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STRANGE BEHAVIOR (1981)
aka DEAD KIDS
Directed by Michael Laughlin
Elite Entertainment DVD
Reviewed 06.22.06
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Lou Christie's "Lightning Strikes"
blasts at a teenage costume party.
The kids flaunt cut-rate outfits
from 60s sitcoms. They just wanna
dance. In fact, they want YOU to
dance. When Strange Behavior
steps into the DJ booth, you've
got no choice.
Stick with me. Let's say Robert
Altman, inspired by the recent slashermania
glut of 1978-80, decided to take
a shot at one. He consulted with
Kubrick during a coffee break on
the set of The Shining.
Stanley said, "Add some sparse,
yet stylish laboratories."
Raring to go, Altman checked with
John Carpenter, who added his two
bits; "Show lots of hands doing
things...and don't forget the POVs!"
A magic wand was waved. Strange
Behavior appeared. Everybody
danced.
Strange Behavior aka Dead
Kids (original shooting title)
is an expansive semi-slasher, focusing
on a rash of mysterious murders
in a small Illinois town and bolstered
with warm, open ambiance. Characters
are fully-fleshed out. Tone and
plot meander and weave, but always
keep you glued. The photography
is often stunning. Unfortunately,
all of that richness has to go somewhere.
As the film's ego grows bigger,
our expectations follow close behind.
Expectancy can be a real bitch.
Welcome to Galesberg, Illinois.
Top cop John Brady (Michael Murphy,
Woody Allen's Manhattan
and Robert Altman vet) and his son,
Pete (Dan Shor), are gearing up
for The College Years. John's stressed.
The town's higher-ups are finding
their kids riddled with knife holes.
Thanks to a little father-son friction,
Pete volunteers for Strange Behavioral
tests at the local University. Murders
continue. An ancient deputy provides
comic relief involving fat girls.
The University holds more secrets
than Pop Brady is willing to admit.
Two mad doctors. One Tor Johnson
mask. A woman that looks like Ursa
from Superman II. Obviously,
small towns do it better.
Shot in New Zealand for a cool million,
the enigmatic Strange Behavior
does what it wants and won't listen
to reason. For the most part, that's
a great thing. Like Happy Birthday
To Me from the same year, this
is an epic, polished slasher with
a propulsive ensemble cast. It shocks
you in all the right spots (anybody
up for some bloody piss?), lays
on a thick slab of generic pop courtesy
Tangerine Dream, and keeps the tension
taught. However, unlike Happy
Birthday, Behavior
clumsily switches gears just as
your pulse hits a record beat. That's
not such a great thing. Slasher
bliss suddenly morphs into derivative
sci-fi tedium. After that, the hotshot
development is lost and the film
abruptly ends. Shoulder shrugs begin.
The dancefloor clears.
Remember Lou Christie's earlier
hit, "Two Faces Have I"?
Somebody needs to slap that sucker
on the turntable. Pronto.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Strange Behavior has always
looked terrible on VHS; cropped,
dark, and goofy. This anamorphic
widescreen print in the film's original
2.35:1 aspect ratio clears things
up considerably. Basically, the
DVD looks terrific. Colors are early
80s perfection. Damage is nonexistent.
Ditto with the mono sound. I think
you get the idea. An optional Spanish
soundtrack is also available, as
well as an isolated music score.
EXTRAS
The supplements aren't bursting
with brilliance, but what's here
is just fine by me. An upbeat, full
length commentary track acts as
a centerpiece. Co-writer Bill Condon
(he'd go onto direct Gods And
Monsters and Kinsey),
actor Dan Shor, and actress Dey
Young (Pete's girlfriend) kick back
and chat about good times and fond
memories. Everybody's in a great
mood, so the talk is consistently
flooded with facts and recollections.
The track loses steam around the
50 minute mark, but perks up when
Ms. Young asks, "Bill, have
you ever thought about directing?"
Ouch. Overall, a brisk and fun listen.
Also included are two vastly different
theatrical trailers for the feature
(one as Strange Behavior
and one as Dead Kids),
theatrical trailers for Patrick,
Thirst, and Syngenor,
two brief deleted scenes with Bill
Condon commentary, a lengthy photo
gallery, and twelve filmographies
for the film's key players.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Half-slashers make me feel half-good.
At the end of the night, Strange
Behavior's competency lingers,
but the pay-off doesn't. Maybe they
needed more fat jokes. |
I loved college
Love for sale
Phenomenal
Crud sink
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