Movie review of Strange Behaviour

Horrorphile

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Horrorphile - August 2007

Strange Behaviour (Dead Kids)

August 2nd 2007 04:17

Sometimes one must take the bad medicine. It’s medicine, ‘cos it keeps things in perspective, but I can’t swallow it too often, ‘cos it tastes real bad. But this is bad as in utterly bland. It’s the worst kind of bad.

Strange Behaviour (1981), originally titled Shadowlands, then Dead Kids – the latter title obviously considered a little too macabre perhaps (it was also known in Europe and the UK as Human Experiments and Small Town Massacre), was an unusual co-production between America, Australia and New Zealand. Shot in Remuera (part of greater Auckland, NZ), but doubling as Galesburg, Illinois, it’s the tenuous mad scientist in small town America turning teenagers into conditioned killers yawn, er, yarn.

Dr Le Sange

It’s a ludicrous plot delivered in a brain-numbing pedestrian fashion with precious little to recommend. The annoying thing is, for years I was under the allusion this had some kind of cult following, or at least was considered a cut above the usual hypodermic needle in the eye fare. I was dead wrong.

Good mask, shame 'bout the flick

Sheriff John Brady (Michael Murphy) is investigating a series of murders supposedly committed by teenagers gone berserk. Meanwhile his son Pete (Dan Shor) tries to earn money for his university tuition by volunteering for a series of experiments being run by Dr Gwen Parkinson (Fiona Lewis) at the university psychology department. Brady is suspicious, believing that the source of the teenagers running amok is the same psychology lab, with the late Dr Le Sange (Arthur Dignam) as its crazed scientific guru, a man who previously had ran a series of unethical experiments in mind control and was responsible for the death of Brady’s wife. As Brady investigates further, it appears that Le Sange may in fact not be dead.

Blood bath

The direction by Michael Laughlin (yeah, I wish it was a comedy, it would’ve worked much better) is flat and uninspired and the performances are, on the whole, unremarkable, bordering on lame. Even Louise Fletcher fails to raise an eyebrow. Only Aussie actor Arthur Dignam tries to sink his teeth into the role, but still he has such terrible dialogue to work with. Fiona Lewis looks the part, and has charisma, but her steely acting technique doesn’t do her any favours, and ultimately she has very little room to play.

Louise Fletcher ponders how she ended up here

The special effects are very un-special. The score by Tangerine Dream is forgettable, more amusing are the sourced songs; New Zealand new wave band Pop Mechanix provide a couple of tracks including their only hit, Jumping Out A Window (Dick Driver anyone?). In fact the only memorable scene in the whole movie is the silliest; a house party (referred to as a “disco” on the invite) where the party-goers are dressed in the most embarrassing “new wave” outfits, half-masks and make-up. The hilarious song they’re all dancing to (yup!) is a 60s song called Lightning Strikes by Lou Christie (I can now hear where The B52s got their inspiration from!) And the dancing? Locomotion. Sheeeeesh!

On a curious note, co-screenwriter Bill Condon went on to direct Gods & Monsters and Dreamgirls. Strange Behaviour apparently inspired several other horror movies which “borrowed” the central premise. One of these is another New Zealand flick, the first real Kiwi horror movie, Death Warmed Up (1984). I’m gonna have to track that down 'cos from memory it’s low-budget, but much more fun, freakier and gorier too.

Oh, what about the hypodermic in the eye sequence, I hear you ask? Fuhgeddaboudit! The movie poster is the best thing about this piece of blahsville.

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

7 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by JohnDoe

August 2nd 2007 04:29

Film & TV on DVD

Saw this one last year when the DVD came out, totally agree that it was a waste of time...I too had heard rumblings of cult status and nastiness, sadly neither existed.

Comment by KylieW

August 2nd 2007 06:37

Celebrity Obsession

That's disappointing. I hate it when flicks that you think have a cult status turn out to be disappointments.

I can forgive a lot of faults in movies (heck, I love bad movies), but boring or bland is the one sin I can't bring myself to forgive. Bad dialogue, no plot or totally silly....no problem. But don't give me bland!!!!

Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner

August 2nd 2007 17:22

Bryn,

sorta mixed feelings about this...sounds as if you were a little disappinted, so I probably won't go looking for it...

Great review though...

Take care,

Nick

Comment by D. Armenta

August 3rd 2007 01:34

The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan

Hi Bryn!! How have you been, old buddy?

This movie looks like it's in the not-bad-enough-to-be-good bin..I too love bad movies, but they have to be truly bad, like Ed Wood bad.

Hey, if you and JD want to see a staggeringly bad old horror movie, see if you can find "Teenage Strangler"..Mystery Science Theatre does a brilliant voice-over on that one too, although it's so bad you can easily come up with your own funny comments ..and isn't that the best part of bad movies??

Comment by Bryn

August 3rd 2007 03:19

Horrorphile

Cheers everyone, I'm glad the general consensus is that bland is bad.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for that title Armenta, cheers!

Comment by Cibbuano

August 7th 2007 23:44

20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
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Fat Cult
Techbreak

awesome - bad reviews are good to read, too.

Comment by Bryn

August 8th 2007 02:31

Horrorphile

Cheers Cibby, I know I should probably do more of them ... but at the end of the day, the genuinely bad movies don't illicit quite the same inspired writing ...

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