Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with a scroll saying that when Alfred Hitchcock's film The Birds (1963) was released, audiences laughed at the notion of birds revolting against humanity, but when an attack perpetrated by birds occurred in 1975, no one laughed. This is followed by a pre-credits sequence of a tomato rising out of a woman's garbage disposal unit. Her puzzlement turns into terror as the tomato draws her into a corner. Following the credits, the police investigate her death. One officer discovers that the red substance she is covered with is not blood, but tomato juice.
A series of attacks perpetrated by tomatoes occur (including a man dying by drinking tomato juice made from a killer tomato, a boy heard being gobbled up by a killer tomato, and a sequence where the tomatoes attack innocent swimmers, in a parody of Jaws). While the President's press secretary Jim Richardson tries to convince the public that there is no credible threat, the president puts together a team of specialists to stop the tomatoes led by a man named Mason Dixon. Dixon's team includes Sam Smith, a disguise expert who is seen at various points dressed as, among other things, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Adolf Hitler; Navy diver Greg Colburn; Olympic swimmer Gretta Attenbaum; and parachute-toting soldier Wilbur Finletter.
Smith is sent out to infiltrate the tomatoes at a campfire, eventually blowing his cover while eating a hamburger and asking if anyone could "pass the ketchup." Colburn and Gretta are sent to sectors, while Finletter stays with Mason. Meanwhile, the president sends Richardson to the fictitious ad agency "Mind Makers," where executive Ted Swan spends huge amounts of money to develop virtually worthless ploys including a bumper sticker with "STP" for "Stop Tomato Program" on it, a satirical reference to both the real "whip inflation now" campaign with its widely ridiculed "WIN" slogan and STP motor oil decals and bumper stickers which were commonplace in the 1970s. It is revealed that a human is also plotting to stop Dixon when a masked assassin attempts to shoot him, but misses. A senate subcommittee meeting is held where one secret pamphlet is leaked to a newspaper editor who sends Lois Fairchild on the story. While she tails Finletter, he mistakes her for a spy and trashes a hotel room attempting to kill her. He then chases the assassin as the masked man fails again to kill Dixon, but loses him.
Gretta is killed and further regression has led leaders to bring in tanks and soldiers to the west coast in a battle that leaves the American forces in shambles. Dixon, walking among the rubble, sees a trail of tomato juice and decides to investigate. He ends up being chased by a killer tomato to an apartment where an oblivious child is listening to the radio. The tomato is about to kill Dixon but suddenly flies out the window. Dixon peers out to see if it has died when he spots the assassin hijacking his car. He chases the assassin until he is knocked out when it is revealed that Richardson is behind the tomatoes. He is about to reveal his secret of control when Finletter charges in and runs him through. Dixon, picking up some strewn records, realizes that both times the tomatoes left him the new hit song "Puberty Love" had been on the radio. He orders Finletter to gather all remaining people and bring them to the stadium, which is soon attacked by the tomatoes.
The tomatoes are cornered in a stadium. "Puberty Love" is played over the loudspeaker, causing the tomatoes to shrink and allowing the various people at the stadium to squash them by stomping on them repeatedly. Fairchild, meanwhile, is cornered by a giant tomato wearing earmuffs. Dixon saves her by showing the tomato the sheet music to "Puberty Love." He professes his love to her, in song. The film ends with a carrot that rises from the Earth and says "All right, you guys. They're gone now."

Tags: cult, entertaining

Review:
Some may call this the worst movie of all times, but if you have shots like "The Toxic Avenger", "Plan 9 from outer space" or "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein" in your collection this is exactly the right film for you!
The humor in "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" appears like a cheap version of Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker-flicks à la "Airplane!" or "The Naked Gun", but always pretty entertaining and amusing!
It's dumb, it has a small cult following, and you understand the plot when you read the title.Tomatoes, you know, the kind in salads, attack people.
This continues for an entire movie, which might sound repetitive, but there's other side-tracks of the story as well, which more often than not are very funny.The production values are non-existent but the filmmakers do their best to cover them up("I'm sorry, gentlemen, for the size of this room", the general says and then all the scientists climb over each other to get a seat) There are lots of silly plot points and many totally unnecessary, some funny and some not.
Enjoy the musical numbers, the stupid "Jaws"-like tomato attacks, the crazy characters, and all the other details that in then end makes AOTKT a fun experience..
