GUILTY VIEWING PLEASURES
New Kids (1985)
Striking Back
Info:
- Release Date: January 18, 1985
- Creators: Sean S. Cunningham (director), Stephen Gyllenhaal (writer)
- Genre: Southern Bonhomie
- Rating: ★★★☆☆
Plot:
- Recently orphaned teens Loren and Abby are transplanted to Florida to work on renovating their uncle's abandoned amusement park. Abby catches the eye of local toughs Dutra and JoeBob and delicately avoids their dating overtures. Her brother escalates matters by tying up a near-naked Dutra, threatening him with a knife and stealing his drug money. Dutra and the gang try to rape Abby and kill both the New Kids. Who will prevail?
Notes:
- 80's product placement! Tab! Popeye's Chicken! Coors beer!
- James Spader as the bleached blond southern psycho Dutra
- If a bunny appears in Act 1 in a b-movie, it will be murdered gruesomely in Act 3 (see: Animal Room and Class of 1984)
- Uncomfortable near-rape/immolation of Abby, but it's followed by the rather awesome amusement park deaths: death by malfunctioning ferris wheel, electrocution on the bumper cars and decapitation by roller coaster. The deaths are so spectacular that Loren and Abby's uncle uses them in the final scenes to sell more tickets to the park
- "$50 says she won't put out to either of you assholes"
- "That guy gives new meaning to the word unpleasant."
- "See where the dope-crazed vandals paid the ultimate price!"
- Stephen Gyllenhaal (Maggie & Jake's dad) wrote the script
- Killer in the Family (1983) reunion for James Spader and Eric Stoltz!
- Alas, unable to spot John D. LeMay (Friday the 13th: The TV Series) as one of the local rednecks.
Cast:
- Shannon Presby as Loren
- Lori Loughlin as Abby
- James Spader as Dutra
- Vincent Grant as JoeBob
- Eric Stoltz as Mark
Related Links:
- Animal Room
- Class of 1984
- Killer in the Family
- Friday the 13th: The Series