Night of the Comet

Plot synopsis:
A comet, which has not passed by Earth for 65 million years, is again about to swing by the planet. Most people are partying, but a few are concerned that the Earth will be passing through the comet's tail. These include a team of scientists that enter a bunker in the desert just outside of the Los Angeles the night that the comet is to appear.That same night 18 year-old Regina Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart) is working as a theater usher. Instead of going home after the last performance she calls her stepmom, Doris (Sharon Farrell) and tells her she will be out all night at the observatory with her science class. She really intends to spend the night with her semi-boyfriend, Larry (Michael Bowen), having sex in the steel-lined projection room. Larry, the projectionist, is waiting for someone to return a film he loaned them so they could make a pirated copy.Back at home Regina's 16 year-old cheerleader sister, Samantha (Kelli Maroney) gets in an argument with Doris accusing her of sleeping with a neighbor while her Sam's father is away with the military in Honduras. Doris decks Samantha and she runs away from the house.The next morning Larry and Regina awake to find that the film has not been returned. Larry intends to go and get it while Regina stays at the theater to let him back in. While she waits she plays an arcade game and manages to beat the score of some unknown person with initials "DMK", who had topped her previous high score.When Larry leaves the back of the theater he is attacked and killed by a zombie who drags him off to eat him.Regina goes looking for Larry and is surprised to see his motorcycle still sitting there. She is then attacked by the zombie, but her father has given her self-defense training and she is able to get away, jump on the motorcycle and take off.On the way home she sees that there is no traffic on the roads and no people on the sidewalks. Only clothes and red dust. The sky is also a strange shade of red. She begins to realize that something bad has happened. On the street at her home she again sees that there is nothing around but empty clothes and red dust. She is surprised to find her sister is alive, however, still dressed in her cheerleader outfit from yesterday. Samantha, who doesn't realize that anything is wrong yet, tells Regina that she ran away last night, but remembered she didn't have any place to go, so she spent the night in the steel garden shed.Samantha has a hard time accepting that all the other people on Earth have been turned to dust by the comet. Regina speculates that the steel of the projection booth and the shed somehow protected them. The girls turn on the radio and find that the local station is still operating, so they jump in a car and head into the city to see if anyone is there.They find that the station is completely automated. They also find they have company, however. Hector Gomez (Robert Beltran) is a trucker who spent the night in the back of his steel trailer with a girl he picked up. When the two arrived at the city and saw it was deserted , the girl panicked, ran off and was eaten by some of the zombies. Hector has also came to the radio station to see if anyone survived.Samantha gets on the air and asks anyone who is still alive to phone the station. She soon gets a call from the scientists at the bunker. They advise her that the comet has caused most of the population to turn to dust. People who only got partial exposure will turn to zombies before they succumb to the same fate. They tell her to stay where she is and they will come and rescue them tomorrow.Hector stays the night but tells Regina that he needs to go to his parent's house in San Diego to see if they survived. He promises he will return.At the bunker Carter (Geoffrey Lewis), the lead scientist, argues with Audrey (Mary Woronov) the head doctor. She complains that they should not be bringing outsiders into the bunker. Carter replies that under the circumstances they do not have a choice. As they watch a helicopter arrives carrying two survivors, an elementary age boy and girl wearing PJs.Samantha and Regina raid local military armory to get some automatic weapons to defend themselves (Luckily their father also taught them how to shoot). Samantha is depressed as it seems that Regina has already locked up the affections of only available man on the planet, Hector. Samantha has also developed a rash, something that occurs every time she feels stressed. To cheer her up Regina suggests they go shopping.At his parent's home, Hector confirms that his family is dead. He gathers a few keepsakes, but has to leave the house in a hurry when he is chased by a zombfied neighborhood boy.The girls hit a large department store and have some fun dressing up in fancy outfits they would never have been able to afford a few days before. Unfortunately they are being watched from the security cameras by a group of former stock boys who now feel they own the store. As the head stock boy taunts them from the PA, the others try to grab the girls. This leads to a gunfight. The boys finally capture Samantha, forcing Regina to surrender.The scientists arrive at the radio station, but find it empty. On a hunch they decide to check the department store.In the basement the boys have chained the girls back-to-back. The head stock boy removes his sunglasses and we