THE HORROR SHOW (1989)
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80s horror has Det. Lucas McCarthy (Lance Henriksen) finally catching vicious serial killer Max Jenke (Brion James). Jenke is sentenced to die in the electric chair, but doesn’t go down easily. McCarthy is continually plagued by nightmares of the killer’s exploits, but soon finds out that it may not be simply bad dreams, but Jenke himself haunting the detective and his family for revenge.
Flick is directed by James Isaac from a script by Leslie Bohem and Allyn Warner, the latter credited under the pseudonym of “Alan Smithee.” It’s a silly horror flick with a ridiculous plot, but entertaining, as the filmmakers were smart enough to play it quite straight. There is some gory violence and some intense scenes, but the plot gets sillier as, much like another dream demon, Freddy Krueger, McCarthy can only stop Jenke by bringing him back into the physical world and blowing him away. It’s ludicrous, but still amuses and the gore and FX are handled very effectively. There are some nasty dream sequences and the cast all play their parts well. There is an moody score by the legendary Harry Manfredini and some nice cinematography by Mac Ahlberg to ad atmosphere.
Lance Henriksen is always the pro and no matter how over-the-top things get, He gives McCarthy an intensity and strength, yet also makes it believable that Jenke scares him. As “Meat Clever Max” Jenke, Brion James is in Krueger territory being way over-the-top and having a good time with it. He makes Jenke a scary dude, even if his antics are familiar. Rita Taggart is good as Lucas’ caring and concerned wife, Donna. Dedee Pfeiffer (Vamp), in her second only horror flick, is sweet and sexy as their teen daughter, Bonnie. She’s a prime target of Jenke. Rounding out is Aron Eisenberg as her younger sibling, Scott. Unfortunately he’s a bit annoying. There is also a smaller role played by Day of the Dead’s Terry Alexander, as McCarthy’s ill-fated partner, Casey. A good cast that play the material straight and help it be far more effective than it has any right to be.
Overall, this is a silly flick in true 80s style that gets a lot of milage out of it’s ridiculous story by simply playing it straight. It has some nasty violence and manages to be effective, despite it’s silly and familiar premise. Not a classic, but an amusing example of 80s horror, especially in the later half of the decade where colorful and over-the-top was more the style.
-MonsterZero NJ
Rated 3 (out of 4) meat cleavers.
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