Popcorn (1991)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Film: C+
In one of the most interesting last gasps of the
reactionary “slice & dice” films of the 1980s, Mark Herrier’s Popcorn
(1991) has yet another disgruntled killer who wants revenge a generation
later. This time, ahead of Joe Dante’s Matinee
(a 1993 film about a William Castle-like film producer in the early 1960s)
comes this tale of a theater reviving movie ballyhoo tricks of the 1950s as a
nostalgia revisit as an old movie palace is revived.
Unfortunately, the audience has no idea a real killer is
on the loose, especially when they are watching 3-D movies or laughing at campy
moments of the festival’s marathon line-up.
Though not as well rounded as film fans might like, Dee Wallace Stone,
Tony Roberts and Ray Walston add to the fun as the killer closes in without
anyone knowing it. This is not a great
film, but not bad for a low-budget genre entry. It is also one of the last major independent low-budget Horror
releases with a major promotional campaign blitz before this became too cost
prohibitive and the trend died.
It is a refreshing R-rated film at a time when Hollywood
is cannibalizing any Horror film they can get, then spitting it out as a dumb,
castrated, digitized PG-13 exercise in bad cinema. We have seen better, but as more of these bad films get made,
something as funny, graphic and politically incorrect as Popcorn is a
welcome reissue on DVD.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 x 1 image is not bad, but
shows its age. Color is slightly dull,
as is depth. The film was originally
issued in analog Dolby A-type noise reduction, but any of the surrounds that
mix might have had hardly present in this Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix. Extras consist of a bunch of TV and
theatrical ads for the film, which are amusing. Horror fans will enjoy this enough, especially if they have never
seen it before.
- Nicholas Sheffo
