Ever miss out on a major event only to discover that you were the smart person by not getting caught up in the hype? Back in 1984, the world was pumped up for a comet that was going to cut so close to the Earth that its tail would slap the sky. People filled the streets to get a great view. Others threw massive outdoor parties to see the once in a lifetime event. Sadly Regina Belmont (The Last Starfighter‘s Catherine Mary Stewart) found herself stuck working at the movie theater for its all night marathon. Turns out this wasn’t a bad thing for her. Likewise picking up Night of the Comet: Collector’s Edition won’t be a bad thing for you.
As most of the world stares up at the sky, Regina (Reggie to her pals) gets stuck inside the movie theater lobby. This isn’t a disappointing set of circumstances. She spends her time wiping off the only person to break her domination on the video game from the leader board. This annoys her loser manager. But she doesn’t want to skip out of work. She doesn’t want to go home to since dad is having a lame shindig with his new lady.Her boyfriend is the projectionist so she has no need to go out. While the rest the world enjoys the comet light show, Reggie and her man are getting it on inside the projection booth between reel changes. When the movie marathon ends, Reggie discovers the world has changed post-comet. There’s a major mess leftover from the celebration. Trouble is that part of the debris are the people who wanted to see the comet. It seems like humanity has been wiped out. However Reggie isn’t completely alone. Turns out her cheerleader sister Samantha (Chopping Mall‘s Kelli Maroney) wasn’t turned into red dust. Unfortunately, they are not the only survivors of the night. Quite a few people who didn’t get turned into dust have been transformed into zombies. Los Angeles just got uglier.
The sisters do their best to try to stay alive in the new world. They quickly learn how to turn their video game and cheerleader skills into weapons handling. They can’t fight the zombie forces with pom-poms and popcorn. They do their best to locate other humans that haven’t turned into man-eaters. Can they be the last alive? In the meantime what are two girls to do when they rest of the population has disappeared? How about go down to the mall for a major shopping spree where money doesn’t matter since there’s nobody to ring up your purchases. All is not perfect. They quickly find out there’s something worse than zombie lurking in the racks. There is a ray of hope for the girls from an underground government facility that’s monitoring the city for life. Mary Woronov (Death Race 2000) is part the group trying to locate survivors, but are her plans beneficial? She seems bent on breaking up the sisters.
Night of the Comet belongs in the elite group of ’80s teen flicks with Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Repo Man and Risky Business. This is a film that ought to be getting a lot more play on cable TV than those lame John Hughes movies. The mixing of valley girls with a zombie apocalypse is perfect. Stewart and Maroney hit the right notes as the sisters forced to fight for their lives. You can believe their ability to change from goofy stereotypes to cold blooded survivalists. Yet they never lose their good nature. This cinematic masterpiece is The Walking Dead at the Galleria.
The video is 1.78:1. The image looks great with the colors reflecting the brightness found in the mid-80s Valley. The audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and the original mono track. The sound mix brings out the brightness also found in the pop laden soundtrack. The movie is subtitled.
DVD has all the bonus features found on the Blu-ray.
Audio Commentaries cover all the bases. First is one with Maroney and Stewart. They have such fond memories playing sisters in the apocalypse. Director Thom Eberhardt contributes a track. He went on to make the legendary Captain Ron. Finally we get to hear from production designer John Muto. He has plenty of tales of what it took to transform the bustling city into a ghost town.
Valley Girls at the End of the World (14:59) reunites us with Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney.
The Last Man on Earth?(12:31) interviews Robert Beltran.
Curse of the Comet (6:32) lets David B. Miller explain what it was like to survive with the sisters.
Film Photo Gallery has plenty of shots from the production.
Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery gives hints how they made Los Angeles look empty.
Theatrical Trailer (1:14) poses the idea that the girls are the last people alive.
Night of the Comet: Collector’s Edition is the perfect way to watch a masterpiece of ’80s teen flicks.
Scream Factory presents Night of the Comet: Collector’s Edition. Directed by: Thom Eberhardt. Screenplay by: Thom Eberhardt. Starring: Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, Mary Wornov, Robert Beltran and Geoffrey Lewis. Running Time: 95 minutes. Rating: PG-13. Released: November 19, 2013.
