What’s it rated? R
When? 1981
Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre on Friday, Oct. 27
(9:15 p.m.)
Five words: The dream within the dream. Absolutely shocked the heck out of me. If you’ve never seen it, what are you waiting for? If you have, you know how absolutely amazing it is—a masterpiece of horror comedy. I was just out of high school, still living with my parents, when I first saw it, and as I came home late that night, it was foggy and spooky, and I raced into the house! “Keep off the moors.”
Helmed by writer-director John Landis (National Lampoon’s Animal House, The Blues Brothers), the film boasts Academy Award-winning makeup effects by Rick Baker. Its lead, David Naughton, was best known at the time for a Dr. Pepper commercial. Here he plays American backpacker David Kessler, who with his friend Jack Goodman (Griffin Dunne) find themselves on the moors of the English countryside during a full moon. The film’s title tells you everything you need to know about what happens.
Jenny Agutter stars as love interest Alex Price, a nurse who cares for David as he recovers. He’s haunted by his physically deteriorating wisecracking dead friend Jack, who encourages him to kill himself before the next full moon. I’ve probably seen it 20 times. Brilliant! (97 min.) Δ
This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 5, 2023.