I caught this on Fearnet and wasnt sure how to feel about it. Directed by Sean Cunnningham (Friday the 13), written by Stephen Gyllenhaal (father of Maggie and Jake), and starring James Spader, Lori Loughlin, and Eric Stolz, the film isnt sure if it wants to be a horror movie or an after school special. After the death of their parents, two teens from a military family are sent to live with their aunt and uncle, who own a crappy amusement park and are falling on hard times. They become targets for a gang of inbred redneck types who want to kill him and screw her. It starts with playful shoving and car keying, and gets progressively more violent as the film goes on. It has its good points; the acting is solid, and the special effects arent bad. The heroes are likeable, and the military training they are given at the beginning goes toward explaining how they were any match for the rednecks (as opposed to the usual strokes of luck and chance that usually allow for a brief escape). What got to me was the mainstream 80's veneer thrown in (such as the 'building yourself back up' montage, complete with cheezy music), as well as the concept of James Spader as a redneck bully (admittedly, I might be able to take his role more seriously if I hadnt seen other stuff he was in). Overall, worth a look, if only for the fact that it isnt your typical 80's slasher.
I picked this up on video a long time ago, just because I'm a huge Lori Loughlin fan. I really didn't care much for the movie, too much cheesy montage junk and stuff like that. It wasn't all that bad though. One of these nights I'll have to check it out again.
I recall seeing this on HBO around '86. but I have pretty much forgotten everything about it. Wasn't there a scene were they use some makeup FX to scare off one of the bullies?
I bought the Sony DVD last year. Fun flick and quite nasty/sleazy at times.
Makes for a good double feature along with Class Of 1984 :thumbup:
QuoteI recall seeing this on HBO around '86. but I have pretty much forgotten everything about it. Wasn't there a scene were they use some makeup FX to scare off one of the bullies?
i never saw "The New Kids" but i own a movie called twice dead which that happens at one point.