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Film: Night of the Comet
Year: 1984
Director: Thom Eberhardt
Writer: Thom Eberhardt
Starring: Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney and Robert Beltran
Review:
This is one that I had heard about growing up, but for whatever reason didn't. Thanks to the Podcast Under the Stairs' Movie Club Challenge, it was selected to be covered there. To take part, I watched this. I've also now given it a rewatch for my Foray through the Fours.
Synopsis: a comet wipes out most of life on Earth, leaving two Valley Girls fighting against cannibal zombies and a sinister group of scientists.
Now coming into this film, I definitely thought there was going to be much more zombies than what we got. We get a variation on the creature, but they're technically not dead. They are people that survived the comet going over. We never see them eating anyone. They can talk and use weapons, which is different was well. I didn’t mind this concept for the monsters, but I did want more of them. There are very few. We do see that this is a slow progression as well. I am getting ahead of myself though. Most of the population is turned to dust due to the comet. We never learn why it does, but that is the cause and it seems to be radiation. Those that get a little bit of exposure survive, but eventually turn. I did like the touch is that the last time this one went overhead, it wiped the dinosaurs out overnight.
The characters we follow are a couple of sisters. One works at a movie theater, Regina Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart). Her sister who wears a cheerleading outfit the morning after the fateful night is Samantha (Kelli Maroney). They are the duo from the synopsis. They're also quite odd to be honest. Both are attractive for different versions. They know how to use guns, thanks to their father who is in the military. Before the world ended, they live with their step-mother Doris (Sharon Farrell). She is a horrible, controlling woman.
They meet up with a Hector Gomez (Robert Beltran). He takes a liking to Regina and she seems interested as well. This bothers Sam, but that seems more that they think they are the only three left alive. There is a group of scientists, who seemed prepared for this event and they are looking for a cure to it. They are led by Dr. Carter (Geoffrey Lewis) and Audrey White (Mary Woronov). She is standoffish and wants to stay inside of their bunker while the rest have other plans.
That’s where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is that this film is quite campy though. It blends comedy, sci-fi and horror. The two girls have great one-liners in this film. It has cheesy fun and a little bit unrealistic. Now I am a big fan of films like this when it is done well, but even this one has a little bit too many things that are unbelievable. I still had fun with it, but there are issues with the writing. I'll coming back to that.
Sticking with what was good, would be the acting. Stewart was good as the smarter, stronger sister, but I also like Maroney’s role. They play off each other well. Beltran was okay. He doesn’t get much character development or screen time. I'm shocked to be honest because the normal troupe is to make him the hero. I thought the scientists were all played well. Lewis does great as the leader who has nefarious plans for the survivors. I also like Woronov and the role she played. It caught me off guard to be honest in a good way. The rest of the cast rounded out the film for what was needed in my opinion, with special credit to those that get to play 'zombies' or those descending into madness.
Let's then go to filmmaking. The effects are good, but also of the time. What they do with the sky during the comet’s pass over are an example. It doesn't look great, but there's charm there that I dug. The zombies look good and when they are killed, I didn’t have any issues there. I'll say that the cinematography and framing help. Making Los Angeles seem empty is a feat. That adds to the eeriness. An issue I had with the second watch is that this is a bit slow. There's a good set up, doesn't waste time to get into it and then it slows down when we get to the radio station. We then get solid set pieces, but it meanders between them.
I'll then finish out with sound design. This captures that 80s feel. The song at the beginning of the film was great in a way this decade could produce. I like the montage scene with Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ as well as some of the other song choices throughout the film. It isn’t for everyone, but I was a fan of it. It adds charm and fits our leads.
In conclusion, this film has good aspects. I like the overall concept of this comet going over, wiping out most of humanity and driving survivors insane. It feels that it borrows from something like Day of the Triffids there. Our two leads are great with the supporting cast helping push them to where they end up. This is overall a well-made film. The cinematography, framing, set pieces and most of the effects are good. Just minor issues with the pacing and needing a bit more to fully make sense. I would still recommend it as it is a campy, cheesy fun film with good looking stars.
My Rating: 7 out of 10