Night of the Comet (1984)

Director:

Thom Eberhardt

Writer:

Thom Eberhardt (written by)

Release Date:

16 November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

It was the last thing on earth they ever expected.

Plot:

A comet wipes out most of life on Earth, leaving two Valley Girls to fight the evil types who survive.

Plot Keywords:

Comet | Scientist | Radio Station | Dead | Killer Child

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robert Beltran	...	Hector
Catherine Mary Stewart	...	Regina
Kelli Maroney	...	Samantha
Sharon Farrell	...	Doris
Mary Woronov	...	Audrey
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Carter
Peter Fox	...	Wilson
John Achorn	...	Oscar
Michael Bowen	...	Larry
Devon Ericson	...	Minder
Lissa Layng	...	Davenport
Ivan E. Roth	...	Willy
Janice Kawaye	...	Sarah
Chance Boyer	...	Brian
Andrew Boyer	...	Rogers

Also Known As:

Teenage Mutant Horror Comet Zombies (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #27376) | Australia:M | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

5515 Wilshire Blvd., Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Thomas Coleman and Michael Rosenblatt Productions

Trivia:

On the wall at the movie theater is a poster for "Valley Girl", also starring Michael Bowen.

Goofs:

Continuity: On the morning after the comet when Regina and her boyfriend wake up in the projection booth, Regina is shown alone in the sleeping bag. It appears as though she is topless as there are no signs of her wearing a shirt or having anything over her shoulders. After a quick cut away to her boyfriend, Regina, still in the sleeping bag, can be seen wearing a "tank top" type of shirt as the shoulder straps are now visible. There was not enough time for her to put on a shirt nor did she leave the sleeping bag.

Quotes:

Dr. Carter, Project Chief: Are you pregnant?
Regina Belmont: No. Thought I was once.
Dr. Carter, Project Chief: That's not important.
Regina Belmont: Longest three weeks of my life.

Movie Connections:

References Red Dust (1932)

Soundtrack:

Jingle Bells

Classic zombie film

I think night of the comet is a classic zombie film that doesn't take the genre or itself too seriously. Its the ultimate fantasy film asking the question most people have asked themselves, namely "what would it be like to be the last people alive on earth".

Reggie and Samantha are two bickering teenage sisters only united in the passionate hatred of their stepmother Doris, who has an equal hatred for the girls. The Comet is big news and everyone is getting ready for the big event, except for Reggie and Samantha who have other things on their mind... The next day comes, and mixed with all the revellers party hats is a mysterious sand. No one seems to be around....

The premise of the film is good and whilst the acting is not the best it is still perfect for this kind of film. The characters DO have development and aren't just cardboard sketches. The zombies aren't the biggest part of the film but when they make their appearance they do please.

This film is always missed off from the classical zombie flic list usually due to its 'hollywood teenager' aimed audience. Most zombie fans ignore it on the basis that it doesn't seem to be a zombie film whilst the non-zombie fans miss out because they don't like the science fiction element. I'd love to see this film transfered and cleaned up for DVD release especially now that more and more films of this genre are making their appearance on DVD.

Don't expect a brilliant script or brilliant actors. I'd say this one is similar to the film 'dead heat' in terms of its zombie load (expect to jump once at least) and 'my best friend is a vampire' for its fantasy element.