A burned out writer retreats to a northwest town called Hellview to write the great American novel. Unfortunately for him, the lighthouse he is renting is inhabited by the spirit of a woman...
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Title: Hysterical (1983)
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Bill Hudson | ... | Frederic Lansing / Casper | |
| Mark Hudson | ... | Dr. Paul Batton | |
 |
Brett Hudson | ... | Fritz |
| Cindy Pickett | ... | Kate | |
| Richard Kiel | ... | Captain Howdy | |
| Julie Newmar | ... | Venetia | |
| Robert Donner | ... | Ralph | |
| Murray Hamilton | ... | Mayor | |
| Clint Walker | ... | Sheriff | |
| Franklyn Ajaye | ... | Leroy | |
| Charlie Callas | ... | Dracula | |
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Amanda H. Bearde | ... | Teenage Girl |
|
|
Pamela Bowman | ... | New York Model #2 |
| Robert Alan Browne | ... | New York Press Man | |
|
|
Sue Casey | ... | Bookstore Society Lady #2 |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A burned out writer retreats to a northwest town called Hellview to write the great American novel. Unfortunately for him, the lighthouse he is renting is inhabited by the spirit of a woman who killed herself there one hundred years before and now wants him to replace her lost love, Captain Howdy. When Captain Howdy is resurrected, two daring adventure seekers are brought in to solve the case and find out the secret of the lighthouse. Written by Todd A. Bobenrieth <TAB146@PSUVM.EDU>
Taglines:
The Movie You're Holding in Your Hand is So Bad it's HYSTERICAL! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
July 1983 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Ein Sprung in der Schüssel See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Dr. Paul Batton: We've got trouble!
Fritz: Right here in River City!
All: With a capital T and that rhymes with G and that stands for GHOUL!
Kate: We've got Captain Howdy!
Dr. Paul Batton: Right here in Hellview City!
Fritz: With a capital C and that rhymes with Z and that stands for Zom... bie.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Released in July of 1983, the dancing zombies of Hysterical predate Michael Jackson's Thriller release by about 4 months. See more »Quotes
[Dr. Paul Baton, Fritz, and Kate all run to the sheriff's office.]Dr. Paul Batton: We've got trouble!
Fritz: Right here in River City!
All: With a capital T and that rhymes with G and that stands for GHOUL!
Kate: We've got Captain Howdy!
Dr. Paul Batton: Right here in Hellview City!
Fritz: With a capital C and that rhymes with Z and that stands for Zom... bie.
See more »
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I just saw this movie on cable (not, I assure you, by design). The plot is pretty much as described here in the IMDb. "Hysterical" IS pretty hysterically awful, but it does not quite fit in the category of Movies So Bad They're Good. Yes, the plot is clichéd and predictable. Yes, it stars the Hudson Brothers, those inoffensive pop products from the Seventies who were quickly forgotten in the Eighties. I, for one, certainly hadn't thought about them since then and had no idea they'd made a movie. It also features a gaggle of supporting actors whose faces will be recognizable to anyone who watched movies and TV in the Sixties and Seventies or who watches TVLand today. The female lead is Cindy Pickett, who looks and acts so wholesome here that it's hard to believe she appeared in an earlier film, Roger Vadim's "Night Games," that was very erotic. She radiates essentially no sexual luster in "Hysterical." Still, the production values are surprisingly good for a bad movie. It looks and feels like a real movie; this is not Edward D. Wood stuff. The Hudson Brothers actually manage to work up a respectable comic energy. There are a few breakout scenes that are extremely funny, especially the big production number with dancing zombies in an amusement park, and a too-brief scene in which the brothers try to confuse some pursuing zombies with an impromptu doo-wop session. The movie also works in sendups of a lot of other films ("Vertigo," "Marnie," "The Rocky Horror Show," "Chariots of Fire," and "Night of the Living Dead," to name just a few). All in all, this is a movie that is fun to see once just for laughs.