Some films have a way of sticking out that is inexplicable. Explaining the plot of this movie (hippies took bad acid in the 60's and the delayed effect 10 years later is making them all homicidal bald lunatics who go berserk and kill, and only one guy can stop it all but he's on the run) is NOT the way to point out the joys of this film experience that keep one returning for more. This can only be done in one way, listing the movie's virtues:
**a memorable, creepy and weird theme song **a high level of tension even though there's no "mystery" to be solved **Zalman King's loony and inappropriate "method" acting **homicidal bald lunatics who go berserk and kill **puppets of Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand **a man going insane in a '70's disco **a cameo by one of the witches from "Bewitched" **camp humor.
There's something really satisfying about watching a woman in a robe with a bald cap on chasing around ugly, bad acting little kids with a knife. There's something wonderful about Zalman King screaming and pounding his arms against a door frame for no known reason, then walking around going "Huff! Huff! Huff!" forever after. I love how a good chunk of time is spent on a fetish-y moment when King buys a gun and is taught how to use it. If you've seen this you know what I mean. Like...hunhhh? Or why does King's girlfriend enunciate her sentences wrong, she says "I wanna GO with you!" instead of what she means, "I wanna go WITH you." She's a terrible actress, this Deborah Sweeny, but she's so spunky and has such an interesting face I can't look away. The same with King--his intensity was better suited to raping schoolgirls in "Trip With The Teacher" or being hostile in "Galaxy Of Terror," and who encouraged his "acting choice" of constantly stuffing his hands in his pockets every few seconds? There's also very little logic, conclusions are reached too quickly and what in HELL is with the junkie in the park? It all just comes out of nowhere and leaves just as quickly...
...and that's why I love this movie. Anyone can make a solid mystery, this flick is a quirk-fest. When I was young watching this on t.v. the tension of the last 20 minutes about gave me a heart attack, now it's sleep-inducing. Movies have changed a bit since then, obviously, and this probably doesn't "work" anymore. But I return to it again and again, I'm glad they gave it a good DVD re-master and included that weird and wonderful soundtrack. Oh, and did I mention the PUPPETS??
