Strange Behavior (Michael Laughlin, 1981)

First of all, sorry Hardgore DVD. Around one thousand years ago I got a whole bunch of screeners - and I never even watched them. Until today, when I finally took the time to watch Strange Behaviour, an aussie thriller who had some kind of cult reputation over the years. I know it's way too late for a review of your disc, but... well, I don't know what else to say. Anyway, was it worth the wait? Oh, maybe. Maybe. I remember that I actually started to watch it, but then turned it off because it was too boring. That's still a fact, but thankfully it gets better.

Galesburg, Illinois (aka New Zealand), a string of brutal murders - all seems to have been performed by teens from the neighborhood, targeting certain families connected to the local crazy cop, John Brady (Michael Murphy). He's living alone with his son Pete (Dan Shor) and is dating the very nice Barbara (Louise Fletcher, in a rare sympathetic role!). Everything seems to lead to a the dead doctor LeSange and his lab that's still used for strange, mind-altering, experiments. Can it be true that they're fucking up the minds of teenage kids to make them murder each other? Well, guess!

This is a true oddity. The first 20-30 minutes are terrible boring, an uninspired Halloween-esque slasher-style thriller with some not-so-effective scares and awkward acting and writing. Then, finally, something happens and it turns around 180 degrees and becomes a very off-beat, slightly disturbing medical thriller with disturbed teens killing those who must die and a strange mix of social drama and eighties horror. It actually has a couple of great set-pieces - the overweight girl killer for example, the pissing of blood - stuff that sticks out like it never would have done if it was an American production. I also love the characters - who could have been the creation of Larry Cohen - human and almost realistic, but never stepping outside the comic book world. Louise Fletcher especially, and I rarely seen her doing such a nice character before. Or have I missed something? Let me know in that case!

Director Michael Laughlin wrote the story together with Bill Condon, and it's easily to see that a gay man was involved here (I'm one myself and can sense pretty good gay sensibility). A lot because of the camp qualities, pop-cultural references (which it has plenty off) and of course the very unexpected dance number - to Lou Christie's masterpiece Lightning Strikes (also covered by Klaus Nomi the same year, a fab version!) - during the eighties horror traditional party scene. The killer in one of the first scenes also wears the famous Tor Johnson mask, which is another nice touch.

I still think Strange Behaviour is very, very uneven. I wouldn't go so far to call it a great movie, but it's a good one mostly because of the second half and a couple of stand-out sequences. The music is awesome (Tangerine Dream did the score + of course also the soundtrack) and it have some decent acting. Not bad, not great, but something you should check out if you get some time off. 

(...and I must say the poster is fucking awesome. Feels very John Waters. I would like it on my wall!)

Comments

[Megatron]

"an aussie thriller who had some kind of cult reputation over the years."

Never heard about this one, I´m glad you reviewed it.

"This is a true oddity. The first 20-30 minutes are terrible boring, an uninspired Halloween-esque slasher-style thriller with some not-so-effective scares and awkward acting and writing. Then, finally, something happens and it turns around 180 degrees and becomes a very off-beat, slightly disturbing medical thriller with disturbed teens killing those who must die and a strange mix of social drama and eighties horror."

Sounds very odd.......a genrehybrid maybe?

"I also love the characters - who could have been the creation of Larry Cohen - human and almost realistic, but never stepping outside the comic book world."

Yeah...?

Well, that´s good.

"Louise Fletcher especially, and I rarely seen her doing such a nice character before. Or have I missed something? Let me know in that case!"

I have no idea.......as soon as you wrote that I started thinking about it......I just don´t know.

"and of course the very unexpected dance number - to Lou Christie's masterpiece Lightning Strikes"

Thanks....never heard that song before.

"Not bad, not great, but something you should check out if you get some time off."

Yeah, I might do that. good review and thanks.

"(...and I must say the poster is fucking awesome. Feels very John Waters. I would like it on my wall!)"

Hey!

That´s my line...hahhahahhahah....yeah, it got that color pattern that Warhol had in some of his posters.

Like you said...."pop-cultural references (which it has plenty off)"

Even the poster reflects that.