Killer Workout (1987)

Killer Workout gave me a firm reminder of why I love cheese so much. It's badly made, and I loved every minute of this cheese fest. It represents everything I adore about the 80's. Workout music, non stop shots of good looking woman in aerobics gear, and terrible acting. The kills themselves are nothing special. We never get a full close-up of the killer until the very end. The choice of object to kill people is not very threatening either. I'd argue it's one of the least threatening in the history of Slasher's. Get ready for it… A CLOTHESPIN! That's the choice of object. There are so many hilarious goofs in this film. It features a fight scene between two jocks that have virtually no fighting skills what so ever. There is a shower scene where a woman gets killed, that is obviously influenced by Psycho. I did dig the burn makeup, and there is a chase scene involved at a construction site that is actually fairly tense stuff. I also dug the multiple twists in this film, and it does make you question who the real killer is. There is not much suspense in this film, just plenty of unintentional chuckles and glorious cheese throughout the film. I really did have a blast. Marcia Karr is a lot of fun as Rhonda. She's perennially grumpy all the time, and is very sexy to boot. I wouldn't say it's a great performance, but she's a hoot to watch. David James Campbell is laughably bad as the Detective. His tough guy act is even more laughable. The rest of the actors are equally as poor, but that's the fun of it all.Final Thoughts: This is also known as Aerobicide. I'll be honest. It's a typical 80's slasher, but man is it fun! The 80's obsession with aerobics come into full play here, and despite how bad this movie is, it ends up being fun anyway. If you're looking for a fun 80's slasher with plenty of cheese, this might just do the trick for you. Lighten up and live a little. It's not The King's Speech!(3/10 for quality) (5/10 for how fun it is!)

Now this director knows how to sell sleaziness.Still a far cry from the Italian sleazy gialli but more than enough to give this bad movie the spice that it needs.Let there be no doubt about it.This movie is bad.Real bad.No,not the Michael Jackson kind.I mean it could be considered awful.But it is so bad and awful that it is good.I mean I laughed almost throughout.It went from one hilarious scene to another.Which was intensified by the fact that everything was taken seriously by director and the actors.Resulting in a parody of the slasher genre without intending it to be.Pay special attention to the detective who thinks of himself as a hard boiled and intelligent cop who is amazingly stupid.There is not one moment in the film where you can look at him in action and say now that is some fine acting.Not a hint of damn,"I got to pay the bills that is why I am in this rotten movie".On top of that the director tries to make a film that combines all the Eighties goodness or badness whatever you prefer resulting in something that I could describe as one huge mistake. Slasher,kungfu flick,crime film,flashdance type film,you name it is there.And of course enough crotch and boob shots to please the people who like that sort of thing.Who me?I can't deny giggling at some of the gratuitous shots made.It was like,"we are serious film makers trying to film scenes where serious actresses portray some difficult exercises and these are so difficult in fact that the camera has trouble recording them so we have to zoom in to spots we know very well to get back on the right track.Well,we got lost a lot of times."Or some other excuse like this.OK,I admit it I was expecting these shots and thank god they were there.Otherwise the film would not have been nearly as entertaining as it was.Do I really need to explain to you why Killer Workout is not a proper slasher or horror film? Even when there was enough present to come close.From start till the ending you will be entertained by the randomness of the events and more so when the killer and the motive is revealed.It is beyond ridiculous.But it won't matter much since you had fun for 90 minutes.

