I have heard from every horror fan imaginable about the film 'POPCORN' without ever having been able to obtain and see it for myself and for many years that's how it was for many. Now having finally sat down and watched through it, did it live up to its cult status and love? Not really, but this is still a fun little gem if you've yet to hear about it. Released in 1991 to absolutely zero fanfare and considered a box office bomb at the time of release, 'Popcorn' unfortunately came after the 80's boom of slasher and horror films and people were pretty sick of them. It's even more sad considering Wes Craven's masterpiece 'Scream' would only be a few short years away however while many do call this film a slasher, it almost feels like a strange mish-mash of various horror tropes and pop culture references.
The setup is your standard fare: A group of film students at the local college decide to set up a horror movie marathon, consisting of various gimmicks and props much like the films of the mid 1950's but especially the films of William Castle (13 Ghosts, The House on Haunted Hill). During these times, going to the movies was more than taking a seat, eating some junk food, and sitting through whatever blockbuster Michael Bay vomits out. That's not to say the films of that time were good, in fact they were cheese all the way, but it was these fun little gimmicks that made them memorable far beyond the silver screen. Castle would implement all kinds of fun stunts at his shows, ranging from flying skeletons to shocking audience members in their seats and 'Popcorn' takes these memorable moments in film history and makes them into a fun tribute.
The three films within films shown are the highlight of the film and you almost forget that you're watching a slasher flick. 'Mosquito' features cheesy death effects, 3D glasses, and a flying Mosquito prop chasing the audience around. 'The Incredible Electrifying Man' features Crispin Glover's brother as a death row inmate who shocks his victims leading to the chairs in the audience getting the same. Finally, the Japanese horror 'The Stench' has various stink bombs flooding the theater. I wish movie going was still like this, I'd never want to leave the theater. After all that praise however, when it comes to the final product of 'Popcorn' itself, the film is a mess when it gets down to the slashing.
For one, the filmmakers behind it were not really going for a slasher in the first place but rather a more traditional and loving tribute to the days of old, a idea better implemented later with Joe Dante's 'MATINEE'. In all honesty, I don't really understand what they were trying to accomplish here, since you hear in the documentary included with this Blu-Ray set that they had intended for a PG-13 film if not for the MPAA's insistence that the film was 'Too Intense'. That's funny when considering that there's absolutely NO blood in this entire flick. For someone who was expecting a slasher film and not getting that, you instinctively will be pretty bummed like I was the first time. The story of a killer attacking others in the theater is not a bad idea in itself, but here it feels distracting in comparison to the other scenes with the audience enjoying the corny B-Movies and that's not what you want in a movie.
Is 'Popcorn' worth watching though? Yes, especially if you enjoy old B-Movies like myself but I really want people to know what exactly they're getting into, because the film's marketing and everybody who told me about it sure as hell didn't. Know that you're going into a bland and standard slasher plot, but the film festival itself is what will keep you from turning it off. 'Popcorn' has a lot of problems and it's hard from high-art even in the horror genre but it's still something that needs to be seen at least once.
( C- )
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