Night of the Comet 1984

Watched this many years ago and have thought about it now and again. No, it's not a great movie, but it's a fun little movie, with elements you'll find in later movies.

Don't judge this move too harshly, it is essential 80's entertainment.

This movie was a staple of sorts on HBO during the mid-'80s. A recent viewing revealed confusion of what could possibly explain its continued cult popularity. There's the possibility that those who rave about it now are falling victim to an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. It could be the terrible reproduction of '80s hits that make up the movie's score...some are into that sort of thing. It could be the crappy zombie makeup or the rebirth of a teenage crush on Catherine Mary Stewart. Whatever the reason, credit can't be given to this being clever or tongue-in-cheek because the dialogue is so pathetic and the characters are really annoying. This is one of the most dated examples of '80s cinema. If you're into that...enjoy.

Earth gets an extra special Christmas present when a comet brings on the zombie apocalypse in Night of the Comet. And who better than a pair of teenage high school girls to fight off the armies of darkness? It is, perhaps, the absurdity that makes this film such a beloved cult classic. Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney are perfectly cast, and do an excellent job at capturing the lighthearted comedic undertones of this campy ‘80s horror/comedy. Night of the Comet is a fun adventure with thrills, scares, and laughs. “They Came. They Shopped. They Saved the World!”

3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Night of the Comet’:

1. The best parts of this were Willy and the DMK callback. The two leads grew more likable as the film went on, but not enough to save a very silly movie that never seemed to know what it wanted to be.

2. I hate hate hated the music with a fiery passion. I get it’s the 80s, and it certainly sounded that way, but everything still managed to feel very much out of place.

3. There was a decent story somewhere in here, but the execution was off. And things like the stepmother slapfest in the beginning were just plain unnecessary.

I've always loved this movie. It's the perfect 80 sci-fi. I'm pretty sure it spawned my fantasy/lust of a wiped out planet. It has elements of every bad-but-great 80s movie. I get a heavy Repo Man/Buckaroo Banzai/etc vibe. So bad it's good. Love it.

The best dialogue, plot progression and creativity come in the first thirty minutes. It gets progressively more boring at everything as it unfolds. I was half watching by the end. Notice all the genre descriptions for the movie? That because it's a genre mash up that doesn't work. If it stuck with one idea it probably wouldn't have been any better anyway. I didn't want brilliant acting or even a good plot but to be entertained and it failed. It couldn't even pad out the boredom with tacky zombies and random tits. Liked more than it should be just because it's very stylistically 80s.