The trailers before the movie on my VHS copy are for a Hannah Barberra cartoon ("Yogi bear in the Arabian Nights" or something) which shows you who the marketing guys thought their target audience was and, taken on that kind of dumb stupid cartoon level, this is one of the funniest things I have seen for years.
Yes, its story structure is an utter mess, yes, the acting, directing, editing production values and sound (especially the sound) are awful, yes, a lot of the gags just don't work - the timing is all over the place sometimes jokes are rushed, other times they are stretched out way beyond their worth but as a whole "Tomatoes" is undeniably funny.
I'm afraid I nearly wet myself when the Adolf Hitler line came as the payoff to a what looked like a lame running gag.Reading some of the reviews here I find it hard to understand how anyone can be disappointed in this movie.
unless you didn't actually KNOW what a tomato was how could anyone think this is anything other than what it is - a dumb, stupid, funny movie?
and I defy anyone who watches this film not to have the theme song running around their head for days afterwards.Think of this movie as being made by Matt Stone & Trey Parker (the guys behind South Park etc.) and you get the idea - though in my opinion "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" is a lot funnier than "Cannibal, the Musical" or "Orgazmo".Definitely a movie to watch with your brain, and any critical faculties you may think you have, switched very, very off..
At first there is a cover up and then it blows over into full blown war.The movie runs the gamut of characters and characterizations : Lois "Fairchild" (a Lois Lane clone), a very ambitious Presidential Press Secretary, Clark Kent, Mason Dixon (FIA agent who hasn't worked since the Bay of Pigs), a useless President (who only seems to be able to sign his name and attack New York), an even inept Congress, a sleazy marketing CEO, and Mason's team consisting of an obese East German "female" swimmer, a scuba diver, a crazed WWII paratrooper and an African-American disguise expert (disguised as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Hitler and finally as a tomato).
The best tune is by far the theme of the movie ("Attack of the Killer Tomatoes").
They took an idea (Hitchcock's The Birds), twisted it into something more obscure and off the wall (Tomatoes), and had a good time making fun of every little cliché of the horror genre, and then some.If you, like another reviewer on here, watch two minutes of it and decide you're done with it, then I can't imagine you watch many movies at all.
Tomatoes Still Humor Me.This is one of those it's so bad it's good type of films - that is exactly what it is suppose to be and that IS the comedy of the movie.
The movie is basically poking fun at older b-rated sci-fi horror movies that were meant to be scary - yet they came across as funny.I will be the first one to admit that you have to be in the right mood to watch a deliberately bad b-rated comedy film such as this one.
But when the mood strikes just right, this movie can tickle-your-fancy!Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a cult classic film - so it will not suit everyone's taste in b-rated comedies but it does suit mine from time to time.8/10.
Several years after that, in 1978, a low budget movie named Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
Therefore, ATOTK is generally considered a bad movie and holds a pretty low rating on both IMDb and Rotten (Killer) Tomatoes.
Which isn't really that bad since many of the 'sketches' are funny but, considering general movie logic, various scenes don't lead anywhere and feel pointless.First of all, I don't understand why people took this movie so seriously.
The movie's name is Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!, and it even has its own theme song, for crying out loud!
Its low budget charm only makes it more appealing; if nothing, because it looks like the movies it spoofs.
I have heard people say this film roles all the bad things from sci-fi, action, and horror movies into it...That's the point!
Not much of a plot, obviously low budget, non-actors doing the best they can to keep the dialogue deadpan and serious (George Wilson as the bad guy is particularly hilarious), and of course rampaging, evil, flesh-eating tomatoes.In the tradition of David Zucker's Scary Movies, James De Bello's jokes aim to be as shamelessly stupid, but still funny, as possible.
And how can you not love a movie that features a catchy John Carradine-esquire theme song, a deliberately badly dubbed Japanese scientist, an insane katana-swinging WWII pilot who seems to drop from out of no where and just sort of follows along, a blind policeman, a president whose main job seems to be writing his signature on papers before crumpling them and throwing them away, a UN-type organization who spends the entire movie debating what should be done about the tomatoes before deciding it's not time to take action yet, a swimming champion who eats an entire bowl of the cereal "STEROIDS", mind-numbing musical numbers, the list goes on.You'd have to be a pretty dull person not to enjoy this.
