Matinee (1993)

A small-time film promoter releases a kitschy horror film during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers:

Jerico Stone (story) (as Jerico), Charles S. Haas (story) (as Charlie Haas)

Stars:

John Goodman, Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Goodman	...	Lawrence Woolsey
Cathy Moriarty	...	Ruth Corday / Carole
Simon Fenton	...	Gene Loomis
Omri Katz	...	Stan
Lisa Jakub	...	Sandra
Kellie Martin	...	Sherry
Jesse Lee Soffer	...	Dennis Loomis (as Jesse Lee)
Lucinda Jenney	...	Anne Loomis
James Villemaire	...	Harvey Starkweather
Robert Picardo	...	Howard the Theater Manager
Jesse White	...	Mr. Spector
Dick Miller	...	Herb Denning
John Sayles	...	Bob
David Clennon	...	Jack
Lucy Butler	...	Rhonda

Storyline

A showman introduces a small coastal town to a unique movie experience and capitalises on the Cuban Missile crisis hysteria with a kitschy horror extravaganza combining film effects, stage props and actors in rubber suits in this salute to the B-movie.

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Plot Keywords:

film within a film | movie theatre | cuban missile crisis | b movie | mother son relationship | 

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Taglines:

Lawrence Woolsey presents the end of civilization as we know it. Make that... Proudly Presents!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language, and for mild violence and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Matiné

Filming Locations:

Key West, Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$9,532,895

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Renfield Productions, Falcon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The MAD magazine seen in the room of one of the kids is issue #71, from June 1962, which could very well still be laying around in a boy's bedroom a few months after release. It features Alfred E. Neuman in the center of a target.

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Goofs

When Sherry asks Stan if they really have a fallout shelter, Stan replies that yes it's in their basement. As most of Florida is just above sea level, and on coral limestone, basements are seen as impractical and aren't very common, though due to the maximum elevation, there are a few.

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Quotes

Dr. Flankon: [to Carole] Young lady, human/insect mutation is far from an exact science...

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Crazy Credits

After the credits are complete, we are treated to a quick snippet from "MANT" with the Cathy Moriarty character pining, "Oh, Bill".

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Connections

References The Wolf Man (1941)

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Soundtracks

The Great Pretender
Written by Buck Ram
Performed by The Platters
Courtesy of Polygram Special Markets

User Reviews

Tribute to those old horror films of the 50's and 60's

I felt that the advertising for this movie was somewhat misleading. I expected to see a film about John Goodman portraying a loose characterization of showman William Castle. Instead, the main focus of the film is a young boy, Gene Loomis, whose father is a soldier who is dispatched to active duty during the Cuban missile crisis, which is the time period in which this film is set. You have your typical coming-of-age themes revolving around Gene and his friends as they discover their own emerging adolescence, and this consists largely of tired material that has been done to death.

Somewhat in the background we have John Goodman as old-fashioned showman Lawrence Woolsey, a vaudevillian stuck in the age of cinema who wants to put the show back in picture shows. He is tied into the film because Gene enjoys Woolsey's showmanship as a way to forget about the world around him which seems to be on the brink of self-destruction. Woolsey pulls such stunts as having his girlfriend (Cathy Moriarty) dress a a nurse and ask patrons to sign a waiver releasing Goodman's character from liability in case they die of fright during the movie. This is based on a similar stunt by William Castle and his movie "Macabre". Woolsey also wires the seats to produce a mild electric shock during a key moment in a film, which he labels "Atomo-Vision." That antic is based on what William Castle did during the showing of "The Tingler". Then he rigs still another device to shake things up as buildings on the screen are tumbling and calls it "Rumble-Rama." Again, these are all very similar to the showman-like stunts of William Castle during the 50's and 60's.

The best part of the movie is when Woolsey comes up with an atomic-age monster movie entitled "Mant" that is a composite of cheesy 50's horror films such as "The Fly," and "Them!". "Mant" is about a mutant that is half-man and half-ant and is a total riot. Woolsey's schlock merchant displays just the right mix of con-man materialism and childlike glee at his own bogus movie magic. It's too bad that Goodman's character and his showmanship weren't the main focus of the movie - Goodman was truly born to play the part of Lawrence Woolsey.

Watching this movie really made me happy that some of William Castle's films have finally been coming out on DVD in the last couple of years, through both traditional DVD releases and through the Warner Archive manufacture on demand program. At any rate, enjoy.