Night of the Comet (DVD, 2007)

1984's Night of the Comet was basically made to stir up a deadly possibility for the next arrival of Hayley's Comet back in 1986, much the way of HG Wells' War of the Worlds. Unfortunately, this low budget fright flick's comet based terror mostly happens at the very beginning. The rest of the film deals with a secret think tank of scientists trying to save their own lives at the expense of comet survivors.

This is basically the tale of 2 sisters, Regina/Reg (Catherine Mary Stewart) & Samantha/Sam (Kelli Maroney) who appear at 1st to be the sole survivors of the comet's passing. It was a big world wide party to welcome the comet's arrival until it turned everyone to dust! Unfortunately, That is far from the case! Besides the devious scientists, there are other survivors that were only partially exposed. They turn into hideous flesh eating zombies! The girls fight for their lives from both Zombies & scientists!

Despite the zombies, this is not a gore fest by any stretch & there are very few "jump out of your seat" thrills. This plays out as more of an action thriller than a horror chiller. This does not mean that it doesn't have it's moments & we are treated to many plot twists & turns. The music is a little cheesy, but the makeup effects are quite good!

Stewart & veteran character actor Geoffrey Lewis (Every Which Way But Loose, Any Which Way You Can) are the really only headliners here, but horror buffs will easily recognize B horror star Mary Waronov (best known for Eating Raoul) & her Raoul co-star Robert Beltran (best known as ST Voyager's Commander Chakoty). The unknown cast turns in solid performances though. Maroney, despite being a 16 year old cheerleader, is the film's "sexpot" as she wears her cheerleader uniform for most of the film & is garbed sexily &/or scantily the rest of the time showing off a generous amount of her legs!

In a year for Horror that saw the 1st arrival of Freddy Kruger, the Gremlins & the Ghostbusters, Night of the Comet is definitely a runner up, but it is a solid B grade horror movie in the tradition of many B horror flicks that filled theaters in the late 70s & early 80s. These are much better than the trash Z grade horror flicks that choke the shelves of video stores & air on The Sci-Fi Channel now! Comet is a nice edition to anybody's horror library & despite some language & a little violence, is actually tame enough for younger viewers to enjoy!

A fun little bit of 80's sci-fi camp. A mysterious comet reduces anyone standing outside into dust. Only Los Angeles theater usher Regina Belmont, her cheerleader little sister Samantha and Regina's boyfriend Larry survive by staying indoors. But when Larry is killed and partially eaten by an insane homeless man, it becomes apparent to the two sisters that those partially exposed to the comet's light are turned into insane zombie-like creatures that kill healthy people to drink their blood. Together with fellow survivor Hector Gomez, a truck driver, the girls make the most of post-apocalyptic L.A.

this is a nice pop corn horror movie that was made in the 80s, its about two valley girls who try to survive after a freak comet hits earth and kills most of the humans, and the ones that dont die right away turn to flesh eating zombies that can speak and do normal things except eat other people


this is a good movie but no special features on this dvd


still worth buying though

A++++

I never thought I would say that anything from 1984 could be quaint, but Night of the Comet has many period qualities to it. My favorite part of the movie is fairly close to the beginning where a neighborhood theatre, the El Rey, is showing a "Midnight Comet Special". This is a classic theatre and there are great shots of the marquee, the concession area, and the projection booth. There's a classic daughter-stepmother girlfight, a visit to an improbable but still thoughtfully designed automated radio station, and plenty of shoot-out action in a shopping mall. Even the indoor mall is getting dated as most of them have already been demolished.

There's action galore with motorcycle riding Regina and her sister Samantha taking on the comet affected zombies, as they're military brats with self-defense and weapons training. The dialogue is snappy and tart, with plenty of memorable lines, and is about the only reason for the PG-13 rating. With most of the population wiped out by the comet and a team of mad scientists after the few legitimate survivors, a country boy truck driver adds just enough balance for the "good guys" to triumph and begin a new civilization.

This is an excellent transfer and in widescreen so you don't miss anything. You can't take this one too seriously, but you can certainly enjoy it over and over.

The movie is campy, silly and just a little bit nuts. Its everything that is bad about 80's horror films. And thats everything thats GOOD about 80's horror films! If you're a fan of horror from that era, I highly recommend Night Of The Comet. Grab some popcorn and root for the valley girls to slay the zombies!