Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Pandemonium; before launching into my critique, here's a breakdown of my ratings:
Story - 0.75 Direction - 1.25 Pace - 1.25 Acting - 1.25 Enjoyment - 1.50
TOTAL - 6 out of 10
Pandemonium will not bust your gut, but it should put a smile on your face and a giggle in your mouth. Some of the gags are dated by today's standards, though unlike most of today's humour, these have some thought behind them. We also run the gamut of comedy with sight and verbal gags, word-play, and slapstick. Everybody's funny should be catered for here. Though not all the jokes work, I particularly loved the Cheerleader Shish-ka-bab and the Bad Pies Cafe, and the way Mandy brushes her teeth is something else.
Unfortunately, these skits take centre stage, and the narrative becomes secondary for the writers. Had they decided to make the sketches part of the story and not weave a story around the sketches, the movie may have been a more gripping tale of murder and mayhem. But what we have is a below-average slasher story.
The director does his best with the direction, and sometimes he hits the spot dead centre, as with the Bad Pie Cafe segment. Regrettably, this is not always the case, and his aim is slightly off. The trouble is, with comedy, slightly off is a chasm. A hit works, and a miss, however slight, doesn't - Which is the case with the Strip Poker segment. Nothing about it comes across as funny, though by the narrative and dialogue, it should be. Some of the misses could be down to his timing. The pacing of the whole film needed to be crisper and more precise. Several scenes come across as sloppy, especially the Singing Mountie parody, though it is mildly humorous if you remember the antediluvian film it's parodying - Which was ancient in 1982.
The cast is sublime and surprised me. At the beginning of the picture, the performers present as less than brilliant. But that is down to their characters. The story calls for dumb bimbos, stupid nerds, and sexily vivacious cheerleader types, and the cast gives you these in spades. Sometimes they do it too well. Mandy, played by Teri Landrum, comes across as the atypical blonde airhead. She's so good that you start to believe it's her real character and not one she's created for her beauty pageants. Then we get to the Tooth Decay and Toothbrushing skits, and we see her sexy side. It would have been nice to have had this Mandy a few extra times, maybe when she was around the other dumb blonde, Glen Dandy. I have to admit I liked the way the writers and director let the principal performers have their time on camera. Each has a funny sketch. I enjoyed Miles Chapin as Andy discovering his dead best friend. He goes way over the top, but for him, it works. And I cannot go without mentioning how good Carol Kane is, or the fact that she looks as cute as hell in her sky-blue onesie running around the campus to escape the killer.
If you are looking for an easy-going killer flick with laughs, then Pandemonium could be for you. It entertained me for an hour and a half. I even laughed out loud a couple of times. It's not the best out there, but it's worth a watch, at the least. Though I will say, I'm not sure if I'll return to it in the future. Pandemonium may be a one-watch-wonder.
Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror, Killer Thriller Chiller, and Just For Laughs lists to see where I ranked Pandemonium.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story - 0.75 Direction - 1.25 Pace - 1.25 Acting - 1.25 Enjoyment - 1.50
TOTAL - 6 out of 10
Pandemonium will not bust your gut, but it should put a smile on your face and a giggle in your mouth. Some of the gags are dated by today's standards, though unlike most of today's humour, these have some thought behind them. We also run the gamut of comedy with sight and verbal gags, word-play, and slapstick. Everybody's funny should be catered for here. Though not all the jokes work, I particularly loved the Cheerleader Shish-ka-bab and the Bad Pies Cafe, and the way Mandy brushes her teeth is something else.
Unfortunately, these skits take centre stage, and the narrative becomes secondary for the writers. Had they decided to make the sketches part of the story and not weave a story around the sketches, the movie may have been a more gripping tale of murder and mayhem. But what we have is a below-average slasher story.
The director does his best with the direction, and sometimes he hits the spot dead centre, as with the Bad Pie Cafe segment. Regrettably, this is not always the case, and his aim is slightly off. The trouble is, with comedy, slightly off is a chasm. A hit works, and a miss, however slight, doesn't - Which is the case with the Strip Poker segment. Nothing about it comes across as funny, though by the narrative and dialogue, it should be. Some of the misses could be down to his timing. The pacing of the whole film needed to be crisper and more precise. Several scenes come across as sloppy, especially the Singing Mountie parody, though it is mildly humorous if you remember the antediluvian film it's parodying - Which was ancient in 1982.
The cast is sublime and surprised me. At the beginning of the picture, the performers present as less than brilliant. But that is down to their characters. The story calls for dumb bimbos, stupid nerds, and sexily vivacious cheerleader types, and the cast gives you these in spades. Sometimes they do it too well. Mandy, played by Teri Landrum, comes across as the atypical blonde airhead. She's so good that you start to believe it's her real character and not one she's created for her beauty pageants. Then we get to the Tooth Decay and Toothbrushing skits, and we see her sexy side. It would have been nice to have had this Mandy a few extra times, maybe when she was around the other dumb blonde, Glen Dandy. I have to admit I liked the way the writers and director let the principal performers have their time on camera. Each has a funny sketch. I enjoyed Miles Chapin as Andy discovering his dead best friend. He goes way over the top, but for him, it works. And I cannot go without mentioning how good Carol Kane is, or the fact that she looks as cute as hell in her sky-blue onesie running around the campus to escape the killer.
If you are looking for an easy-going killer flick with laughs, then Pandemonium could be for you. It entertained me for an hour and a half. I even laughed out loud a couple of times. It's not the best out there, but it's worth a watch, at the least. Though I will say, I'm not sure if I'll return to it in the future. Pandemonium may be a one-watch-wonder.
Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror, Killer Thriller Chiller, and Just For Laughs lists to see where I ranked Pandemonium.
Take Care & Stay Well.