This is one of those movies that going in, I knew it was going to be bad. Sure enough, it was; bad acting, overacting, forgettable music, more plot holes then you can drive a truck through, and then some. So, why am I giving this movie such a high score? Because, this is one of those movies that's so bad, its so damn good. The movie starts with an attractive model (we only see her body, not her face) just finding out that she got a top modeling job in Paris. To celebrate, she decides to go to a tanning salon (at night, mind you, but in typically cheesy fashion, there's an accident with the tanning bed, and our poor girl gets fried. Fast forward to Rhonda's workout, a start of the art aerobics studio thats run with an iron fist by a grumpy Rhonda (and probably grumpy actress, Marcia Karr). Then enters Jaimy, Rhonda's undependable employee, who shows up late, wearing her tight, black leotard and somehow having enough money to drive a Porsche. Before you know it, the clients start getting murdered, one by one, and enters the clueless, 80s tough guy cop (played by David James Campbell) who interrogates everybody but can't find the killer. The movie actually does manage to build a good mystery around the story, and keep in mind that we never saw the face of the girl that burned in the tanning bed. What's the connection? You'll just have to find out for yourself. To sum it up, this movie has everything (if you're a guy anyway) that you could possibly want: hot women that you just met who will take you to there home to make out, hot women wearing tight leotards, and, uh, hot women. If you're ever in the mood for some mindless fun, "Killer Workout" aka, "Aerobicide", is not a bad way to spend some time, especially with some friends. 8 out of 10

"Killer Workout" is a rather decent with some nice cheese elements thrown in.**SPOILERS**Working at her aerobics studio, Rhonda Johnson, (Marcia Karr) becomes concerned with the growing number of fatalities of those who work out in the gym. When Det. Lt. Morgan, (David James Campbell) appears on the case, he thinks it's a little suspicious that newcomer Chuck Dawson, (Ted Prior) has showed up at the same time as the killings. While the other workers there, Jaimy, (Teresa Van der Woude) Diane Matthews, (Laurel Mock) and Cathy, (Lynn Meighan) are all a little worried that they're targeted by the killer and are even more at odds with each other. As he continues to crack the case and track down the killer, he comes across a rather unusual piece of information that allows him to crack the case wide open, and when he presents it, he finds that it's the wrong suspect and the real one is out continuing their rampage, forcing him to go against his instincts and trail the real killer.The Good News: There's some nice stuff to this one. The fact that there's a really decent slashing moments to this makes it the most worthwhile, since there's some really good ones on display. The one through the alley behind the gym is really great, as there's multiple targets to be attacked and killed off, which is really nice because of the way it plays out with the stalking, which is where the real fun comes from here. The ending confrontation in the car is just superb, thrilling and actually inventive, mainly because the killer actually goes for the side of the victim and stays in the area instead of just going all over the place, a nice touch and is finished with a great kill. There's a couple more in here which aren't all that bad, mainly towards the end which make it work out nicely, from the chase through the apartment to the one in the shower at the beginning which is quite nice. The fact that the kills are as bloody as they are with the murder weapon is nice enough as it is, since it's not exactly the most brutal one out there this is still pretty graphic. There's a stabbing in the neck, chest and top of the head with a gigantic safety pin, struck in the head with dumbbells, stabbed with a screwdriver, burned alive in a tanning bed and found hanging from a rope noose tied around the neck, which is a really great visual that really sets up the brutality factor along with the gore in here. The cheese in here is also really nice, as it's off-the-charts in this and really manages to stick out. From the cheesy 80s dance moves to the over-stylized manner it forces the clothing out to the physical appearance of everyone in here, this one just screams 80s cheese of the highest order and it's quite fun at times. The last thing is that there's a couple of really nice action scenes in here coming in the form of several really great brawls that have some really hard-hitting action in them to make up for the other stuff in here. These here are the film's best parts.The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot to this that doesn't work. The main thing with this one is the rather convoluted and hard-to-understand story to it. There's a decent mystery here that seems to go back and forth between three primary suspects, all three are given motive and opportunity to do so and it really goes back-and-forth as the main culprit responsible. Normally this results in some really good suspense and mystery, but here it just has the appearance of making the film seem longer and not knowing which one to end the film with and throwing them all in for the sake of giving it a red herring. This makes the ending come off a little disjointed and doesn't have a whole lot worthwhile. The only other part to this one is that there's a little too much cheese for some to get over. Seeing as much as this one has could be even for some to be through with before it ends, and it's one of the better examples of this out there. These here are the film's worst flaws..The Final Verdict: A really enjoyable cheesy 80s slasher that really only gets into trouble with it's story, but it's the only thing really wrong. This is easily essential viewing for those who enjoy the cheesier side of the genre, while slasher fans should take a look at it, while the ones who can't take the style should heed caution.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Nudity and Language