STRANGE
BEHAVIOR (1981)Director: Michael Laughlin
Synapse
STRANGE
BEHAVIOR (1981)STRANGE BEHAVIOR is one of the countless slasher films that arrived in the early 1980s, but this is somewhat less routine in its science fiction subtext set in a small Midwestern town. Brought to you by the same director/writer team that gave us the more ambitious STRANGE INVADERS in 1983, the film was previously available from Elite Entertainment (they discontinued it), but Synapse has now re-released it, carrying over the same transfer and same extras, but with a much better cover.
STRANGE
BEHAVIOR unveils an onscreen murder almost immediately. A boy is seen in his
room smoking what will be his last cigarette, only to be knifed, which is shown
in a mediocre silhouette shot. So unimpressive is the scene, that it resembles
one of those "low budget horror film within a low budget film" cheats.
Later, young Pete Brady (Dan Shor) in need of quick cash agrees to take part
in some behavior experiments being conducted at a local college on the suggestion
of his pal Oliver (Marc McClure of from the "Superman" and "Back
to the Future" series). Big mistake!
In
probably the strangest party scene that 1980s cinema has ever yielded, a bunch
of teens dressed like characters from 1960s TV shows get excited over 15-year-old
Lou Christie records and dance in unison! A pudgy kid dressed appropriately
as "Hoss" Cartwright from "Bonanza" is trying to push his
car while his 13-year-old(!) date has her foot on the gas. Out of nowhere, a
stranger in a black cape and a rubber "Tor Johnson" mask slaughters
Hoss. The young girl runs away, is chased through a field (reminiscent of TEXAS
CHAINSAW MASSACRE), has the back of her leg sliced, and ends up (safe) in a
swimming pool back at the party. The killer is revealed to be Pete's friend
Oliver, and the next morning he is having breakfast with his family as if nothing
wrong had happened.
As
teenagers (including the mayor's son) are found mutilated, Pete's dad, police
Chief John Brady (Michael Murphy from COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE) and the rest of
the town are baffled. Everything seems to relate back to the weirdo experiments
at the college, executed by the stiff Doctor Parkinson (British actress Fiona
Lewis, DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN). Pete becomes romantically involved with Parkinison's
receptionist (Dey Young), who doesn't have a clue to what's going on behind
closed doors. As the experimentations on Pete commence, he becomes a zombified,
emotional wreck and in the meantime, a sinister character believed to be dead
and buried years ago, may or may not be.
STRANGE
BEHAVIOR is indeed an original take on the slasher angle, but somewhat flawed
by leisurely pacing and a confused plot. Shot in New Zealand (a convincing approximation
of a secluded North American town) with mostly vacationing reliable American
thesps, the film does deliver in mood and eerieness, maintains enough suspense,
and some of the gory murders really create an impact despite unelaborate effects.
The cast is rounded out by Oscar winner Louis Fletcher (miscast as widower Murphy's
girlfriend), veteran and always old Charles Lane (from dozens of "I Love
Lucy" episodes) and the incredible Scott Brady as a tough Chicago cop (what
else?) brought in to show a small town how to handle such complicated things.
STRANGE
BEHAVIOR got limited theatrical play when it was released here by World Northal
(a small company known primarily for distributing Kung Fu flicks). Video and
TV versions suffered from some of the worst cropping ever witnessed, leaving
the film with no compositional value whatsoever. Synapse presents STRANGE BEHAVIOR
here in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with anamorphic enhancement, so one
can full appreciate Louis Horvath's Panavsion cinematography. The print has
some minor dirt and damage in spots, but otherwise the transfer looks splendid
with bright color and sharp detail, and surprisingly, very little grain. The
audio is very satisfactory, and there is even a separate Spanish-language track.
The music by Tangerine Dream is also playable by itself on a separate isolated
track, and knowing this band's following and lack of soundtrack album available,
this was a wise choice.
A commentary is provided with writer Bill Condon and stars Dan Shor and Dey Young. All three have had strong careers since making STRANGE BEHAVIOR (Condon recently directed DREAMGIRLS), and have a ball watching the film again after 20 some odd years. Condon reveals a lot of behind-the-scenes factoids (explaining why the title was changed from the original "Dead Kids" and that Klaus Kinski was initially cast) and the actors recall a lot as well, having many good laughs in the process. Two short deleted scenes are also included (with optional commentary by Condon) but are insignificant to the final cut. Theatrical trailers for the Australian (as "Dead Kids") and U.S. versions are included, as well as extensive filmographies, a still gallery and trailers for other Synapse releases. (George R. Reis)