After all, any movie that has the following lyrics in its theme song can't be ALL bad:  "I know I'm gonna miss her/A tomato ate my sister".
i wish i could buy it on dvd.attack of the killer tomatos is for people who are really into mystery science theater 3000 or who loved films such as: dark star, kung pow enter the fist, mystery men or reptilian.
This plot, as got to be one of the most silly and so ridiculous and yet, the movie still works!As this was one hell of a fun movie to watch, I actually could not stop laughing with this movie.From the acting, to the tomatoes moving by them selves and killing people too but I could have done without the singing and dancing scenes, that was far too silly, even for this silly movie.The ending could have be better, as I wanted the Tomatoes to fight back but they just took it staying still, they could have made, some of the tomatoes to jump on people faces or something.Fun movie 6 out of 10.
It is only his rank incompentence, bolstered by intense enthusiasm for what he is doing that creates the artistic tension that elevates his micro budget shlock from worthless dross to the genius leavings of a great Outsider Artist.Attack of The Killer Tomatoes does not exhibit or have such tension, because everyone, from the director, to the actors, to the writer, to the audience is "in on the joke." Irony, kids.
But I have watched many, many movies less entertaining than this one.If you like the old style monster movies, sit back, relax, and enjoy the stupidity, puns, overacting and bad theme music (with farty analog synthesizers!) of Attack of The Killer Tomatoes..
All the tomatoes of the US come to life grown to large proportions and are attacking and devouring housewives.It's up to Mason Dixon to stop the revolt of tomatoes.His group includes a master of disguise,a Russian Olympic swimmer,an underwater specialist who always wears his scuba suit and a soldier who always wears his parachute.Extremely kitschy comedy with few corny horror elements involving ketchup.The film-makers obviously intended "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" to be bad as the plot is filled with terrible acting and laughable dialogue.The film is truly stupid beyond belief.Followed by three inferior sequels:"Return Of The Killer Tomatoes!","Killer Tomatoes Strike Back!" and "Killer Tomatoes Eat France!" and an animated series plus videogame.6 killer tomatoes out of 10..
And after seeing the film, it's no wonder why -- this film is unique in the best sense of the word.The acting is awful, the comedy is funny in a very cheesy way (a poor man's Monty Python) and the songs (yes, this is a musical) are not really important to the plot and just seem to fill space.
I could sit through this again and again with friends (if I had enough booze) and I can even see how this may have developed into a cult film with people quoting the bad lines.I guess the movie was popular enough to make a few sequels, including one with George Clooney.
And if you like horror films or b-movies, you know you'll have to watch this for your life to be complete.
Even though the plotline runs thin at times, (Paper mache tomatoes attack a large city) it is still a very funny movie.
In case you're a self-acclaimed connoisseur of cult cinema and/or bad movie-making, there comes a certain point in life – preferably sooner than later – that you have to watch "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes".
There's even a scene of deliberately bad dubbing, like in martial arts movies.No matter, you're sure to laugh the whole way through as the flick pokes fun at all sorts of horror and sci-fi movies.
The answer will probably come as not too much of a surprise to those who have seen Mars Attacks (hope that isn't a spoiler for you), but at any rate, a movie like this is really one that gives camp a good name, or a bad one, depending on point of view.
Maybe that might be why it's lesser than being one of the all-time great camp-type movies, but it's a real delight for those who go for the low-brow (and low-vegetable) side of humor, where for parts of the film where tomatoes aren't seem at all there are other things to laugh about, like when the generals have their meeting in the very crunched room, and listen to the Asian general with lip-syncing attached.
The police can't do anything and none of the locals know what to do so it's up to a group of scientists to try and stop the madness.ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES!, as the title clearly suggests, isn't a film that's meant to be taken serious.
This here basically spoofs countless horror movies but the killer here are little tomatoes.
Its funny that the people on the front of the box of the movie isn't even in the film.
This really is one of the most unusual comedy film and if you like low budget films that are so bad their good and hilarious then I Strongly recommend this film!.
Filmed w/ a budget of thousands of dollars, using the greatest actors (aka: anyone happening to pass by), and staging some of the most complicated musical numbers and dance routines ever used in any tomato movie, AOTKT also contains the greatest chase scene involving a man dragging a parachute, ever created!
I looked forward to "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" with a sense of excitement, because I tend to enjoy sitting back, relaxing, and watching a really dumb film once every now and again.This is too dumb.
