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:

The motorcycle featured is a 1972 650cc Triumph T120 Bonneville.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Even though Los Angeles is supposed to be nearly empty, in some aerial shots, traffic can be seen.

Quotes:

Willy: You wouldn't believe what we want from you. In your worst nightmare you wouldn't believe.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Any Given Friday Night at 10PM, 9PM Central (#3.13)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Tell Me Yourself

It's, like, the end of the world and I don't have anything to wear!

"Night of the Comet" is a truly fun and engaging little genre effort of the 80's, but surely some of its hardcore fans are slightly overestimating the value and significance of this film. I've encountered reviews stating that "Night of the Comet" is a quintessential gem of 80's horror and that it's easily one of the most intelligent tributes/parodies to older B-movies ever made. Okay, the script is quite clever and writer/director Thom Eberhardt definitely knows a lot about all the post-apocalyptic classics of the 50's and 60's, but I honestly doubt it ever was his intention to direct the ULTIMATE homage. "Night of the Comet" is more like a miniature-tribute! All the obligatory story lines and sub plots to create an end-of-the-world epic are present, but Eberhardt's only disposed of a limited budget and thus the elaboration is only small-scaled and rather cheesy. There are mutated zombies, crazed scientists and hostile groups of survivors on the rampage, but all just in small doses. The movie opens during a bright summer evening, when the entire world is preparing to see a mesmerizing and once-in-a-lifetime ecological phenomenon, namely the passing of a comet. Two high-school teenagers who missed out on the event (sisters, moreover, what are the odds?) wake up the next morning and slowly realize that the comet's radiation killed every human being in L.A, only leaving behind small piles of red dust. They entrench themselves in an abandoned radio station, meet up with another sole (and male) survivor, battle the occasional mutated zombie and – of course – go shopping without credit cards. Things get slightly more dangerous when a bunch of dying scientists, who predicted the extinction of the human race, try to abduct the survivors to steal their still uncontaminated blood. The tone of "Night of the Comet" is continuously light-headed, still director Ebarhardt manages to maintain a more or less sinister atmosphere which never allow you to forget that the whole of mankind just got wiped out. The girls, although mostly concerned about fashion trends and pop music, understand the seriousness of the situation and deal with it the best way they possibly can. There are still a handful of creepy sequences (the confrontation in the mall) and well-developed Sci-Fi ideas (the diabolical scientists), but the emphasis largely lies on the two girls and their typically 80's pop-culture life-styles. I've never heard this many campy pop-songs in one movie, not even in a musical, and the special & make-up effects are kept to a minimum. The acting performances of Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney are more adequate than you'd expect, as it certainly isn't easy for young actresses to portray teenage character that are stereotypical, ignorant, fashionable and yet likable at the same time. "Night of the Comet" certainly isn't brilliant, probably even a bit overrated by its fans, but still worth a peek in case you have a weakness for 80's cinema.