The first part of The Cannonball movies offers some mindless fun, just like its sequel.A bunch of crazy people participate in the Cannonball run throughout the nation.J.J. McClure is a has-been race car driver who now teams up with Victor Prinzim and his alter ego, Captain Chaos.They drive around The United States with an ambulance.They're also accompanied by the creepy doctor Nikolas Van Helsing and a blonde they call Beauty.There are many other wackos in that race, including two entertainers dressed as priests.Burt Reynolds is terrific as J.J.The great comedian Dom DeLuise, who passed away this year, is brilliant both as Victor and Captain Chaos.Farrah Fawcett, who sadly lost her struggle with cancer last summer, is a real angel as Pamela Glover, aka Beauty.Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. make a great team as the former race car driver Jamie Blake and the scam artist Morris Fenderbaum.You gotta like Roger Moore as Seymour Goldfarb, who thinks he is Roger Moore.The American football quarterback Terry Bradshaw plays Terry and country singer Mel Tillis is Mel.Bert Convy is the welthy executive who drives on a motorcycle as the other half of the newlyweds.Milton Berle's nephew Warren Berlinger sits in the back wearing a wig.There's a lot of fun stuff in this movie.You laugh every time when you see the appearance of Jack Elam.Roger Moore's James Bond routine is hilarious.You know, the guy from "The Fly Who Bugged Me".The fighting scene is a riot.It's always hilarious when Captain Chaos appears, and this time he shows them hooligans.In the end we see some bloopers.We see Dom DeLuise laughing hysterically.They sure had fun making this movie.


In the opening sequence, about 3 1/2 minutes into the movie when the Director of Photography credit is on..

Both the Lambo and the police car are driving down a 2 lane road in the left lane for no apparent reason. Soon after, a car passes them going the opposite direction and therefore also driving in the left lane. Has anyone else noticed this? I've rolled back through this a number of times. I can't see anything based on the plot or even based on filming requirements that would explain the reason for running on the left side. Also, I wondered if maybe this was filmed outside of the US, but I don't see any reference to overseas filming locations.


This picture opened in theaters every in the country on June 19 1981 starring Burt Reynolds as JJ McClure, Dom Deluise as Victor Prinizim, Farrah Fawcett as Pamela Glover, Dean martin as Jamie Blake, Sammy Davis Jr. as Morris Fenderbaum, Jack Elam played the doctor, The Gorgeous Adrienne Barbeau as Marcie Thatcher, Lamborghini Babe #1 The Lovely Tara Buckman as Jill Rivers, Lamborghini Babe #2, along with Terry Bradshaw, Mel Tills, and Jamie Farr as the Sheik. This movie was about a bunch of people who wanted to race in the Cannonball Run a Race that went from New York to California and the first one to stamp there card wins the prize. Let's start with the drivers as they arrived at the hotel where the Cannonball Race will stat. There's Marcie Thatcher and Jill Rivers riding around the highways going 220 MPH and spraying traffic and speed limit signs. Then you got JJ McClure and Victor who are also in this race. Victor and JJ are trying to figure out what kind of vehicle they need to win this race. So JJ can think first they go riding in an airplane, landing the in the middle of town in order to get beer. Next they go boat riding, only to crash and both JJ and Victor and up in an ambulance. JJ asks the doctor how far away is the hospital and he was told about 15 miles. But they were also told it would only take 5 minutes because with an ambulance you can go in and out of traffic with no one bothering to stop you. So they look at each other and laugh as they continue to fly through traffic. Next you got Jamie Blake and Morris Fendebaum who are dress like priest but they sure don't act like one. So everyone one is at the hotel having a party the night before the race starts. That's when JJ discovers Pamela Glover a very young and beautiful girl who happens to like trees. As JJ is trying to talk to Pamela he is interrupted by Victor who wants to talk about the doctor. JJ tells Victor that they need a doctor to ride in the ambulance so right before the race starts Victor finds Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing but JJ doesn't want to know where in found this doctor. So while the race has started, and JJ realizes that that they don't have a patient for in back of the ambulance. So as there going down the road they come upon and accident where Pamela Glover is standing when JJ and Victor pull up. Pamela ask if they will help the young man and so JJ opens the door, get Pamela Glover inside and Victor takes of leaving the man behind. As there going down the highway a New Jersey State Trooper has his lights on stopping the ambulance. Inside the doctor has given Pamela laughing gas to make it look like she really sick. The girls had a few tricks of the own. You see they would go down the states highways like a bat out of hell only to get pulled over by State Troopers. They were both wearing one piece suits so they open up the zipper show a little and the State Troopers would let them go every time. Who wins this race? Where does Captain Chaos come into play? How many of them get caught and don't finish the race? Here are some thoughts of my own on this movie. I thought the plot and the comedy of this movie was great from beginning to end. However, I bought this movie because of Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman and I sure once disappointed. They walked around in those tight spandex and they were looking real good. Based on that and the great comedy I have no problem giving this movie 10 weasel stars.


