Pluskylang
Great Film overall
MoPoshy
Absolutely brilliant
Erica Derrick
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
sunznc
Strange Behavior really is a strange film. It is haunting, disturbing and so easy to be drawn into even with it's faults.The acting is excellent by everyone. Even the young lead Dan Shor was talented enough to show a wide range of facial expressions that conveyed what he was feeling by the smallest expressions. Some of the gore is played out very slowly and is so very hard to watch. One scene is a man's worst nightmare in a way you may not think. But beyond the gore are the bizarre and odd scenes that sometimes come to an abrupt halt. My thinking is the editor didn't have as much to work with as he had hoped. Some scenes end hastily which adds to the mystery of what is going on.In contrast, many of the sets are bright white with a pearlescent or shiny surface, some pastel mixed in here and there in paint or neon. One thinks of the surface of candy or TV commercial cleanliness. Other scenes show the beauty of the unspoiled countryside, the lives of people here are simple and uncomplicated. And along comes horror, the result of some gruesome killings.It's hard to believe that this film has stayed under the radar so long. Horror fans will love this and hopefully more people will discover it. But, it isn't for everyone.
wes-connors
In a small New Zealand (as Illinois) town, future acclaimed filmmaker Bill Condon (as Bryan Morgan) is stabbed in silhouette after his parents leave him home alone. Elsewhere, aging teenager Dan Shor (as Pete Brady) is having trouble persuading "top cop" father Michael Murphy (as John) to sponsor an application to Galesburg College. To raise money, Mr. Shor accompanies pal Marc McClure (as Oliver Myerhoff) to the college's psychology department, where the lads are paid $200 to volunteer for some supposedly harmless experiment. Administered by creepily sexy Fiona Lewis (as Gwen Parkinson), you can bet the experiment has something to do with the film's rising body count... "Strange Behavior" features some of the usual genre missteps, but they're interjected with freshness. The characters are introduced uniquely. Shor shows his cheeks, and Mr. Murphy clips his toenails at the breakfast table. Louise Fletcher (as Barbara Moorehead) is okay, but in a much smaller role than heralded. Best of all is a sixties TV costume party kicked off by Lou Christie's hit single "Lightnin' Strikes" (1966) and ending in what can be described as "Uncle Fester" stabbing "Hoss Cartwright" to death. The Tangerine Dream soundtrack is sweet. Director Michael Laughlin, working with Mr. Condon, nicely mixes fright with fun, and they neatly construct an unexpected plot twist.****** Strange Behavior (10/16/81) Michael Laughlin ~ Dan Shor, Michael Murphy, Fiona Lewis, Louise Fletcher
innocuous
SB is definitely not a reminder of the teen slasher/slasher runs loose at camp/sorority house serial killer films of the 80s. The violence is quite mild (with the possible exception of a certain bathroom scene), there's no mystery about who the killer is or why they're killing, and there's no gratuitous nudity. (In fact, I don't recall any nudity at all.) The plot, which revolves around the ability of mad scientist types to remotely control the behavior of teens and to make them commit murder, is hackneyed and dated even by the standards of the early 80s. The viewer is let in on the plot fairly early in the film. Combined with the low overall body count (and some inexplicable gaps in the storyline,) the film can be both boring and puzzling.Several well-known actors put in obligatory roles, but only Louise Fletcher seems embarrassed by her marginal and insignificant character. Fiona Lewis plays...well, Fiona Lewis. Charles Lane appears in the movie, but we're never sure exactly why. Dan Shor is a somewhat odd and inappropriate choice as the teen lead. He was 25 when the movie was made and while this is not uncommon in casting teens, he is not able to pull it off. Besides being a couple inches shorter than the romantic interest, he walks around like a zombie BEFORE he's zombified and his face makes him look like he's just come off a three-day bender. From the right angle, he'll remind you of William Katt, but with none of Katt's charm or boyish sense of humor.One distinctive touch to this movie is the odd little scene that serves as a coda. The scene does not really serve any purpose...there are no revelations...no suggestions that "the evil" will return...no surprises or shocks...no final resolution of the fate of Fiona Lewis's character. It's just filler stuck on the end.In spite of all the film's flaws, it is fairly well-made and the NZ scenery does stand in well for Illinois. Overall, it's quite competent, just not memorable.Strictly for those who enjoy such movies, as there is little else to recommend it other than the genre.
lost-in-limbo
Galesberg, Illinois is a sleepy, small town where brutally strange murders are occurring. Sheriff John Brady believes it has something to with some secret experiments being performed on the local teenagers by a collage's psych department led by Dr Gwen Parkinson. Also unknowingly to John, his son Pete has signed up to the program in the hope the money he earns off it, would go a long way for him getting into his preferred collage. Slashers hey. God love 'em! Well this was around the same time when the craze for it was huge in the horror genre. But that in mind, while I found the New Zealand/Australian co-production "Dead Kids" to follow the conventional methods and clichés. It still manages to hold its own within the sub-genre because of its quirky charm, realistic touch and overall edgy style that sets it apart from many rancid entries. There's something quite compelling about it all, even though the fractured story could have been far more fulfilling in its matter. Mainly it comes off because the sterling performances are very convincing in setting up their characters, the story's progression is unforeseeable with a unique premise (that could be lifted right out of those early horror 30's and 40's features of mad scientists) and Michael Laughlin's pastel direction has a freshly polish tinge about it that comes off very well in some superbly choreographed scenes that are stylishly unusual (loved the inspired party scene with Lou Christie's "Lighting Strikes"), unnervingly creepy (the scarecrow scene) or just plain suspenseful. If there's one downer to Laughlin's direction though, it's that the most of the imaginatively nasty death/or attack scenes are executed rather sloppily and can look silly. At least they were grisly and had some splatter to spare, but in the long run it wasn't trying to be pointlessly gory or wanting to up the body count. It's a moody atmosphere that slowly engages the viewer with its mysteriously offbeat vibe and nail biting jolts created from its wholesome reality. Streaming through the script is a welcome slice of humour that has the right sense towards its material. The production is that of low budget, but it doesn't show up prominently with many professional elements working in favour on the project. While the film is set in US, it was actually filmed in New Zealand with a mostly American cast. The picture-perfect setting authentically comes across and makes good of the atmosphere. Louis Horvath's wide scope Panavison cinematography is gorgeously framed with such hypnotic verve and the Tangerine Dream's effectively airy music score has that alienating awe to it. Australian producer Antony I. Ginnane backed this one and has some other great films under his belt that he managed to get the screen, like "Turkey Shoot", "Patrick", "Harlequin" and "The Survivor". Michael Laughlin would go on to direct "Strange Invaders" and screenwriter Bill Condon would be recognised for penning and directing "Gods and Monsters (1998)". Though, he first kicked of his flair for direction with effectively minor southern Gothic shocker "Sister, Sister (1987)". The performances are particularly fine. Dan Shor is ideal as the Pete and Dey Young has a very appealing presence on screen. Michael Murphy holds it together with an admirably focused turn as sheriff Brady. Fiona Louis really eats it up as the icy Dr Parkinson. Making up the rest in bit parts are Marc McClure, Johnny Guitar, Charles Lane, Arthur Dignam and very warm-hearted Louise Fletcher.A definite oddity that works a treat in what it sets out to do. Recommended.
