IMDb > Strangeland (1998)
Strangeland
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Strangeland (1998) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 4)
Strangeland (1998) -- The place is Helverton, Colorado, a town of about 350,000 people. 15-year-old Genevieve Gage and her best friend Tiana Moore are typical teenagers who spend a lot of time surfing the internet and sending messages to strangers in chat rooms...
Strangeland (1998) -- Open-ended Trailer from Artisan
Strangeland (1998) -- Open-ended Trailer from Artisan
Strangeland (1998) -- Open-ended Trailer from Artisan

Overview

User Rating:
4.4/10   3,169 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Dee Snider (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Strangeland on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 October 1998 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
So much flesh, so little time. more
Plot:
The place is Helverton, Colorado, a town of about 350,000 people. 15-year-old Genevieve Gage and her... more | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(14 articles)
Dee Snider Declares: 'Take Back the Horns!'
 (From FEARnet. 17 November 2009, 8:50 AM, PST)

Fear Clinic Interviews
 (From Atomic Popcorn. 29 July 2009, 10:46 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Interesting ideas can't save lame script and execution more (186 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kevin Gage ... Mike Gage
Elizabeth Peña ... Toni Gage
Brett Harrelson ... Steve Christian

Robert Englund ... Jackson Roth

Linda Cardellini ... Genevieve Gage

Tucker Smallwood ... Captain Churchill Robbins

Ivonne Coll ... Rose Stravelli

Amy Smart ... Angela Stravelli
Dee Snider ... Captain Howdy / Carleton Hendricks
Amal Rhoe ... Tiana Moore

Robert LaSardo ... Matt Myers
Andrew Cooper ... Victim Bob (as Andy Cooper)
Archie Smith ... Elderly Man
Lois Hicks ... Mental Institution Nurse
Carey Westbrook ... Sam the Orderly (as Carey Louis Westbrook)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Dee Snider's StrangeLand (USA) (promotional title)
Rune (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for strong graphic torture/violence, language, nudity and sexuality.
Runtime:
85 min | Argentina:92 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Captain Howdy was the name of the ghost 'Blair, Linda' claimed to be talking to through the Ouija board in The Exorcist. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Gage is typing on the keyboard, the computer screen shows that Gage pauses from typing for a moment. But the sound of him typing still continues even when he stopped. more
Quotes:
Captain Howdy: My badges is forever.
Mike Gage: My badge represents the law.
more
Movie Connections:
References The Wizard of Oz (1939) more
Soundtrack:
Awake more

FAQ

What are the differences between the R-rated version and the Unrated version?
more
17 out of 21 people found the following comment useful.
Interesting ideas can't save lame script and execution, 13 August 2000
3/10
Author: obiwan-27 (lckrause@gmail.com) from New England

It seems that Dee Snyder ran out of ideas halfway through the script. The second half of the movie is basically just a rehash of the first, which makes the film very boring. To sum up: Cop's daughter is suckered into party via chatroom where she is sexually molested/tortured by psychopath (played by Snider). Cop rescues her, psychopath is put in therapy/jail. Psychopath is released four years later and the whole thing is played out AGAIN. Within all this are many unexplained plot elements: Why was "Captain Howdy" psycho in the first place? What's with the one-time personality detour to bible-thumper? How does he kidnap all the adults and manage to sew their mouths shut without a struggle? And perhaps the biggest unsolved mystery of all... how does a 6'2" man with pink hair hide himself completely behind a 5'6" average build woman? These are just some of the questions I had watching this film.

It seems that Snyder was trying to make some kind of commentary on a) the "dangers" of online chatrooms, b) the hypocrisy of Christian sexual mores, and c) the effect our twisted puritanical society has on us as individuals. If that is so, he failed. The movie is just too poorly done to entertain, never mind convey social messages. The torture scenes are stupid and boring, bordering on silly (especially when Snyder goes into one of his "pain and death" monologues), and everything else is just plain dumb. The "call tracing" scene is really lame... when are the cops gonna get caller ID and *69? The young partner of the main cop character is particularly awful... he shouldn't be working as an actor, basically. And the audio in the final showdown scene is really poor. I guess they couldn't afford two boom mikes?

The rest of the acting is not awful but it's not good either. The cop is pretty one note, and his detached quality is not quite believable. Dee Snyder is actually not too bad, but he snarls and sneers way too much. Robert Englund (who deserves way better) puts in a somewhat amusing performance of a hypocritical redneck. If you're a big Robert Englund fan the movie is probably worth seeing just for him. Everyone else is forgettable.

In conclusion, we've seen all these plot elements done before and done better, in films like SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, HELLRAISER, and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. I suggest you rent one of those instead of watching this turkey. 3/10.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Strangeland (1998)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Am I the only one that actually enjoyed this movie? maybeanothertime
A film so bad they made it twice chromosomecowboy71
Strangeland on FEARnet.com jackattak
Porn Flick Robert England is watching gostate20
Capt. Howdy Vs Firefly Familly goldenaxeband
WOULD BE BETTER IF IT DIDN'T MOVE SO FREKIN FAST tyson_381
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