see that the boys have been partially exposed and are turning to zombies. They play a game of Russian Roulette putting a gun to Samantha's forehead and pulling the trigger. If it fires the bullet will travel first through Sam's head and out, then through the back of Regina's skull, killing them both.Before the fatal bullet is fired, however, the boys are surprised by the arriving scientists who machine gun them down and rescue the girls. The scientists, seeing Samantha itching, assume she has been partly exposed. They do not tell her that, but have her wait with Audrey and another scientist, Oscar (John Achorn) for Hector's return while Regina is immediately flown back to the bunker.Audrey injects Samantha with something that causes her to go unconscious. Oscar believes that Audrey has put the girl down to spare her from becoming a zombie. The two argue and Audrey tells Oscar that she no longer wants to be a party to taking survivors back to the bunker. He draws his gun, but Audrey is faster with hers and kills him.Back at the bunker, Carter tries to question Regina, but she is being uncooperative. In another room we see two nurses with two adult males lying unconscious on tables. They discuss how the survivors are being brought to the bunker so they can be used as a source of uncontaminated blood. To make them produce as much blood as possible they are operated on and made brain dead so they simply become blood making machines. The nurses note that they can get 300cc per day out of the men, but expect that the children will produce much less. They note that Regina, being a young and healthy teenager, should produce a large about of blood.Hector arrives back at the radio station to find Audrey, who is now very close to going zombie. While she injects herself with a lethal dose of drugs, she explains that the scientists accidently left the vents open on the bunker and received a partial exposure. They are tracking down survivors hoping that if they can get enough uncontaminated blood they can create a serum to reverse the effect.At the bunker Regina demands to know where her sister is. Carter, who is starting to turn, tells her that Samantha has been euthanized before she could become a zombie. Regina is taken by guards to the medical area to prepare her for becoming a blood donor.Samantha is fine as Audrey only gave her a sedative. She and Hector arrive at the bunker and Hector knocks out the guard and rigs the trucks parked outside, while Samantha sneaks inside. She finds Regina and they are able to rescue the kids from the nurses just before they were about to start operating. Regina, Samantha and the kids escape and run to the car where Hector is waiting. The scientists attempt to pursue them in the trucks, but Hector has sabotaged them and they blow up.Back in L.A. the rain has washed away the last of the dust and the sky has cleared. Hector, Regina and the two kids have become a family unit. Regina is taking pictures of the them dressed in new clothes. Samantha, dressed like she ready to go to the beach, waits for them, apparently feeling left out. Mocking her sister for not letting the children cross against the stoplight in the deserted city, Samantha is nearly run over herself by a racing sports car. It is driven by a handsome teenager who apologies and tells her his name is Danny Mason Keener (Marc Poppel). He invites her for a ride and Samantha is delighted to find a boy her age. As they drive off we see his license plate reads "DMK." The credits roll.

Tags: comedy, cult, horror, violence, action, humor

Review:
Naked Gun and Airplane were spoofs, movies like Night of the Comet and Fright Night were genuine horror films that had a nice mixture of scares, drama, and tongue-in-cheek laughs.
Take Dawn of the Dead, mix in Valley Girl and Fast Times at Ridgemont High and you've got an excellent foundation for scares, action, drama and of course laughs.The acting all around is very good for this type of flick and while it certainly isn't perfect, the entertaining and fun spirit of the movie make up for any flaws.
Both she and Kelli Maroney give knock-out performances as two teenage girls just trying to cope with brain-eating zombies and the end of the world.If curiosity about this movie has led you here, then I would pay little attention to the few negative reviews and trust the fact that the large majority of comments here are positive about this film.
Maybe Night of the Comet isn't a forgotten "classic" by the normal standards, but it was certainly a cut above the typical low-budget horror/post-apocalyptic movies of the 80's and deserves to be seen by many.
Thom Eberhardt doesn't quite find it such a dreary proposition, and in fact finds quite a bit of humor in the situation by way of telling the story of two of the survivors, teenagers Reggie Belmont (Catherine Mary Stuart) and her sister Sam (Kelli Maroney).Somewhere out there in the final frontier where no man has gone before, is a comet zipping around with nothing better to do but to pay all of us here on earth a quick friendly visit.
They play D.J. on the only radio station still broadcasting, they vie for the affection of the only guy available, and they lift their spirits by going shopping at the mall to the music of Girls Just Want to Have Fun. As for special effects, they aren't much to speak of but we don't care because it's the script carrying the film anyway.
