Like Motel Hell, another movie with a cool title and awesome poster that can't possibly live up to either. I remember being so disappointed back in the day when I discovered the movie's villains were the retarded children of the Terminator and Johnny Five. Age has mellowed me a bit, I suppose, and now I think the movie's pretty fun. The killbots are so over-the-top goofy -- shooting lasers that explode heads and telling each victim to "have a nice day" -- that they can't help but make me smile. It could also be the setting. Dawn of the Dead has permanently made malls a cool place for a horror film. There's something about wandering around a closed shopping center at night after everyone has left that has the scent of childhood fantasy.
With the exception of the first two teen victims -- a douchebag constantly chewing gum and his demanding ladyfriend -- all of the characters were strangely likable. I found myself actually disappointed when a killbot would take one out, as I liked them so much and was rooting for all of them to make it. That's odd for a slasher-style film, usually populated with easily disposable and not particularly nice stereotypes who only serve as grist for the killer's mill.
"Chopping Mall" also has my favorite exploding head of all time. It's, like, up there with "Scanners," man.
ReplyDeleteIt totally is. I'd forgotten about that scene and shouted out loud "holy cow!" while watching it.
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