not having a similar background, myself.  The ending itself was somewhat controversial, but without spoilers, I can't go into it.

Deborah Foreman plays hostess Muffy well.  She handled the weird mannerisms of the character really expertly.  At one time considered a promising, up and coming actress by ShoWest, her career sort of stalled out.  She did appear in one of my all-time favorite horror films, Waxwork, as well as Lobster Man from Mars, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat and Lunatics: A Love Story.  Her breakout role was in Valley Girl opposite a young Nicholas Cage.  Ken Olandt made his film debut here (after a number of TV roles).  His biggest movie role was in 1987's Summer School, but he went on to act in 1993's Leprechaun alongside Jennifer Aniston and Warwick Davis.  Griffin O'Neal portrays Skip, Muffy's cousin.  Son of Ryan O'Neal, he also played in Assault of the Killer Bimbos and the third Ghoulies film.  Clayton Rohner played Chaz, another of Muffy's guests.  He also starred in Destroyer (alongside the aforementioned Deborah Foreman and Anthony Perkins) and The Relic (aka the Film That Light Forgot, as I've nicknamed it).

I give this film a 3 out of 5.  It was enjoyable, much of the cast went on to bigger things, but it wasn't completely perfect.  So, now for my big April event.  Throughout the month, I'll be reviewing various horror comedies.  I may not get as many sequential days as I did in October, but I will be doing quite a bit of posting.  Take care of yourselves and this is Red Hawk signing out!