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Dead Kids aka Strange Behavior (1981) / Another Son Of Sam (1977)


Dead Kids (aka Strange Behavior) is a 1981 horror movie that mixes elements of the slasher genre with science fiction and small town intrigue.








Teenagers are being murdered in a small town. John Brady, the local police chief, sets about to solve the case. Meanwhile, his son Pete, who's a senior in high school, needs to earn money for his college applications. His friend tells him about an easy way to make money by participating in a research project at the local university. Pete decides to participate in the project, unaware that it's somehow tied to the murders that have been happening around town.










The movie manages to be creepy, moody and weird. With an electronic score by Tangerine Dream, some atmospheric shots, and a script that mostly keeps things serious, the movie maintains an off-center tone, but still manages to be interesting and watchable. It becomes pretty clear why and how the murders are happening. The movie throws in some sci-fi elements like mind control, as well as scenes that play like a mystery, and others like a straight forward slasher. There's even a scene where you see the killer wearing a creepy Halloween mask. I streamed this movie on YouTube. It seems to have gotten lost amid the hundreds of slasher offerings from the 80's, but it's definitely worth checking out for something different and strange.









The next film I saw was a schlocky, late 70's horror/thriller about an escaped mental patient who goes on a murderous rampage.






At a psychiatric hospital, a mental patient named Harvey, who suffers from violent tendencies due to sexual abuse inflicted on him by his mother, ends up killing and injuring three staff members and escaping. The local police detective sets about to try and catch him before he attacks anyone else. The police force end up tracking him to a college University, where he's currently hiding out after attacking one of the students. Calling in back up and a SWAT team, the police surround the campus building, determined to capture Harvey.












This is absolutely one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and I say that with lots of affection. The low budget shows in every aspect, from the use of meandering scenes that in no way advance the plot. One segment takes place in a club where a singer named Johnny Charro sings an awful song, paired with a ghastly outfit. The acting is bad, with the dialogue making it worse as it has the cast say some truly dumb things (during a "stand-off" where the police have Harvey cornered in a room with 2 hostages, the police chief feels the need to nonchalantly chat with the detective about how one of the officers he seems fond of is his son in law). These are some of the dumbest, most useless cops I've ever seen in a movie, completely ineffective at stopping Harvey, who takes a bunch of them out with little effort. The movie also utilizes multiple slow motion and freeze frame shots in a desperate attempt to heighten the tension, which it doesn't. This movie is laughably inept, and depending on your mood, it will either be unwatchable torture or an entertaining delight. I streamed this abomination on Tubi.










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