Welcome to 1984, one
of the greatest years in science fiction movie-making. Tonight we
bring you NIGHT OF THE COMET, the
story of teenage sisters who survive the apocalypse and make a few friends along the way. If it wasn’t for the killer zombies and the vampire geniuses obsessed with blood
it wouldn’t be so bad,
and even still its a damn
good time.
Picture
it: Christmastime, Los Angeles, early
80’s. Adding
to the usual festivities of the season is a 100-year comet about to
fly by Earth, and everyone is going to be outside to watch the skies
as it passes. Only it turns out the comet brings death, doom, and destruction –
almost everyone is
destroyed immediately as the
comet collides with Earth,
while others slowly turn into the walking dead. Regina
(Catherine Mary Stewart) and
Samantha (Kelli
Maroney) are sisters that survive the wrath of the comet by being inside steel structures at the time of the landing, i.e. not giving a shit.
They head out in search of other
survivors and
find Hector (Robert Beltran)
hiding out at a sweet top-of-the-line 80’s
radio station. The trio
teams
up to survive, but their ability
to fight and outwit are put
to the test when an underground group of exposed, so-called geniuses
(led by Geoffrey Lewis and
Mary Woronov) locates them
and wants to use their untainted blood to save themselves.
First point - this movie is totally cool. Part
of it is the attitude – snarky and sarcastic, dismissive
of authority and action-packed. Part of it is
the futuristic look as only
the 80’s could imagine it. Modern places like the radio station
and the mall (a
required backdrop for some of
the best zombie movies EVER) are filled with glowing neon, glistening
lasers, mirrors and glass. But once you leave these safe, familiar
places the world goes crazy and the view gets hazy, the colors
dampened and dark. Clarity versus uncertainty: fantastic visuals
communicate the story alongside the dialogue and make the film a pleasure to look at.
The
red haze of the end of the world is best viewed on VHS (our YouTube
copy is an original VHS rip.) The apocalyptic red of the world looks
like a video game, glitching out on the edges when people
walk front if them like what used to happen when the weatherman
stood in front of the oncoming storm on the local news back in the
day. I love the vibe. These effects are 80’s awesome. They are subtle yet strong and allow your imagination to fill in the blanks
while softly complimenting the story. And the framing of
scenes makes for kick-ass photography worthy of some of the coolest
shots of the decade.
The
soundtrack evokes the power of sound in a film. Listen closely
(again, on VHS is the best!) and you will hear the echoes of the
scenes bouncing off the tall city buildings. As the characters speak
their words reverberate through the empty streets, and loud gunshots slap
back at you with nothing to stop them. And true to the world of a
teenager, the stereo is its own character in the story, its dialogue
the songs, the radio station home. The voice of the
long-gone DJ is a comforting reminder of the life that once was, an authority long dead but advising from beyond. The on-going comfort of the 80’s beats help keep us grounded in a
reality that is no longer here, but makes you feel a little safer.
But most of all the characters keep me coming back to NIGHT OF THE COMET time and time again. Reg and Sam are fun and easy to love, witty and silly, serious and strong. I always enjoy the confidence of Catherine Mary Stewart, and Kelli Maroney's performance is especially hilarious with subtle notes of physical comedy that always make me giggle. Mary Woronov plays for the bad team, and the development of her role in the film is particularly satisfying, I'll leave it to you to find out exactly why...
NIGHT OF THE COMET is about the next generation taking over. The comet wipes out the old and the youth take charge of the structures and institutions left behind. This film is like THE OMEGA MAN of the 80's: two teenage girls with automatic weapons training and high heels are the successors to Charlton Heston speeding through the empty street accompanied only by zombies. This is what makes the 80's great - the next generation of leaders transforming the world into a new place, taking the crap that's left over and using it to rebuild something better than before.
How inspiring, right?
Now throw in
flesh-eating zombies and blood-thirsty vampires, bad-ass guitar
riffs, fast cars and big hair and you’ve got yourself a damn fine
film.