There are two ways to get a huge number of A-list faces on the big screen and where the first is usually a biblical or wartime epic, the other is a grand concept comedy such as Cannonball run. Essentially the film seems to have been shot on the fly whilst an actual cross-America car race took place. Hal Needham's picture was the first to use the outtakes in the end credits but sometimes its difficult to distinguish a blooper from the craziness that had gone before.

Still, Burt Reynolds' charisma drives (ahem) the film, along with his stooge, the hilariously cranky Dom DeLuise as Victor. Or Captain Chaos. Hmm. The rest of the cast have roles but they're essentially playing themselves - having said that Roger Moore's moniker of Seymour Goldfarb Jr. is a work of art. The fun benefits from money being spent on some inventive stunts and a police department with a sense of humour. 3/10


This really is like Smokey and the Bandit in that there is a deadline, a great race, and an all-star cast, which makes this work like an unintentional (?) remake of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World." This was my very first glimpse of Jackie Chan on the big screen, too, as it was for many Americans.

This flick stars Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Elam, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Jackie Chan, Bert Convy, Jamie Farr, Peter Fonda, and dozens more! The only one missing from this work was Sally Field, and she WAS sorely missed.

This has been held in chronological remake order as 2 of 3 in the set; the set being "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" , "Cannonball Run" , and "Rat Race," but in the #3 spot in terms of popularity. Unbelievably, Rat Race is a tad better rated.

This is still one of my favorites from the early 1980's, and as such, it rates a 7.3/10 from...

the Fiend :.


This is one funny film. The chemistry is just so great. Burt Reynolds and Dom Deluis were meant to be together, just as Laurel and Hardy or Abbot and Costello. And Jack Elam. He is an American original. But the secondary big named talent is just as great. Roger Moore spoofing his James Bond character, Jamie Faar as an eastern prince, Mel Tillis and Terry Bradshaw. Farah Fawcett's clueless seriousness is right on the money to make it even funnier. The other single greatest pairing is Dean Martin and Sammy Davie Jr. Director Hal Needham has recreated the great American classic road race here. You just have to watch out for the dirty tricks. Relax and have fun with this one.


How does this have a 5.5? This should at least have a 6.5. Its a hilarious movie. It's just like the comedy classic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The two movies are very similar. It's about racing, and it has an all-star cast. Some of the most talented people are in it, like Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Mel Tillis, and more. It's like a big budget Love Boat. We are lucky to have movies like that. Not enough movies like this are made today. Everybody puts on a terrific show. Also, if you loved this movie and it's stellar array of stars, then you'll love the sequel. It has twice as many great stars, and it's just as good. See this movie.


I think when movies are rated, their intended purpose should be taken into consideration. "The Cannonball Run" was never intended to be an award winner or a highly artistic movie and thus should not be rated against such movies. What it sets out to do - just be a cross-country riot - it does beautifully! The movie has an amazing cast, and just about every interaction leaves me in stitches! And to the poster who commented on the censored versions - I totally agree. The movie loses its edge with the mild profanity cut out. When I tried to get this movie on VHS, I only found the edited version. However, the DVD I bought is the original movie. Just FYI, the original IS PG. The profanity level is not high enough to be rated R. The other version, which for some reason was the only one I could find on VHS, was a made for TV movie, so even the mild profanity was cut.


