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: When Regina and Sam are talking on the bridge, the position of the Diet Pepsi can sitting on the railing between them changes several times between shots.

Quotes:

Party Guest: In 1910, Haley's Comet Returned. Everyone thought they were going to die then.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Virgin in Love

A forgotten gem from the 80's

There's a lot worth forgetting about the 80's but one of the few things that decade of big hair and keyboard-drowned-music had was some of the best horror and sci-fi comedies of any time. There have been funny scary movies before and scary funny movies since, but some of the best examples of those perfectly balanced action, horror, and science fiction comedies were made in the 80's. I'm thinking of other good ones like Fright Night, American Werewolf in London, Big Trouble in Little China and on maybe a level or two below films like Return of The Living Dead and Toxic Avenger. Some people use the term spoof when referring to a lot of these movies but that's the wrong word in my opinion. Naked Gun and Airplane were spoofs, movies like Night of the Comet and Fright Night were genuine horror films that had a nice mixture of scares, drama, and tongue-in-cheek laughs. All of these elements of different genres are what made these movies unique.

While classic might be a little too strong of a word to describe Night of the Comet, I agree with most other folks here that it is a great low-budget 80's movie (maybe not low-budget, but definitely not big-budget). There was a vast amount of post-apocalyptic, low-budget horror films in the 80's but this is one that stands apart due to writer-director Thom Eberhardt's sharp, don't-take-it-all-too-seriously slant. Just the idea alone of two valley girls being among the small group of survivors of a world ending disaster is pretty cool. It took a familiar science fiction idea and made it somewhat original. But more importantly it was perfect for the times. Take Dawn of the Dead, mix in Valley Girl and Fast Times at Ridgemont High and you've got an excellent foundation for scares, action, drama and of course laughs.

The acting all around is very good for this type of flick and while it certainly isn't perfect, the entertaining and fun spirit of the movie make up for any flaws. It also can't be said enough that the presence of Catherine Mary Stewart definitely helps to elevate the movie. She was one of the most beautiful and under-appreciated actresses of the 80's and despite being in a few bigger movies and shows (The Last Starfighter, Nighthawks, Mischief, Weekend at Bernie's, Days of Our Lives, etc...), she just never really became the household name she seemed destined to be. Although no doubt she has plenty of fans like me. Unlike many lead actresses of the day in this genre, she was actually a very capable actress. Both she and Kelli Maroney give knock-out performances as two teenage girls just trying to cope with brain-eating zombies and the end of the world.

If curiosity about this movie has led you here, then I would pay little attention to the few negative reviews and trust the fact that the large majority of comments here are positive about this film. Maybe Night of the Comet isn't a forgotten "classic" by the normal standards, but it was certainly a cut above the typical low-budget horror/post-apocalyptic movies of the 80's and deserves to be seen by many. What it doesn't deserve is its current state of obscurity, its too-low rating on IMDb, and to not be available on DVD. That's the real shame of it all.