It's obvious that Eberhardt was working from a somewhat miniscule budget, and although there are a few scary moments when Zombies pop out of nowhere, it's the whole premise of two Valley Girls trying to survive in a desolate Los Angels while being chase around by monsters and evil scientists that will win you over.
It's obvious from the narration in the opening moments that this is a B movie, but Eberhardt keeps things on track by never taking himself seriously or asking us to which is a major requirement in a film of this nature.Night of the Comet is not currently available on VHS or DVD.
I think night of the comet is a classic zombie film that doesn't take the genre or itself too seriously.
"Night of the Comet" is a truly fun and engaging little genre effort of the 80's, but surely some of its hardcore fans are slightly overestimating the value and significance of this film.
The acting performances of Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney are more adequate than you'd expect, as it certainly isn't easy for young actresses to portray teenage character that are stereotypical, ignorant, fashionable and yet likable at the same time.
Sure, the soundtrack was atrocious, and some of the acting was sub-par, but the sheer aplomb that "Samantha" has carries the film, I thought.Plus, it was fun to see Robert Beltran (ST: Voyager's second in command), so much younger!Quite a few laughs, and a pretty good plot twist or two to keep you guessing makes this an easy movie to enjoy.My rating: 7.
Cheesy, but enjoyable satire is like the poor man's version of 28 Days Later (2002) with a big chunk of '80's vibe for flavor!Comet eliminates the worlds population, leaving surviving sisters to fend against a group of demented scientists.While many peg Night of the Comet as a zombie picture, and granted two or three zombies do show up along the way, this film really has much more in common with the old B sci-fi movies of the 1950s.
The music score is composed mainly of electronic tunes that perfect that great '80's feel!For those seeking a bit of fun humor with their horror, Night of the Comet isn't a bad choice.*** out of ****.
18 year-old Reggie (Catherine Mary Stewart), is a Valley girl working in the local movie theatre when the rest of the world are out partying, waiting for the arrival of a passing comet.
She travels home to pick up her adorable sister Samantha (Kelli Maroney), and heads to a local radio station in search for fellow survivors, only to find lovable idiot Hector (Robert Beltran).What is clearly aiming for pastiche of 1950's apocalyptic sci-fi movies, is actually an uneasy mix of many things.
Geoffrey Lewis also shows up near the end as the big-bad head of the shady researchers, but it's too little, too late, and Night of the Comet is tame and messy when it should be spunky and fun.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com.
"Hey, I'm sorry if the end of the world makes me a little nervous."A lot of 80's movies just have this unique combination of camp and seriousness that I've never seen in flicks from any other era.
A pair of teenage sisters find themselves seemingly all alone in Los Angeles the next morning, but they eventually meet both allies and enemies in this empty new world.Let's see, there are also evil scientists who want the blood of one of the girls for a vaccine to save themselves (we know they're evil because they wear dark glasses ALL THE TIME), a gang of evil, gun-toting zombies (we know they're evil because they wear dark glasses ALL THE TIME), a random trucker who joins up with the sisters, a bunch of guns and dynamite that comes from somewhere, the obligatory arcade scenes that legally had to be in any movies featuring teenagers in the 80's, and the required cheesy 80's soundtrack.
The morning after the comet Regina (Catherine Mary Stewart) and Samantha (Kelli Maaroney) find that they're the only ones alive and they must try and survive the zombies that have overtaken the land.NIGHT OF THE COMET is a movie that a lot of people love.
Two valley girl sisters (Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney) wake up to find that a passing comet has wiped out most of the life on Earth.
the movie focuses on two "valley girl" sisters who must wrestle with their new existence as one of the last few people on earth, meanwhile battling scattered zombies along the way.
I lost interest in this movie about halfway through, there wasn't enough gore, excitement or scares for my liking, there was potential but it feels flat and i hated the scene where the 2 sisters were in the shopping mall trying on clothes and shoes whilst Cyndi Laupers "Girls just wanna have fun" was playing.Sometimes it comes across as a chick flick rather than a genuine horror movie, there's hundreds of great 80's horror movies and this wasn't one of them.
Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney are exceptionally cute as cynical California siblings from the Valley who survive a rare event after the Earth passes through the tail of a comet--something which hasn't happened in 65 million years when it destroyed the dinosaurs.
The two girls spend the rest of the movie fending off radioactive mutants while Mary Woronov, always a great presence in B-flicks like this, leads a team of brain-dead scientists in an unfortunate subplot.
