Forbidden Zone (1980)

The bizarre and musical tale of a girl who travels to another dimension through the gateway found in her family's basement.

Director:

Richard Elfman

Writers:

Richard Elfman (story), Richard Elfman (screenplay)

Stars:

Hervé Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell, Gisele Lindley

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hervé Villechaize	...	King Fausto of the Sixth Dimension
Susan Tyrrell	...	Queen Doris of the Sixth Dimension / Ruth Henderson
Gisele Lindley	...	The Princess
Jan Stuart Schwartz	...	Bust Rod, the Servant Frog
Marie-Pascale Elfman	...	Susan B. 'Frenchy' Hercules
Virginia Rose	...	Ma Hercules
Gene Cunningham	...	Huckleberry P. Jones / Pa Hercules (as Ugh-Fudge Bwana)
Phil Gordon	...	Flash Hercules
Hyman Diamond	...	Grampa Hercules
Matthew Bright	...	Squeezit & René Henderson (as Toshiro Boloney)
Danny Elfman	...	Satan
Viva	...	Ex-Queen
Joe Spinell	...	Squeezit's Father
Brian Routh	...	Harry Kipper (as The Kipper Kids)
Martin von Haselberg	...	Harry Kipper (as The Kipper Kids)

Storyline

A mysterious door in the basement of the Hercules house leads to the Sixth Dimension by way of a gigantic set of intestine. When Frenchy slips through the door, King Fausto falls in love with her. The jealous Queen Doris takes Frenchy prisoner, and it is up to the Hercules family and friend Squeezit Henderson to rescue her.

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Plot Keywords:

dysfunctional family | some scenes animated | animated sequence | animated segments | cult film | 

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Taglines:

A chaotic musical fantasy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German

Release Date:

21 March 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tiltott zóna

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hercules Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the film's commentary, Richard Elfman reveals that the dysfunctional Hercules family was said to be inspired by some "trailer park types" he had lived next door to in Venice: "the father would yell at the mother, the mother would yell at the son, the son would yell at the daughter, the daughter would kick the dog."

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Quotes

Renee Henderson: [Renee has unchained 'herself' and is voluntarily entering a cage to be gang-probed] Oh, beat me! Kill me! Fuck my asshole!

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Alternate Versions

A colorized version of the film was authorized by director Richard Elfman in 2008.

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Connections

References Minnie the Moocher (1932)

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Soundtracks

Grand Finale
Performed Oingo Boingo
Composed by Danny Elfman
Additional Lyrics by Richard Elfman and Nicholas James
Arranged by Steve Bartek

User Reviews

If David Lynch Had Directed Betty Boop . . .

No live-action movie has ever captured the anarchic feel of the rubbery Max Fleischer cartoons of the 1930s better than "Forbidden Zone." It's an LSD-fueled Betty Boop picture mixed with "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Inferno," all filtered through David Lynch's kaleidoscope (or run through R. Crumb's Cuisinart).

The story, such as it is, deals with the adventures of Frenchy Hercules, who lives over a doorway to the "Sixth Dimension," which is ruled by King Fausto (Herve Villechaize) and Queen Doris (Susan Tyrrell) with sadomasochistic glee. The whole flick really fits the Betty Boop formula perfectly--a shapely heroine (who loves to rumba) falls from her own bizarre "reality" into an even stranger one. Much mayhem and cool swing music ensue, as Frenchy's brother and grandfather (playing the roles of Bimbo and Koko the Clown from the old Fleischer cartoons) try to rescue the unfortunate girl.

This strange mix of animation and live action really has to be seen to be believed--all very low budget and very imaginative (a quality sorely lacking in movies lately). Fans of Oingo Boingo won't want to miss this one (especially group leader Danny Elfman's Cab Calloway-like turn as Satan in the flick's best scene). There are racial and ethnic stereotypes galore, but since this movie seems to exist in an entirely different universe, it doesn't come across as offensive.

Not for everyone--but a "can't miss" for some. Worth seeing just for the musical numbers alone.