Dead Kids (DVD)

...
Strange Behaviour (AKA Dead Kids) takes you back to a time when horror was horror; during the 1980's horror was at its most creative. The early 80's were probably one of the best times for horror movies in the history of film making. For me when I think seriously about horror movies Strange Behaviour is one of the first movies I think of.


Set in a small backwater town in Illinois, life appears to be a peaceful and serene ...
...of people talk of events past and marry them up to events of the present. The peace and harmony we initially see is maybe not what we should be seeing.

Pete Brady is a teenage boy with the usual teenage issues; the most important being lack of money. Pete wants to go to the big city to study and make something of himself; rather than stay at home only to inherit the title of Deputy Sheriff passed to him by his father (the Sheriff). ... more

Strange Behaviour (AKA Dead Kids) takes you back to a time when horror was horror; during the 1980's horror was at its most creative. The early 80's were probably one of the best times for horror movies in the history of film making. For me when I think seriously about horror movies Strange Behaviour is one of the first movies I think of.

Set in a small backwater town in Illinois, life appears to be a peaceful and serene experience. However a sinister underbelly is slowly being exposed; lots of people talk of events past and marry them up to events of the present. The peace and harmony we initially see is maybe not what we should be seeing.

Pete Brady is a teenage boy with the usual teenage issues; the most important being lack of money. Pete wants to go to the big city to study and make something of himself; rather than stay at home only to inherit the title of Deputy Sheriff passed to him by his father (the Sheriff). His friend Oliver has recently come into some money so Pete asks him what his secret is. It transpires that Oliver has been taking part in some medical testing at the medical institute. Oliver talks Pete into partaking in the same, and with the money being so good Pete finds it difficult to refuse.

But this quiet town is about to be disturbed as one child after another finds themselves in "dangerous" circumstances. Body after body piles up and for Sherrif John Brady the answer lies at the medical institute and a secret that should have been buried a long time ago.

Cast

Michael Murphy
.... John Brady
Louise Fletcher
.... Barbara Moorehead
Dan Shor
.... Pete Brady
Fiona Lewis
.... Gwen Parkinson
Arthur Dignam
.... Dr. Le Sangel/Nagel
Dey Young
.... Caroline
Marc McClure
.... Oliver Myerhoff
Scott Brady
.... Shea
Charles Lane
.... Donovan

Overview

The first time I saw Strange Behaviour it left me a little nervous about horror movies; and even back in the mid 80's I considered myself to be immune to the fears of horror. What strange Behaviour does is turn a perfectly innocent life that you can easily see yourself living into a blood thirsty and horrific experience. Worse still it blends different themes together to make this emotional situation worse.
There is a great mix of romance this is shown in the relationship of John and Barbara and then of Pete and Caroline; as the movie continues these relationships become the foundation of the picture. Then there is the normal drama element, in which John's wife met with a tragic accident some years prior to the events of the day; John and Pete struggle daily to get to grips with the situation, and for Pete in particular he sees this history weighing heavily on John's current relationship and tries to help him to break free of his old life. Then you have comedy; and here is some excellent comic timing between the character of Oliver and everyone he encounters. Of course you have the horror element but somewhat more alarming is the music and dance selection; in a routine that could only be described as an equal competitor for Flashdance and Footloose, a group of teenagers perform on masse a well rehearsed dance recital to the song "lightning strikes" and believe me this is very sinister indeed, because by the time you see this you aware fully of the horror that is lurking in the town; this dance just sends a shiver down your spine. The music used (that the children listen too) is well off time too, these kids love the sounds of the 50's and 60's despite clearly being set in the 80's.

On to the horror and this is quite an emotional type of horror because it puts friends and family at odds with each other; I cannot explain how without ruining the very heart of the story. Because the evil in this movie comes from a known and loved force it makes things so much more unsettling. In one scene a family member massacres an entire family; one which you automatically make a bond with from the moment you are first introduced to them as a viewer.

The decline and illness of a specific character too disturbs you; from the first signs that something is wrong to urinating vast quantities of blood which could only be caused through massive internal bleeding; this movie is indeed a real horror.

As if you have not been subjected to enough destabilisation, the final kick comes in the form of the ongoing soundtrack; a beautiful piece composed by the group Tangerine Dream, the music is so chilled and such a contrast to the action carrying on onscreen that I guess this possibly make for the most disturbing element of all. Listen to the music on its own and you can happily imagine a love story; but mix it with this film and it's a really twisted move.

I have probably made this movie seem rather unlikeable; but believe me its not, this mix of styles and unsettling subject matter makes this undoubtedly one of the best American horror movies of the last 30 years. And when you discover it your amazed that you had never head of it before. But then again you sort of have; as the movie Disturbing Behaviour starring Katie Holmes rips massive chunks of story plot from this. And if you have seen the later movie you'll now have an insight into the sinister motivations behind this evil plot.

One final disturbing inclusion to the movie is the cast, with the exception of two cast members who for obvious reasons you'll never find a bond with, each cast member is loveable in both the characters they play and the direct choice of casting these actors in the roles. Louise Fletcher from movies like One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest and Exorcist 2 is all too loveable; and put in a situation where you might end up with a new step mother there could be no better choice. Marc McClure is a familiar comedy face and again a loveable character; and as for Dey Young well she is the sort of girl any parent would want there son to bring home.

Strange Behaviour for me scores 10 out of 10 on every single level from the cast, to the story and direction.

Special Features

An interview with Bill Condon (the screenwriter) gives a remarkable view of Strange Behaviour and why he thinks the movie is lost in the masses of horror movies of the day; but why he also thinks its about to come into its own.

The original Trailer that encompasses all the disturbing things I have outlined in my review, it's an impressive trailer.

There are no additional languages or subtitles.

You can purchase Strange Behaviour from Play.com for £10.99 and a wise and highly enjoyable buy it is too.
 

...less