Jill Schoelen

Tom Villard

Dee Wallace

Derek Rydall

Kelly Jo Minter

Malcolm Danare

Elliott Hurst

Ivette Soler

Freddie Simpson

Karen Lorre

Ray Walston

Tony Roberts

Ethan Ormsby

Will Knickerbocker

Ben Stotes

Ken Ryan

Matt Falls

Cindy Breakspeare

Giana Hanly

Barry Jenner

Suzanne Hunt

Robert Dickman

Thom Adcox-Hernandez

Bruce Glover

Ed Amatrudo

Munair Zacca

Bobby Ghisays

Lori Creevay

George Ortuzar

Nico Bernuth

Rohan Henry

Maki Fame

Kimio Satoh

Fumito Naozaki

Hikonori Washima

Adam Ornsby

April Harris

Ray Garaza

Mike Stephens

Mark Herrier

Jerri Thrasher

Teri Rattray-Wright

Bob Hicks

Natalie Thompson

Robert Clark

Carmen Dodaro

Howard Baldwin

Maxine Rennes-Gunderson

Timothy Huizing

Judy Murdock

Sophie Hurst

Candy Cazau

Phil Dupont

Mitchell Smith

G. Elliott

Myrna Laughton

Wayne Toth

Suzanne Colvin-Goulding

Heidi Kaczenski

John Wildermuth

Howard Hurst

Shaun Costello

Karl Hendrickson

Mary Sue Heron

Peter Murton

John Myhre

Gary Goch

Torben Johnke

Ashok Amritraj

Joseph D'Agosta

Ronnie Taylor

Paul Zaza

Stan Cole

Alan Ormsby

David Fisher

Bob Clark

Comedy

Horror

Popcorn

Movie Partners

Trans-Atlantic Pictures

Canada

United States of America

**_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+

English

US Original Theatrical Trailer

Popcorn (1991) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]