Strange Behavior (1981)

"Strange Behavior" is a bizarre slasher/mad scientist horror film with moody score by Tangerine Dream.John Brady,sheriff of the small town of Galseburg,investigates a series of incidents where teenagers have gone berserk and started killing people.At the same time Brady's son Pete tries seeks to earn money for university tuition by volunteering for a series of mind control experiments being run by Dr Gwen Parkinson at the university psychology department."Strange Behavior" is the first horror film that was actually shot in New Zealand.The direction by Michael Laughlin is flat and there are some dull and lifeless moments.Still there are also some nasty shocks including particularly brutal throat stabbing committed by the masked killer at party.If you liked "Strange Behavior" check out "Death Warmed Up" with its almost identical plot.7 out of 10

This video nasty, released as "Human Experiments" with 26 seconds cut in 1994, and also known as "Dead Kids" in the US was one of the 74 films banned in Britain.Now, some may be grossed out quickly by Michael Murphy clipping his toenails at the breakfast table, Yech! I assure you there are more hideous things awaiting. It has lots of exciting scenes like the knife in the head, blood and screams, more blood and more screams.What it didn't have, however, was anything that would make this something to ban. Those 26 seconds must have been horrendous.I did enjoy seeing Louise Fletcher in a good role.

Feel free to call me a sick and disturbed individual, but I have a weakness for horror movies in which the bloodthirsty murderers are young children and/or movies in which young kids are being killed off. So you can image, since one of the a.k.a title of this movie is "Dead Kids", I was very much intrigued and eager to trace it down. Browsing through the other user comments, it looks as if the film has quite a solid cult following and many fans even refer to it as a genuinely underrated and neglected gem of early 80's horror. Personally, I wouldn't go so far and call it that, but it definitely is a worthwhile sleeper, featuring several moments of effective creepiness, an overall sinister atmosphere and a handful of delightfully insane characters. Actually, the only thing that keeps me from rating "Strange Behavior" as a neglected gem myself is the rather mundane and unoriginal plot as well as the disappointing amount of explicit gore. The script – courtesy of Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters") – contains a few ingenious ideas and neat touches, but it generally is a run-of-the-mill shocker about a mad scientist whose behaviorist experiments are causing the youthful guinea pigs to turn into sadistic & unaware murderers. "Strange Behavior" is set in a quiet little town near Chicago (although filmed in New Zealand), where four young citizens are brutally killed within a short period of time. The police remain clueless regarding the identity & motivation of the culprit(s), until inspector John Brady discovers that the local psychiatric center pays students in exchange for experimenting on them. Brady had unpleasant encounters with the eerie Dr. Le Sange in the past – and assumed he was dead – but the nightmare starts all over again, especially when his own son appears to be involved in the experiments. The finale is a tad bit predictable and déjà-vu, but the earlier killing sequences are extremely well staged and macabre. There also is an unforgettably unsettling syringe-in-the-eyeball sequence that made me feel uncomfortable for a second. Definitely the best shot in its type, along with the similar moment in – and that's a true gem – "Dead & Buried". The soundtrack is quite awesome and there's even room for a slight bit of black humor, provided by Charles Lane as the elderly cop. When the authorities finally receive a lead stating that a mildly obese young girl committed one of the murders, he goes to the local high school in order to collect the files of all the female students. When asked what they're for, he cheerfully replies: "We're gonna find the fat ones!" Priceless… "Strange Behavior" is a fun horror film that does deserve a little more appreciation, but the basic plot surely had more potential. Nonetheless, it's worth checking out.

This takes place in a small mid-western town in Illinois (even though it was shot in New Zealand!). Police chief Jim Brady (Michael Murphy) has his hands full with a sudden rash of killings--someone is stabbing people to death and is targeting teenagers. His son Pete (Dan Shor) takes part in some experimental behavioral tests at the local university for some extra money. They're run by creepy Gwen Parkinson (Fiona Lewis) and might have something to do with the murders...This is far from perfect. The script is pretty silly with terrible dialogue; the film is grainy (even in a remastered print) with bad sound; Murphy is just terrible; Louise Fletcher is wasted and the direction and editing are off (to say the least). Still, this film works.It has some pretty good acting by Shor (who is first shown completely nude--back view only) and Dey Young and an excellent performance by Lewis. It has a creepy feel to it, has an excellent score by Tangerine Dream and has a few highlights (especially one particular murder sequence and a great sequence at a costume party where everybody dances to "Lightning Strikes"). Also it's pretty restrained in its use of blood and gore. This is no unsung masterpiece but a good solid thriller that deserves some recognition. Due to lousy distribution this disappeared but is available on video and DVD. Worth seeing.Trivia: The opening victim is writer Bill Condon.