Neon Maniacs (1986)

User Rating:

3.0/10   

Director:

Joseph Mangine

Writer:

Mark Patrick Carducci (writer)

Release Date:

November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Comedy

Tagline:

There are twelve good reasons to be afraid of the dark. And everyone of them is a killer

Plot:

A group of teenagers in San Francisco discover a nest of homicidal monsters living in a tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, but when they try to tell authorities, no one believes them.

Plot Keywords:

Monster | City | Decapitation | Police | Slit Throat

Cast

Clyde Hayes	...	Steven (as Alan Hayes)
Leilani Sarelle	...	Natalie
Donna Locke	...	Paula
Victor Brandt	...	Devin
David Muir	...	Wylie
Marta Kober	...	Lorraine
P.R. Paul	...	Eugene
Jeff Tyler	...	Wally
Amber Denyse Austin	...	Lisa
James Acheson	...	Ray
Chuck Hemingway	...	Gary
Bo Sabato	...	Manello
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson	...	Carson
John Lafayette	...	Thomas
Gene Bicknell	...	Cozzie

Also Known As:

Evil Dead Warriors (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1989) | Italy:VM18 | Australia:R | Norway:15 | USA:R | UK:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cimarron Productions

Trivia:

Andrew Divoff's film debut.

Quotes:

Natalie: What's his or her name?
Steven: Dog!
Natalie: You named your dog "Dog?"
Steven: See, I thought about 'Cat', but...

Movie Connections:

References Blade Runner (1982)

Soundtrack:

We Had Enough

Let me ruin your evening...

Well, this goofy, gimmick heavy cult monster movie didn't ruin *my* evening. It's silly enough to be somewhat amusing.

A dozen assorted creatures, each with its own style of dress and murder, emerge from inside the Golden Gate Bridge at night and slaughter people. They kill all of Natalie's (Leilani Sarelle) friends, and, of course, when she tells the cops what she saw, they refuse to believe her outlandish story. She makes friends with "nice guy" Steven (Allan Hayes of "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter") as well as spunky kid Paula (Donna Locke), an avid horror buff who tries to get proof of the creatures' existence and inadvertently discovers that their weakness is contact with good old fashioned H2O.

This little known movie is so 1980's that it hurts, with an all-too-typical electronic music score that is really the crowning touch. The effects are not spectacular but they are acceptable. The picture might have been more fun if it were more stylish or energetic but the director Joseph Mangine is clearly not in his element - usually he's a cinematographer of B movies like "Squirm", "Alligator" and "Alone in the Dark" (1982).

The film suffered some production problems, resulting in recasting of some of the creature performers as well as Mangine handling cinematography as well as direction after the original DP (Oliver Wood) left the production.

Sarelle went on to play Roxy in "Basic Instinct", and debuting actor Andrew Divoff, playing the role of "Doc" here, is now best known as the star of the "Wishmaster" series.

"Neon Maniacs" is okay for what it is but that's about it.

5/10