Popcorn (1991) Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A group of film students attract a killer when putting on a horror movie marathon.

Review: I think this was a holdover from the '80s since its formula fits that particular slasher mold; it certainly would have performed much better during that era. Plus, an ending theme song based on the movie's premise? Uhh, yeah, it doesn't get any more cheesy than that! As it stands, this wasn't too bad considering the kind of shit that came out in the early '90s. The parody of '50s b-movies was spot on, and using an old movie palace as a setting is simply amazing. Honestly, the switch to multiplexes (while practical) has been a huge disservice to younger generations and feels shallow and empty. With that said, I can understand why this movie failed. The killer's motive was questionable, if not completely ridiculous, and they missed the opportunity to fully utilize the story's concepts.

The film opens with a reoccurring nightmare by the main girl, Maggie, who is played by Jill Schoelen; horror fans will probably recognize Ms. Schoelen from her short-lived time as a minor scream queen. We are then introduced to an extremely annoying group of film students as well as Maggie's dumb boyfriend-ish character. Wait, this is supposed to be California and there are only a handful of film students? Really, we're sticking with that? Well, okay. There is something about them needing money or whatever so they decide to hold a horror movie marathon to raise said money. Cue '80s montage scene. While setting up for the event, the group stumbles across an old reel from a crazed filmmaker. Apparently this guy made a film that he intended to conclude in real life by killing his family. It would appear this film is actually the dream that Maggie has been haunted by.

I did enjoy the setup for the horror marathon as it was reminiscent of the shenanigans you'd see at Halloween. Of course I also loved the movies within a movie. They did a respectable job at capturing that cheap, over the top vibe of 50's b-movies; you know...the shitty stage-like dialogue, laughable effects, and nonsensical story lines. At the same time, their marathon played off the gimmicks they used to employ with things such as seats that shock you, props flying at the audience, and the many "ramas" like odorama. Hmph...remember the days when movies used to be an actual experience instead of utter disappointment? Yeah, me either.

As the marathon gets underway, someone begins to taunt Maggie whom she believes is that crazed filmmaker. The fodder is picked off here and there as the killer wears different masks that are molded from the corpses of each victim; in other words, he can look like the people he kills. For some strange reason, they start to spend way too much time dealing with Maggie's stupid boyfriend drama instead of focusing on the killer. When we do finally realize who the killer is, it's pretty much who you would suspect; he's like the assistant in the film class or whatever the hell. What's his reason for killing and targeting Maggie? Well, Maggie is really that crazed filmmaker's daughter who survived the attempt to kill her, hence, her dreams. The killer was also present for this incident as his mother was a follower of the filmmaker, and he was nearly burned alive during that struggle. For no logical reason, the killer blames Maggie for his horrible life as a burn victim stuck wearing a prosthetic face. To be fair, they do kind of point this out with the killer simply saying he is crazy after all. Good one. When trying to finish the crazy filmmaker's ending with Maggie's death, the killer involves the audience of the horror marathon who cheer him on. But before he can complete his work, that dumb boyfriend saves the day, and the killer is impaled on one of the props. Not the best ending, but I've seen worse.

There was a surprising amount of cool things going on throughout this film. I love the movie palace for a setting, the parody films and the audience's reactions to them were fantastic, the killer's face switching was interesting, and there was a certain self-awareness that made the presentation fun. On the other hand, there are a few plot holes (like the theater sign changing magically), the fodder was annoying, the boyfriend drama was unnecessary, certain plot elements weren't properly executed, and the killer's motive was reaching to the heavens. Overall, it's worth checking out as one of the rare horror films to come out of the early '90s that wasn't a complete trainwreck.

Notable Moment: While watching one of the films in the marathon, an audience member has a funny reaction to a character saying, "Kiss me, Dick." Priceless.

Final Rating: 6/10