Future-Kill
The Freaks and the Frats come together during their moment of terror inFuture Kill, a sci-fi film that doesn't have much to do with its H.R. Giger poster/DVD cover. Directed by Ronald Moore, the film'sThe Warriors-like plot, in which a gang navigates the city maze for survival, features a group of Texan fraternity boys who accidentally witness the murder of an anti-nuke group leader, Eddie Pain, when they try to kidnap him as a prank. Pain's killer, Splatter (Edwin Neal ofTexas Chainsaw Massacre), seeks to eradicate his witnesses, so that the Frat boys must find shelter among their enemies, the Freaks, those previously convinced by Pain to dress like radiation victims. The Freaks' costumes resemble Derek Jarman's punks fromJubilee, makingFuture Killfashionable if anything. Between the average Freak, Splatter's half-metal, half-human look reminiscent ofPhantom of the Paradise, and the New Wave synthesizer soundtrack, it's hard to take seriously the Frats' war casualties as Splatter kills some of them. Not until the Frats team up with Splatter's ex, Dorothy Grim (Marilyn Burns), do they distinguish the nuances between Freaks, along with the need to eliminate Splatter from the Freaks' non-violent scene. The final, harrowing battle between Splatter and his opponents looks likeTron. Overall,Future Kill'shorror takes place in back alleys populated with fire-breathers, punk rock bums, and mini-skirted hookers, providing a satisfying glimpse into an imagined '80s subculture.--Trinie Dalton