Future-Kill (1985) (VHS Review)
Directed By: Ronald W. Moore
Stars: Edwin Neal, Marilyn Burns, Gabriel Folse
Rated: R
Color of Tape: Black
Case: Slip
Source: Vestron Video 1985 Release
How Was It Acquired: Flea Market
Ex Rental: Maybe (Print-out number and name on side of tape)
A group of protesters who call themselves “mutants” have taken over the inner city streets of a large city. They dress weird to try and show the effects of toxic poisoning. One of the mutants, Splatter, has really been affected. A group of fraternity boys decide to go into the mutant territory and kidnap one of the mutants as a prank. They inadvertently get framed for the murder of the mutant leader and are hunted through the abandoned buildings and dark streets by a crazed Splatter and his gang.
Future-Kill seems like what would happen if you would have tossed elements from The Warriors and a typical 80s slasher and tossed them into a blender together. The Warrior elements, however, were taken from an generic brand and as a result you get a film that might sound cool when you are talking about it, but mostly features people running around town from a gang for most of the movie. Things do happen, but when they happen they are over almost as soon as they started and we are once again back to running. Running on the street, running in a building, running in a club, just running. The frat boys that we see placed against this futuristic looking punk gang often seem more interesting than the gang members and that is a shame. One of the frat boys even seems to enjoy killing and seems more sadistic than the gang! Perhaps that was seeds being planted for a future sequel we never got.
What THIS movie does have going for it is the character of Splatter, played by the same man who played the hitchhiker in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Edwin Neal. It also has another pretty cool character played by Marilyn Burns, also from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Of course these characters have nothing much to really do, besides some hilarious awkward moments with Splatter and women in general. Even the ending of this one lacks because it has a slow build and then just seems to go out without much of note outside of a cool death scene. I wanted to like this movie, I really did. I do like the cheesy environment, but it just isn’t enough to get the viewer over the hump. The movie does have some cool things going for it, I just don’t know if it will ultimately be enough for even the most devoted 80s horror fan.
