"Buy a Bag, Go Home in a Box"

I have very fond memories of watching Popcorn when I was younger. I was maybe 12 or 13, and something about the movie just entertained me to no end. Now, here we are 15 years later, and I'm somewhat disappointed to report that Popcorn doesn't hold Up very well; Not at all actually...

Popcorn, for those unfamiliar, concerns itself with a group of film students putting on a three film horror marathon at a local theatre in its final weeks. They uncover an old reel for an experimental film, titled “The Possessor”, and, needless to say, after viewing it, people start dying (gasp!). Yeah, it's hardly original, but the slasher film is a tried and true formula that seldom deviates from film to film. What's worse is that every other horror cliché you can imagine pops up in this film, from events tied to dreams to Popcorn's ultimate reveal (which I won't disclose, but if you have any sort of a brain you'll figure it out on your own), and everything in between.

It's not all bad though, as Popcorn does have one positive thing going for it, its setting. Horror films taking place in movie theaters are generally quite good (Demons, Anguish), and are right up there with hospitals as my favorite horror settings. The setting allows the film makers to pay homage to the William Castle gimmick flicks of the 50's and 60's by making the marathon consist of films that incorporate gimmicks, such as 'Smell-O-Vision' and electric buzzer rigged seats. It's a clever nod to a bygone era that I a wish I had experienced. The audience seems to have a good time watching the films, yelling at the screen in 'Rocky Horror' fashion, and it's easy to enjoy watching them have such a good time as everyone backstage is being killed by the same gimmicks the audience is enjoying in the theater.

The most disappointing component of Popcorn is the villain. It's too bad, because the villain is essentially the make or break aspect of a successful slasher film. Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger had back-stories that developed the intentions of the characters, and when coupled with their unexplained 'powers', for lack of a better term, make for genuinely frightening characters. Popcorn's villain is just plain lame. There's no other word for it. He comes of as a sort of “poor man's Freddy Krueger”, but without any of the endearing traits that made Freddy such a timeless horror character. Instead, we have a character who's origins hardly lend the believability required to justify his actions to the audience, and on top of that, he's just not scary.

It's surprising that, with all of Popcorn's flaws, and a script that the writer, Alan Ormsby, asked his name to be taken off of (replaced with Tod Hackett), it could attract so much talent. The legendary Ray Walston shows up in a cameo that sparks the films most bizarre and out of place sequence, a music montage that has no place in any self-respecting horror film. Tony Roberts and Dee Wallace have much larger, and even crucial parts, and it's curious what attracted them to this distinctly average film in the first place. The cast is led by Jill Schoelen (Stepfather, Cutting Class), who is a sort of minor Scream Queen in her own right.

Despite all my negative comments, I will always hold Popcorn a little nearer to my horror-loving-heart than I should, as I have fond memories of watching it when I was young, and despite all it's flaws it's still relatively entertaining, though it certainly shows it's age. Overall, a pretty good 'popcorn' movie... Zing! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I understand if you never want to read my reviews again...