Only about a year after the first part of RFTAG (we're still getting hits from searches for "Beverly D'Angelo shower" y'know), here comes part two. And it's a cracker.
Night Of The Comet (1984)
Just look at this plot summary: "Two sisters, high school seniors in the early 1980s, awaken one morning to blood red skies and the realization that the human race has been wiped out. It becomes apparant that anyone who was not surrounded by steel when the Earth recently passed through the tail of Haley's comet has been reduced to a pile of red ash".
It gets better. Not only is it one of the very few films along the lines of "Oh no! Everyone in the world is dead apart from us... and possibly some others!", but it's possibly the most 1980siest film of the entire 1980s. The scene taking place in a radio station alone will qualify that statement. That's a very good thing, by the way. But that's not all! It also ticks the following boxes:
People turned to nothing but dust, which is therefore collected in their shoes, which obviously survive the blast? Box ticked.
Middle-class Valley Girls toting semi-automatic weaponry in an out-of-character manner? Box ticked.
A cheerleader with big hair and a fuck you attitude? Box ticked.
A 1980s radio station building consisting of many dark rooms and pink/blue neon? Box ticked.
Latex zombies? Box ticked.
A gang of stockroom boys who decide to all go mental apeshit gun crazy after being left on their own for about twelve hours? Box ticked.
Evil scientists, including a sexy not-that-evil-after-all one in a jumpsuit and leg warmer combo? Box ticked.
Better than both 28 Days Later and late 80's ITV sitcom Not With A Bang that did at least have Josie Lawrence in it, we suppose? Box very much ticked.
Night Of The Comet (1984)
Just look at this plot summary: "Two sisters, high school seniors in the early 1980s, awaken one morning to blood red skies and the realization that the human race has been wiped out. It becomes apparant that anyone who was not surrounded by steel when the Earth recently passed through the tail of Haley's comet has been reduced to a pile of red ash".
It gets better. Not only is it one of the very few films along the lines of "Oh no! Everyone in the world is dead apart from us... and possibly some others!", but it's possibly the most 1980siest film of the entire 1980s. The scene taking place in a radio station alone will qualify that statement. That's a very good thing, by the way. But that's not all! It also ticks the following boxes:
People turned to nothing but dust, which is therefore collected in their shoes, which obviously survive the blast? Box ticked.
Middle-class Valley Girls toting semi-automatic weaponry in an out-of-character manner? Box ticked.
A cheerleader with big hair and a fuck you attitude? Box ticked.
A 1980s radio station building consisting of many dark rooms and pink/blue neon? Box ticked.
Latex zombies? Box ticked.
A gang of stockroom boys who decide to all go mental apeshit gun crazy after being left on their own for about twelve hours? Box ticked.
Evil scientists, including a sexy not-that-evil-after-all one in a jumpsuit and leg warmer combo? Box ticked.
Better than both 28 Days Later and late 80's ITV sitcom Not With A Bang that did at least have Josie Lawrence in it, we suppose? Box very much ticked.
Criminally, it's not available on DVD, although excellently that's because they've managed to lose the original print of the film (we're not sure who 'they' are, presumably the Atlantic Releasing Corporation). And we'd thought only the BBC in the 1950s and 1960s ever did that sort of thing. Luckily for society, Sci-Fi are showing it on Friday 22nd September at 10pm. Set that Sky+ box now.
1 .:
I watched this as a kid, fun movie but the meltly-faced bike cop stayed with me for some time. I can't help but think the movie would have more of a cult status if they went with the original title "Teenage Mutant Horror Comet Zombies".
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