Popcorn

MOVIE #1,401 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 02.27.24 This is basically doing what Scream would do five years later, albeit coming at things from a different angle: a meta horror film that’s really about horror films themselves (only with more reggae — more on this in a bit!). I think the dated look (it's more 80s than 90s, and some of dream sequences give off Argento vibes) and its older, B-list cast (Dee Wallace, Tony Roberts, Ray Walston, etc.) probably played a part in its not connecting with a wider audience, though it certainly feels ripe for rediscover/reappraisal now. The plot surrounds a young film student and her classmates being stalked and murdered by a deranged killer inside a movie theater as they put on a classic horror triple-bill fundraiser featuring (fake) gimmicky flicks from the 50s, 60s and 70s, respectively.

The audience inside the movie is keyed up to laugh at these films-within-the-film and make jokes MST3K-style and, interestingly enough, Popcorn itself might be a movie people like to laugh at for some unintentional humor: the circle of life. Although there’s some of that stuff for sure, I’d like to posit that it’s actually a solid picture in its own right.

It's amazing how much of the fake movies actually play out in this. This was a real labor of love when you think about it, regardless of how you feel about the finished product. And it had me wishing theater experiences like this were ever real…


Much of the aforementioned unintentional and/or baffling comedy concerns this reggae group, which features prominently both on the soundtrack and on screen, when they bring them up to play when the power goes out (don’t worry how they still have juice to hook up all their equipment)...


The juxtaposition with the crazy stuff happening behind the scenes and this music is truly something. Apparently, they shot this in Jamaica [Source]. But that doesn’t totally explain why it also features songs by this group (Ossie D and Stevie G), ostensibly referencing the movie’s themes directly (see here and here). This seems like a direct choice, but I couldn’t find confirmation online.

The meta plot is fun, inventive and well-paced, and — sure — the twist ending is really wacky but the idea of the killer collecting different faces to wear is another nice allusion to the idea of horror and the arts. And it was nice seeing Tom Villard in the main villain role (I have a soft spot for him via having worn out One Crazy Summer when I was a kid). Also, this is an interesting nugget:

Adamant about not directing another horror film after Black Christmas, Bob Clark passed on the offer to helm the film and instead suggested Alan Ormsby, his Deathdream collaborator instead. Ormsby was replaced by Porky's actor Mark Herrier a few weeks into filming. The cast and crew speculated that Ormsby was fired for being too "detailed oriented" in the filming of the marathon films. Clark, an uncredited producer on the film, also acted as a "hands-on" filmmaker throughout production and served as a second unit director when needed. Ormsby is credited with directing all three of the main films within a film, while Herrier is credited with filming the present-day portions of the film. [Wikipedia]

Another fascinating footnote in the career of one of Hollywood’s most WTF filmmakers, Bob Clark.

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Popcorn is a 1991 American slasher film directed by Mark Herrier and written by Alan Ormsby. It stars Jill Schoelen, Tom Villard, Tony Roberts, Dee Wallace, and Derek Rydall. The plot follows a young woman and her friends being stalked and murdered by a deranged killer inside a movie theater. It was released on February 1, 1991.