Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988)

Crazy old Professor Gangreen has developed a way to make tomatoes look human for a second invasion.

Director:

John De Bello

Writers:

Stephen Andrich (as Stephen F. Andrich), John De Bello

Stars:

Anthony Starke, George Clooney, Karen M. Waldron

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Starke	...	Chad Finletter
George Clooney	...	Matt Stevens
Karen M. Waldron	...	Tara Boumdeay (as Karen Mistal)
Steve Lundquist	...	Igor
John Astin	...	Professor Gangreen
Charlie Jones	...	TV Sportscaster
J. Stephen Peace	...	Wilbur Finletter (as Rock Peace)
Michael Villani	...	Bob Downs (as Mike Villani)
Frank Davis	...	Sam Smith
Harvey Weber	...	Sid
John De Bello	...	Charles White / Director
Ian Hutton	...	Greg Colburn
Gordon Howard	...	Pizza Customer
Rick Rockwell	...	Jim Richardson / Tomato Dealer
Costa Dillon	...	Prison Guard / Man in parking lot / SAG representative / Product placement customer / Reporter (as C.J. 'Clark' Dillon)

Storyline

Mad scientist Professor Gangreen is cooking up the second coming of the Great Tomato Uprising, in which music converted tomatoes into human form to war against mankind. Pizza delivery man Chad Finletter must save the world and beautiful tomato-girl Tara.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to rambo | muscleman | bodybuilder | running for one's life | saber | 

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Taglines:

It'll leave a bad paste in your mouth.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve Lundquist (Igor) appears in a Vidal Sassoon ad in the issue of Playboy George Clooney holds up.

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Goofs

For some reason, Chad uses hand signals when turning on his scooter despite the fact his scooter has turn signals, which he also uses.

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Quotes

Jim Richardson: [to camera] I will not be mocked any longer! I was the star in the first picture, how dare you give me two lousy lines in this picture! I want my agent, I want my publicist, I...
[Finletter knocks him out]

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Crazy Credits

The credits display in the opposite order than what is standard in the movie industry. Smaller contributors such as stage hands and supporting crew are listed first whereas the main cast aren't mentioned until the very end. Even the musicians are mentioned before the cast, appearing just before the mid-point, rather than near the end like in most movies.

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Connections

Edited from Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! (1978)

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Soundtracks

Love Theme From Return of the Killer Tomatoes
Written and Performed by Rick Patterson and Neal Fox

User Reviews

Made me laugh so much I had a side stitch

Picking up a couple of years after the original, tomatoes are now banned - which has ruined the pizza industry - and the unseen mad scientist who chalked up those giant killer tomatoes in the first film, Dr. Gangreen (John Astin) is up to his old tricks again, only this time he's using music to make tomatoes into people, and depending on the type of music being played, that determines who/what the tomato becomes. Playing sexy jazz music produces sexy blond tomato women, playing Salsa music produces Carmen Miranda, playing Church music produces the Pope, playing pop produces either a pre-white Michael Jackson look-a-like or a Don Johnson look-a-like, or if you play rock music, you get big, burly military tomato men.

As Charlton Heston's character from "Soylent Green" would say: "The killer tomatoes are PEOPLE!"

Our hero, Chad Finletter(Anthony B. Starke) falls for the attractive one time tomato Tara (Karen Mistal). Unfortunately, Tara can be changed back into a tomato whenever she hears a certain musical chord.

Full of gags (like the aforementioned multiple musical interpretations of a tomato) that include a prison dividing its cells between "Really bad guys" and "former political aids", the mime stalking Chad & Tara during their musical montage dating sequence, pot shots at how films have to feature tons of marketing in order to have a budget to get made, pot shots at bad movie marathon hosts and game shows, and let's not forget MY personal favorite, the talking teddy bear that calls out for help when Rock Peace tries to smother it. Film also features a more coherent "plot" (as it were) and served as the blue print for the animated series that later aired on Fox Kids.

Keep an eye out for it. George Clooney makes his film debut as Chad's friend and pizza co-worker Matt.

Details

Official Sites:

KT Entertainment

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Return of the Killer Tomatoes: The Sequel

Filming Locations:

Seacoast Natural Foods - 3352 Adams Ave., San Diego, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Four Square Productions, Tomatos II

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1