It's a HUGE cult film, and even has its own Special Edition DVD (newly-released), but it's just...not...funny...A gang of killer tomatoes try to take over the world.
But it's just bad and not very funny!Obviously I got the "point" of this film--to be a spoof of the really bad Ed Wood-esque motion pictures of the 60s and 70s, like the film about the giant ants who take over the world and we are shown enlarged clips of regular ants as a blue screen with people running in the foreground, acting very scared as if the ant is really behind them.But while trying to become a spoof of these films, "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" simply becomes one.
With a title like "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!", anyone going into this thing would be expecting either a) a bad science fiction movie or b) a comedy making fun of bad science fiction movies.
"Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" could be enjoyed by any 8-year-old with a bad sense of humor, so therefore, it does not qualify as a cult film.There is one good actress in the entire thing: Sharon Taylor as Lois Fairchild.
Unfortunately, she is put to bad use here."Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" is not as funny as, say, "Amazon Women on the Moon" or "Kentucky Fried Movie", but it does have a few hilarious moments, so I would still recommend seeing it once.
It is kind of funny to see tomatoes killing people by just touching them, apparently.So many things in this movie come out of nowhere.
This movie was intended to be the worst movie ever made, but there are other movies that, unintentionally, are worse like The Crow Wicked Prayer.When seeing this movie expect some silly fun around tomatoes killing people and bad acting.
The screenwriters were definitely better at their job than the director (and I say that knowing that the director helped write the screenplay: it's the sort of logic you can expect in this film) Basically, if you believe that a movie can be redeemed by its details, you're probably going to like this.Three and a half stars out of five: just for fun..
The film's high-profile reputation is perhaps down to the fact that the tomato imagery is unforgettable and any movie with a title this good cannot help but find a place in history.What we have here is a series of scenes that play like bad Mel Brooks set-ups.
The film could just as easily be titled "When Good Tomatoes Go Bad!" or "Tomato Bites Man."Followed by a bunch of little seen sequels (the best of them being "Return of the Killer Tomatoes!" starring a much younger George Clooney in his film debut) and an animated series that aired for a while on Fox Kids Saturday mornings.The best gags include Rock Peace trying to attack the disguise "expert" who's dressed like Hitler, a military musical number, the sight of the Sandiego Chicken, reporter Sharon Taylor running around in a slip, Sharon Taylor trying to cover herself with a blanket while her editor chews her out for her indecent exposure ("Undercover reporter uncovers!") and then handing her editor the blanket before she goes back to work..
i was expecting this movie to be one of those so bad it's good films,but i was disappointed.found it boring through.all of the gags fell flat,i never laughed once.it felt more like a drama than anything else.it isn't a horrible movie,but i expected more from a cult classic.maybe you just have to be in the right frame of mind for the jokes to be funny.i obviously wasn't.the main theme song did nothing but annoy more,as did any of the other songs in the movie.but this just my opinion.if nothing else,it's worth watching for the novelty factor.but i can't see myself watching it again anytime soon.for me,Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!is a 4/10.
Sadly the title is about as funny as it gets.Led by Detective Dick Mason, a special team of military and scientists (including Greg Colburn who never takes his SCUBA outfit off and Lt. Finletter who is never pictured without his parachute trailing behind) 'Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes' is a parody of B-Movies, in particular Japanese horror of the 1950's.
Unfortunately for 'Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes' spoof films such as the 'Airplane' and 'Naked Gun' series have been released and done this kind of comedy a lot better since.The acting is atrocious; there is zero continuity in the editing and it just feels genuinely slow and lacking energy.
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a funny film to watch because it's so stupid and lame.
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a brilliantly bad low budget movie and a must see for anyone with a sense of humor.
The acting, the music, the effects, the story...You will laugh numerous times about the sheer stupidity of this film.And that doesn't make it a bad movie, oh no.If you need a laugh or just want to kill time with a silly flick, then this one is definitely a must-see!
It was called ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES and it was hailed as being one of the worst movies ever made.
And yet that was the reputation the movie had.A spoof of the old giant monster/Godzilla films it featured a secret government organization aided by the military facing an organized attack from, well, tomatoes.
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is one of the worst movies I've ever had the pleasure of watching.
"Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!" is a perplexing film.
Do GOOD bad film makers a favour and say Attack of the Killer Toms sucks.