The movie, lively and silly, adopts a rather enjoyable slant on the marauding zombie genre, sending up the precarious scenario--the end of civilization as we know it--in such a campy, overtly-dumb fashion that it couldn't possibly be disturbing (except perhaps to science-fiction devotees, who will most likely just laugh it off).
People are turned to dust and those who were only partially exposed to the comet's rays are slowly zombified.Eighteen year old Reg (Catherine Mary Stewart) and her younger sister Samantha (Kelli Maroney) survived as they were separately in a steel reinforced room.
Sisters Regina (Catherine Mary Stewart) and Samantha (Kelli Maroney) try to deal with their isolation the best they can, while arguing over Hector (Robert Beltran), a hunky loner who turns up.
While they might think they're the only ones alive, in an underground complex a group of scientists have been infected and see their unaffected blood as a cure for stopping their slow progression into zombies.Now it's easy to see why this is a real cult favourite amongst fans, but while this unusually hip low-budget film has a likable quirky essence, clever winks to old school Sci-fi / Valley Girl drama and zesty imagination within its limited groundwork.
And while the Valley Girl lingo, the fashions, and the music do date this movie, other aspects of the story give enough ambiance to cover those flaws.The whole premise of the film involves a very large comet that is about to make a fairly close encounter with our planet; and the whole wide world, or, in this film's case, Los Angeles, is about to partake in its passage.
But as two Valley Girl sisters (Catherine Mary Stewart; Kelli Maroney) soon find out, everything and everyone they've ever known has turned into piles of dust, the result of being directly exposed to the comet's light.
But NIGHT OF THE COMET is a consistently interesting midnight cult film that should be seen, if not for the obvious 80s Valley Girl comedy, then for its end-of-the-world scenario and the chilling depiction of a deserted L.A..
Those of you who feel nostalgic when you hear synth music, see super fluffy layered hair with LOTS of Aqua net, and skintight SV's or Jordache, this is for you.Robert Beltran is our Ponchlike hero, we who are Trekkers have come to know him as Chakotay from ST: Voyager, but some of you 80s buffs might remember him as "RAOUL" from a little picture from around the same year called "Eating Raoul" with the great Mary Waronov, who is also briefly in this movie as a mad scientist/zombie gone good with a conscience.
However, budget and artistic notions found better imagery with what the director is given.All in all, a fun movie, equal parts camp, sci-fi and horror, and that will leave you feeling good at the end of watching it.
Armed with an Uzi they blast their way through the undead to reach a group of scientists who want to dissect the sisters to find a cure.Considered to be the inspiration behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as a main contributor to the fledgling horror-comedy sub-genre, this 1984 cult classic was ahead of its time not only in terms of its jocular tone, but also in casting two strong female leads as the survivors.Unfortunately, sexist zombies are going to have a tough choice this election.
It has tongue-in-cheek humour and zombie-like effects spread throughout.The two female leads, cheerleader kitted Samantha (Kelli Maroney) and Regina "Reggie" Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart) assisted by survivor Hector (Robert Beltran) take on nomads, dodgy scientists and alien infected zombies.The notable Stewart as Reggie keeps the energy high and Eberhardt throws in a consumerism subtext for good measure.
A B-movie cheapie that found its audience on cable television, "Night Of The Comet" not only survives but thrives both as an amiable genre mash-up as well as testament to the fact that cinematic smarts can trump a low budget, especially when combined with a sense of humor.The end of the world has come in the form of a mysterious comet that turns people either into red dust or nasty walking corpses (zombie- ish, if not actual zombies), depending on their level of exposure.
Army-brat sisters Regina (Catherine Mary Stewart) and Samantha (Kelli Maroney) are apparent lone survivors left to fend for themselves in a deserted and dangerous Los Angeles.One doesn't expect much from a film like this going in, one of "Night Of The Comet's" secret weapons.
But overall, the film makes the right choices keeping things light.There's a wonderful visual style to the movie that marks "Night Of The Comet" as a product of the 1980s, but in a very fun way, with bright pastels and neons in evidence.
a freak comet turns 99% of the world's population to piles of dust and clothes, leaving only two gun-totting (and yet slightly dappy) sisters to fend for themselves in a world (not very full of) zombie and rapists (or people who want to just simply do strange things with your precious blood).Luckily for our two lycra-clad heroines, help is on hand by lovable trucker, played by Star Trek Voyager's 'Chakotay' (probably his only other career-defining performance to date!).
