Strange Behavior (1981)

A scientist is experimenting with teenagers and turning them into murderers.

Director:

Michael Laughlin

Writers:

Bill Condon, Michael Laughlin

Stars:

Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, Dan Shor

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Murphy	...	John Brady
Louise Fletcher	...	Barbara Moorehead
Dan Shor	...	Pete Brady
Fiona Lewis	...	Gwen Parkinson
Arthur Dignam	...	Dr. Le Sange / Nagel
Dey Young	...	Caroline
Marc McClure	...	Oliver Myerhoff
Scott Brady	...	Shea
Charles Lane	...	Donovan
Elizabeth Cheshire	...	Lucy Brown
Beryl Te Wiata	...	Mrs. Haskell
Jim Boelsen	...	Waldo
Billy Al Bengston	...	Felix Rowe
Nicole Anderson	...	Flying Nun
Bill Condon	...	Bryan Morgan

Storyline

Widowed John Brady is the Chief of Police in small town Galesburg, Illinois, where he has lived most of his life. His only offspring, Pete Brady, is a bright high school senior. John has been in turmoil since the suspicious death of his wife Catherine years earlier, which he always believed had something to do with her boss, Dr. Le Sange, who himself died shortly after Catherine's passing. Only recently has John and Pete's home life gotten back on track with John dating Barbara Moorehead, a waitress at the local hangout, she who has known John for some time. John's life takes a turn for the worse when he has to investigate the brutal slashing murders of four townsfolk in four separate incidents. A brief eyewitness statement to one of the murders before the eyewitness herself is murdered is the only substantive evidence. However, the three other victims were the sons of long time friends of his. Those three friends have a special connection to John's past. As such, he believes if the ...

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Plot Keywords:

murder | college | australian science fiction | australian horror | musical sequence in non musical work | 

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Taglines:

It's the dead of night and everybody's asleep ... almost everybody

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Australia New Zealand USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 1982 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Dead Kids

Filming Locations:

Avondale College, Victor Street, Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hemdale, Fay, Richwite, South Street Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The license plate on the character Waldo's red Thunderbird is noticeable for a split second when he gets behind the car to get the tire out of the mud. The back of the car says "Hollywood Nights" and has an Illinois tag, N2Z 264. Two years later Risky Business was released, and Tom Cruise's license plate was also an Illinois plate N2Z 264.

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Alternate Versions

Although the 1986 UK video version was uncut the 1993 Vipco release was cut by 26 secs by the BBFC to remove shots of Pete Brady vertically cutting his wrist with a knife, as this was classed as an imitable suicide technique. The cuts were expanded to 41 secs for the 2004 DVD release though the 2008 Optimum DVD restores around 14 secs via a different edit.

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Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: Victor Victoria/Silent Rage/Cat People/I Ought to Be In Pictures (1982)

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Soundtracks

Jumping out a Window
by Pop Mechanix
Copyright © Emcee Music
Reproduced with permission

User Reviews

Credentials high, however this low-budget shocker never quite takes off...

Australian-New Zealand-US co-production about modern-day teenagers in a small town "outside of Chicago" who come under the influence of a nefarious scientific team conducting paid experiments in their laboratory-fortress; the resident chief of police, harboring a grudge against the government-funded operation since the mysterious death of his wife, investigates. Director Michael Laughlin, working from a thin script by Bill Condon and himself, is very apt at creating atmosphere and mood, and the tension which slowly develops rests entirely upon these attributes (the characters and dialogue being of little consequence). His handling is, at times, uncomfortably physical, yet the violent sequences are paced in a realistically awkward manner--as if in a tumultuous dream-state. Laughlin takes it all quite seriously, with no camp overtones, though he doesn't give his first-rate cast an opportunity to do any real acting (Louise Fletcher, speaking with a light, frivolous twang, is particularly frittered away). Still, the look of the picture, the music by Tangerine Dream, and some of the horrific images are unique and memorable. *1/2 from ****