The Allnighter is a little-known gem featuring a little, but largely-known woman – Susanna Hoffs. That’s one third of The Bangles, the group that walked like Egyptians. The movie is a female-centred take on the coming of age genre, which is kind of clever and refreshing, unfortunately though the narrative is shallow and haphazard, and the acting a little weak. That said, with all the space left by a general lack of substance, the movie packs in a lot of totally 80s goodness…
Tag: 80s
Elves (1989) – Crazy Christmas chaos
It’s always hard to choose just which of the joyful and triumphant slew of holiday horrors to go for, but Elves is certainly a special one, even by those standards. First time filmmaker Jeff Mandel has stuffed all sorts of goodies into this bountiful stocking, like pervert delinquents, disturbingly dodgy animatronics, and Nazi grandpas. And that’s only just peeling the wrapping…
Silk (1986) – Smooth like shattered glass
“Don’t push your luck too far, Silk’s gonna get you no matter where you are.” Any cop that has their own theme song must be pretty badarse. Our titular heroine is indeed all that – looking as cold as ice with her slicked-back hair and a fantastic selection of 80s fashion. There’s a minor disappointment in that the rest of the movie isn’t quite as slick or stylish, or easily comprehensible for that matter, but that’s just par for the course…
The Lawless Land (1988) – Post apocalypse road trip
Who doesn’t love a good, post apocalyptic road movie? This one might not be good by any stretch, but it is relatively entertaining, and features some pretty sweet locations. Shot in Chile, there’s a lot of dry and dusty desert to go along with this rather barren tale of forbidden love. Don’t worry, it still packs in enough outrageous and stupid moments – like nipple shocking, weird stripteases, and bad keyboard playing – to make it worth a watch…
Hollywood Cop (1987) – Kidnapping your senses
Here it is, the aptly named beginning of Amir Shervan’s legendary Hollywood period. There are shootouts, fistfights, terrible dialogue, painful acting, a tacky kidnapping plot, and some of the poorest quality production you’ll ever have the pleasure to witness. Hollywood Cop is a trash filled caper that runs in circles for most of its overly long duration, resplendent in all its dirt cheap glory…
Necromancer (1988) – Necromancing the stone
This is not the kind of typically silly, low budget, 80s Horror I expected it to be. To be fair, there is some neck stabbing, a seductive demon, and a friendly neighbourhood Satanist, yet that doesn’t quite satisfy. For the most part, Necromancer is a wild ride of relative banality and disappointment, with its focus firmly on the psychological. At least I assume that’s what it’s going for…
Mutant Hunt (1987) – Junkie robots get junked
Mutant Hunt is pure, kitschy, low budget Sci-fi, featuring a totally unoriginal story, soundtracked to cheap perfection, and packed full of woeful action. Everything from Blade Runner to The Terminator has been unashamedly copied and stuffed with an impressive amount of narrative offal. Oh, and for a movie filled with fight scenes, these are some of the worst you’ll ever see…
Biohazard (1985) – Warning: dangerous goods
Springing from the fertile mind of trash auteur Fred Olen Ray, this is a ridiculous adventure chronicling the arrival and escape of an alien, leaving a trail of destruction, murdered townsfolk, and pop culture references. If you’ve ever wondered where Stranger Things got its ideas from check this one out, not that this cheap scare flick is particularly original itself…
Chopping Mall (1986) – Slaughter on sale
If you’ve got a soft spot for trashy, unscary, 80s horror, you might have to give this one a go. Starting its life as Killbots, thankfully the movie was recut and renamed Chopping Mall, one of the most puntastic titles I’ve seen, and one so appropriate for its breed of low budget horror. It’s a ridiculous tale too, technological advancements in mall security see robotic enforcers posted to a hip and happening suburban mall…
Deadly Addiction (1988) – The kids wanna rock
What you’ve got here is the classic premise of a reckless, renegade cop versus an international drug ring. Director and star Jack Vacek can barely contain his excitement, and it’s somehow infectious. The story is entirely unoriginal, predictable, and ham fisted, but it goes down in an over-the-top blaze of glory…
Trashy Trove 
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