Popcorn (1991)

★ 5.8 1h 31m 155 votes IMDb

Comedy Horror

While holding a horror film festival, a group of film students find themselves stalked by a madman who may have a sinister connection to a cult leader.

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Cast

Jill Schoelen as Maggie Age 63 · Burbank, California, USA Jill Marie Schoelen (born March 21, 1963) is an American actress. A more unconventional husky-voiced "scream queen" heroine of the 1980s was Jill Schoelen, daughter of well-known fashion designer Doro...

Tom Villard as Toby Died 1994 · Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Thomas Louis "Tom" Villard (November 19, 1953 – November 14, 1994) was an American actor. He is known for his leading role in the 1980s series We Got It Made, as well as roles in feature films One Cra...

Dee Wallace as Suzanne Age 77 · Kansas City, Kansas, USA Dee Wallace (born 14 December 1948) is an American actress and comedienne. She is perhaps best known for her roles in several popular films. These include the starring role as Elliot's mother in the S...

Derek Rydall as Mark

Kelly Jo Minter as Cheryl Age 59 · North Trenton, New Jersey, USA Kelly Jo Minter was born on September 24, 1966 in North Trenton, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The People Under the Stairs (1991), Summer School (1987) and A Nightmare on...

Director Mark Herrier

Cast Jill Schoelen, Tom Villard, Dee Wallace, Derek Rydall, Kelly Jo Minter, Malcolm Danare, Elliott Hurst, Ivette Soler, Freddie Simpson, Karen Lorre

Wuchak 5/10 Mar 31, 2023

**_Good first hour; dull close_**

To raise funds, several film students & their teacher in SoCal hold a one-night horror marathon at an old theater set to be demolished. Unfortunately for them, a supposedly dead filmmaker who doesn’t like criticism is apparently in attendance.

"Popcorn” (1991) has everything going for it, highlighted by the old downtown theater, a plot that meshes “Phantom of the Opera” with “The Abominable Dr. Phibes,” a colorful tone and an homage to William Castle. The latter was known for creating gimmicks to draw people to his low-budget B movies (e.g. “The Tingler”) at a time when television tempted people to stay home. I particularly enjoyed the setting of the aged theater since I used to work at one in downtown for seven years.

Alan Ormsby directed the fake old movies in B&W, such as “Mosquito” and “The Amazing electrified Man,” and did a convincing job, not to mention amusing, but he was so detail-oriented that he was replaced by Mark Herrier for the main story.

The female cast is quite good with Jill Schoelen (Maggie), Ivette Soler (Joanie), Suzanne Hunt (Dr. Latimer), Kelly Jo Minter (Cheryl), Freddie Marie Simpson (Tina), Karen Witter (Joy) and Dee Wallace (Suzanne). Regrettably, Herrier & team didn’t seem to know how to shoot women (not talkin’ ’bout nudity or sleaze).

Amy O'Neill originally played the character played by Jill Schoelen, but was replaced after three weeks of shooting. As a result, Jill didn’t have much interaction with the rest of the cast since many of her scenes were simple reshoots.

Surprisingly, the flick started to put me to sleep after the first hour when the story became unnecessarily convoluted, which might explain why “Popcorn” flopped at the box office. Still, there’s enough good here for those interested and explains why it eventually become a cult thang.

For a superior movie of this ilk, check out “StageFright” (1987) or even "Curtains" (1983). Going back to an earlier era, there’s Christopher Lee’s well-done (and unjustly obscure) "Theatre of Death" (1967).

The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was mostly shot at The Ward Theatre in Kingston, Jamaica (of all places), with pick-up shots done in Toronto.

GRADE: C+