Strays

If you love watching terrible horror films (as I do) this is the one to watch.

It really has no redeeming features except that it is hilarious.

I have seen this film twice and would have watched it more but for some reason it doesn't get shown on TV anymore and I can't find a copy to buy on DVD.

Do not expect to feel scared or nervous while watching this movie as it lacks all the elements that make a horror movie a horror movie. There is no tension, no shocks and no gore.

The acting is terrible, the plot is awful and the effects are ridiculous, it makes you wonder if the people who made it actually watched it before offering it to the general public, but thank god they did.

Back then, things were more engrossing on the television. Before The Jersey Shore, and those other pop culture "reality" shows. This was pretty anxiety driven, and kept me tense. I liked it. But, I am old and came up with stuff in this format and script. I think if we got back to stuff like this, maybe pigs could stop killing us in the street, and we'd get along better. Cat violence always makes sense... I guess. Also, I accidentally found out that her sister in this is also in "The Hidden". Another great movie.

Is it a horror movie? A spoof? Are the movie's creators really trying to rip-off Fatal Attraction? Is this a movie about an alternative universe? I don't know.

All I know is one night I was flipping channels and saw Timothy Busfield wrestling with a soggy kitty puppet and throwing it around his kitchen and had one of the best laughs of my entire life.

I spent the next few years searching for this movie.

When I finally saw it again and watched the whole thing I was bored to tears and irritated by the stupidity of the characters and late 80's "TV movie" budget.

Then I got my money's worth.

I love cats, don't get me wrong, but I find something inherently, cruelly, disturbingly funny about cats being abused in movies (ex: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation), and this one tops them all.

See: **cats being flung at windshields**Kathleen Quinlan tossing (fake) cats around like dirty socks after she thinks they're eating her baby**K.Q. in the same scene squeezing a cat up against the wall with the door after it attacks her hateful girl-child. The cat grunts on the soundtrack, and I'm rolling on the couch in paroxysms of laughter**Timothy Busfield in a career-ending wrestling match with a gamey, fur covered puppet. He throws it out the window, chucks it into a microwave and threatens it with electroshock therapy, but it keeps coming back for more, always accompanied by those great stock "cat screech" sound f/x used in comedies.

People who have an unhealthy love of cats as "cute, darling little pets" should stay away, they won't be amused. For the rest of us, who recognize that cats are cute but have claws and fangs for a reason (to kill things with) and think they're kind of weird and creepy even at the best of times, there are some unforgetful laff-out-loud moments.

I'm laughing as I write this, thinking about the last scene. Thank you, Hollywood, for this stupid, stupid movie!!

Mid-2019 is actually the first time I have even heard of the 1991 movie "Strays". Being listed as a horror movie, and with me always having loved cats, of course I had to sit down and watch it as I had the chance.

Now, the word 'horror' might be a bit too much to use about "Strays". It wasn't really particularly scary. Actually, when you step back and look at the storyline, then it is actually a rather silly script and storyline. I mean, a family moving into a house and find themselves terrorized by a pack of stray cats. Sure, it was fun to watch. But realistic? No, not even in the least. Especially since humans are far better equipped for handling themselves against felines, so it made little sense that the cats could cause so much havoc and distress for the family members.

"Strays" was definitely a campy and cheesy horror movie, but that was also what made the movie watchable. It was such an outrageous storyline that you just wanted to keep watching and see what happens next, and see how humans are outwitted by cats. Yeah, so very, very realistic.

The movie actually was surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining for what it turned out to be. But it is hardly a movie that you'll watch more than once. I hadn't heard about it before 2019, and I doubt that I will ever sit down to watch it ever again, as it just didn't have enough material to it to support multiple viewings.

The acting in the movie was adequate, taking into consideration the limitations of the script and storyline.

All in all, a mediocre movie with some watchable value to it, but hardly an outstanding movie in the horror genre.

Paul (Timothy Busfield, "Revenge of the Nerds") and Lindsey (Kathleen Quinlan, "Apollo 13") are a big city couple who move to the country, with their adorable daughter Tessa (played by twins Heather and Jessica Lilly) in tow. All seems well at first, but it turns out that the immediate area has a VERY bad feral cat problem. Eventually, this gang of cats start attacking these schmuck humans en masse.

"Strays" is so very, very average. Even in its more suspense-oriented final half hour, it offers little in the way of thrills, although the fiendish felines are clearly as well trained as cats can be. The leader of these cats IS a pretty nasty looking creature. The dopey script is by Shaun Cassidy (yeah, THAT Shaun Cassidy), who also functions as co-producer, and his dialogue is pretty bad overall. His script is plenty predictable; when Paul & Lindsey acquire a dog, one automatically assumes that the poor thing is going to come to a bad end.

The main plus is a supporting performance by super-sexy Claudia Christian ('Babylon 5'). She plays Claire, Lindsey's vampish sister who Paul is representing in a divorce case. Also co-starring is the great character actor William Boyett ("The Hidden"), who's a hoot as a gruff veterinarian. Busfield and Quinlan try to be likeable, but their characters are pretty insipid; these two have been better served in other projects. The twist is that allergy-prone Paul must be the one to figure out how to deal with the problem.

This is NOT for hardcore horror fans. With an extremely minimal body count, and a lack of scares and tension (not to mention gore), this will mostly appeal to viewers who get a kick out of bad movies.

Five out of 10.