Night of the Comet

"Night of the Comet" is a truly fun and engaging little genre effort of the 80's, but surely some of its hardcore fans are slightly overestimating the value and significance of this film. I've encountered reviews stating that "Night of the Comet" is a quintessential gem of 80's horror and that it's easily one of the most intelligent tributes/parodies to older B-movies ever made. Okay, the script is quite clever and writer/director Thom Eberhardt definitely knows a lot about all the post-apocalyptic classics of the 50's and 60's, but I honestly doubt it ever was his intention to direct the ULTIMATE homage. "Night of the Comet" is more like a miniature-tribute! All the obligatory story lines and sub plots to create an end-of-the-world epic are present, but Eberhardt's only disposed of a limited budget and thus the elaboration is only small-scaled and rather cheesy. There are mutated zombies, crazed scientists and hostile groups of survivors on the rampage, but all just in small doses. The movie opens during a bright summer evening, when the entire world is preparing to see a mesmerizing and once-in-a-lifetime ecological phenomenon, namely the passing of a comet. Two high-school teenagers who missed out on the event (sisters, moreover, what are the odds?) wake up the next morning and slowly realize that the comet's radiation killed every human being in L.A, only leaving behind small piles of red dust. They entrench themselves in an abandoned radio station, meet up with another sole (and male) survivor, battle the occasional mutated zombie and – of course – go shopping without credit cards. Things get slightly more dangerous when a bunch of dying scientists, who predicted the extinction of the human race, try to abduct the survivors to steal their still uncontaminated blood. The tone of "Night of the Comet" is continuously light-headed, still director Ebarhardt manages to maintain a more or less sinister atmosphere which never allow you to forget that the whole of mankind just got wiped out. The girls, although mostly concerned about fashion trends and pop music, understand the seriousness of the situation and deal with it the best way they possibly can. There are still a handful of creepy sequences (the confrontation in the mall) and well-developed Sci-Fi ideas (the diabolical scientists), but the emphasis largely lies on the two girls and their typically 80's pop-culture life-styles. I've never heard this many campy pop-songs in one movie, not even in a musical, and the special & make-up effects are kept to a minimum. The acting performances of Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney are more adequate than you'd expect, as it certainly isn't easy for young actresses to portray teenage character that are stereotypical, ignorant, fashionable and yet likable at the same time. "Night of the Comet" certainly isn't brilliant, probably even a bit overrated by its fans, but still worth a peek in case you have a weakness for 80's cinema.

Cheesy, but enjoyable satire is like the poor man's version of 28 Days Later (2002) with a big chunk of '80's vibe for flavor!

Comet eliminates the worlds population, leaving surviving sisters to fend against a group of demented scientists.

While many peg Night of the Comet as a zombie picture, and granted two or three zombies do show up along the way, this film really has much more in common with the old B sci-fi movies of the 1950s. In fact, one could make a good case that the film is meant to be a comical parody of those old schlock films, after all it does have a nice comic book feel! From any view, this is an entertaining film even with its silly moments. It manages to stir up a few chills along with the laughs.

The films cast is only decent, but their performances do hold their own. The special FX, mostly the zombies, are pretty decent. The music score is composed mainly of electronic tunes that perfect that great '80's feel!

For those seeking a bit of fun humor with their horror, Night of the Comet isn't a bad choice.

*** out of ****

I am horribly fascinated with EotW films. This particular endeavor may very well have been the cause. I was 12 when I first viewed it. It impressed upon my mind the possibility that all could be lost....and then....it could actually get worse. But what distinguishes it as one of the worthy few among films of it's kind is simple. They had a believable reason for the calamity. Moreover, they explained how and why the heroes were spared. Instead of obsessing over the hidden mechanism by which people were elected to survive or die, the viewer could relax and enjoy the rest of the story. Although it's fashion sense is long lost, I believe that lovers of this genre will appreciate it's adventurous spirit.

A comet wipes out most of life on Earth, leaving two Valley Girls (Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney) to fight the evil types who survive.

This came from producer Wayne Crawford, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film "Valley Girl" (as well as being the primary creative force behind "Barracuda"). I like to think Crawford had some important contributions to "Comet", but who knows? This was directed by Thom Eberhardt, who went on to make "Captain Ron" (1992).

Many people love this film, and Stewart and Maroney are always big hits on the convention circuit. I liked it, too, though perhaps not as much as some people. The film was funny, quirky and entertaining, though it never quite escalates from "good" to "cult classic", and I am curious to see if this will get some new eyes looking on it with the amazing Scream Factory release.

I will say the script is more clever than it first appears, though, once you begin to connect the dots on subtle jokes (such as when the comet struck and who has been playing the arcade game).

Hey, you can complain about it all you want folks, but this is classic 80s!!! Those of you who feel nostalgic when you hear synth music, see super fluffy layered hair with LOTS of Aqua net, and skintight SV's or Jordache, this is for you.

Robert Beltran is our Ponchlike hero, we who are Trekkers have come to know him as Chakotay from ST: Voyager, but some of you 80s buffs might remember him as "RAOUL" from a little picture from around the same year called "Eating Raoul" with the great Mary Waronov, who is also briefly in this movie as a mad scientist/zombie gone good with a conscience. Her part I wish had been larger, and that her interaction with Beltran had been more detailed... they are great on screen together, and she fits right in with this 80s camp.

Catherine Mary Stewart who used to be Kayla Brady on Days of our Lives shines as the tough chick, while cute Kelly Maroney of Ryan's Hope is her naive cheerleader sister. Sorry if some of you think it is awful, but if you grew up during the time this film was made, I believe you will really enjoy it. The music is really nostalgic... there's one slow song that is really reminiscent of the Frank Stallone days when he was on top with "Staying Alive"... Anyone remember "Moody Girl"? This song will remind you of that, and this movie will make you long for days before the world lost all it's creativity and started copying everything great from that time.

Enjoy, Children of the 80s, this one's for you.

PS... Had to edit this upon just watching it again... How funny and predictive is it that Kelly says "Beam me up Scotty"... As The future Chakotay is listening!" :)