A comet wipes out most of life on Earth, leaving two Valley Girls (Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney) to fight the evil types who survive.This came from producer Wayne Crawford, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film "Valley Girl" (as well as being the primary creative force behind "Barracuda").
The film was funny, quirky and entertaining, though it never quite escalates from "good" to "cult classic", and I am curious to see if this will get some new eyes looking on it with the amazing Scream Factory release.I will say the script is more clever than it first appears, though, once you begin to connect the dots on subtle jokes (such as when the comet struck and who has been playing the arcade game)..
I love zombie movies; mostly on the serious side, but after looking here on IMDb for something a little funny yet scary at the same time, I decided to give this film a try and needless to say I was very surprised.How anyone can come up with the concept of two materialistic, air-headed valley girls(well at least one of them) set against the back drop of post-apocalyptic Los Angeles is beyond me, but with a well-written script and above-average acting, it surprisingly worked, even on a meager budget.
And hopefully they'll be a sequel at some point in the future, but keep the digital effects at a minimum and focus on practical effects and more of what made the first film such a classic.A rare gem of the '80s, Night of The Comet is one of the funniest zombie movies I ever had the pleasure of watching.
Together, the two hook up with a wholesome trucker, fight off the living dead, go on a shopping spree to the tune of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" all while evading who else but a band of evil scientists."Dawn of the Dead" it sure isn't, but those seeking a brilliantly cheesy zombie romp (which incidentally doesn't feature many zombies) will find much to rave about with "Night of the Comet." Director Thom Eberhardt apparently didn't take things seriously enough to turn in an effective or particularly scary film, but instead, focuses on lampooning the b-movies it so closely resembles.
Imagine Jeff Spicoli and the gang from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" mixed with the old zombie/plague movie "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price and you have "Night of the Comet".
There is a mall scene that is reminiscent of and pays homage to The Omega Man, a classic zombie, post apocalyptic, lone survivor type of film.As a B movie, there isn't much to speak of in terms of cinematography or sound, and even the soundtrack is lame.
I think what really attracted me to this film was the resourcefulness of Regina, who doesn't let a little thing like the end of the world as she knows it get her down.
After the comet that wiped out the dinosaurs returns to destroy most of mankind,a sprinkling of survivors (including zombies,scientists and two spunky teenage girls) battle for survival.Writer/Director Thom Eberhardt's engaging tale borrows themes from several other movies but still succeeds in delivering a hugely entertaining yarn.Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney as the two resourceful teenagers are terrific and deliver a good poke in the eye to male chauvinism.Who needs butch, gun-toting heroes when you've got these girls on your side?.The movie delivers some great dialogue and one liners and also boasts the talents of Geoffrey Lewis (a Clint Eastwood regular)and Mary Woronov as sinister scientists with dubious intentions and Ivan Roth (who steals the whole show as Willy in the film's best sequence).Low on gore,high on fun and with a cleverly constructed conclusion,"Night of the Comet" pushes all the right buttons.Highly recommended..
Night of the Comet is one of those cheesy 80's horror films that I love and I say cheesy in a good way.
Many of today's crappy horror films, they do not have the heart and the fun like the cheesy horror movies of the 80's.Night of the Comet is a simple story.
Likeable characters, a clever script, very good screenplay, and a decent soundtrack make The Night Of The Comet one of my favorite movies of the 1980's.I hope it comes out soon on DVD as this is definitely one I want for my collection..
Everyone wore funny things back then.For good or bad, "Night of the Comet" is squarely dated, both artistically and politically, in the early eighties, so it fits nicely between "The Omega Man" and "28 Days Later," (the latter of which all but plagiarizes from "Comet." ) Director/ writer Thom Eberhardt is obviously smart and innovative, but ham fisted in excecution a few times, like the scene of the girls shopping and having fun set to the tune of, wait for it..."Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."The movie's flaws are in its huge plot holes and ever-changing tone: hip and dry to clever and campy with ten shades of intensity throughout.
If the premise excites you- and why shouldn't it, two valley girls are left on earth after a comet hits the planet, oh, and the only surviving creatures are cannibal zombies, then watching this film will be even better.
If the premise excites you- and why shouldn't it, two valley girls are left on earth after a comet hits the planet, oh, and the only surviving creatures are cannibal zombies, then watching this film will be even better.