Burt Reynolds, Hal Needham and crew capitalized on the success of the first two Bandit movies, threw in some hot babes along with recognizable stars for a blast of a film. Who needs plot with all the eye candy? Also, you can tell that everyone on screen's having a blast doing this movie which adds to its enjoyability. Having the original Rat Pack reunite in these films perhaps signaled a passing of the torch to the new Rat Packers of that time, lead by Burt Reynolds. Being from Pittsburgh, Terry Bradshaw's involvement fueled his fan support as this was made after he won his fourth Super Bowl. This movie inspired my friends and I to take off on two cross country road trips. Although we could not find any spandex Lamborghini babes we almost had as much fun as these guys!


I was only a kid when this movie came out and it made a real impression on me. I already thought that Burt Reynolds was just about the coolest dude around (I wanted his black Trans Am so badly!) so the chances were pretty high that I would like it regardless of whether it was a good film or not. I ended up recording a copy off TV and pretty much burned out the tape watching the flick over and over again (Cannonball Run II as well). As I recently prepared to watch the film for the first time as an adult, I was a bit concerned that it wouldn't stand up to the high acclaim I had awarded it as a kid...particularly after noting the poor rating it has here on IMDb. Nevertheless, as I kicked back and turned it on I was immediately giddy with the initial scene of the Lamborghini chicks really putting the machine through the gears. While the humour is admittedly silly, that is what the movie is about - it's a silly but extremely entertaining movie with hot 80s chicks and fast cars. If you want to catch a fun movie with major nostalgia - take the Cannonball Run for a test drive! Don't let the ratings here turn you off, this movie is a blast.


Which is to say, it's not high art and doesn't pretend to be. This film is like McDonald's. You know the food isn't going to be all that great and it isn't going to be good for you, but you still leave satisfied. The Cannonball Run is pure entertainment and, in the end, isn't that all you really want in a film is to be entertained? If you want a film to change the world then keep sending Michael Moore your money. this film is about star power, laughs, and car chases. Most of all, look at the fun the cast is having. It clearly shows on screen that the whole cast is having a blast and nobody is taking anything too seriously. If you have any doubts, just watch the bloopers that run during the closing credits to see how much fun they had. If you doubt me, I'll have to stick these rosary "bleeds" up your nose.


This may not be the greatest film ever made but it is certainly entertaining. Every once and a while this little gem shows up on late night TV and it's still fun to watch. Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise were by far the best comic duo in their day and the supporting cast is equally enjoyable. Roger Moore spoofs his own 007 image to outrageous levels; Jamie Farr is downright hilarious as The Sheik; Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. play the perfect pair of disguised, perverted priests; and of course, this was back in the day when Farrah Fawcett was substantial eye candy.

If anything, women should find this film delightfully amusing, considering that it repeatedly mocks the whole "male machismo" angle: men obsessed with beer, women and speed that spend all of ninety minutes trying to see who is faster, who gets the girl and who has the bigger (put your own thoughts here) when all is said and done.

It's more or less an extended version of "Smokey and the Bandit:" hot shot speed demons trying to stay one step ahead of the law and dish out one-liners while shamelessly advertising Budweiser along the way.

If anything, the outtakes at the end are worth sitting through the movie to see. Clearly the cast had a lot of fun making this film and it shows on screen. So just sit back with the popcorn and shut off your brain for a while...it's a therapeutic necessity.


What? If you're expecting a serious comedy, then you will undoubtedly be disappointed.

As far as comic-book characterisation and 80's chic go, this film is perfectly tongue-in-cheek.

The chemistry between Jay Jay and Chaos is superb... still funny well into the 2000's.

In line with a ream of other comedies of its time ("Planes, Trains and Automobiles", "Trading Places" and "Spies Like Us" - all SNL spawned classics) and superior in its way to all clones made since.

Que the music - "tan-,tan-,taaaah!!!"


This is an enjoyable movie as long as you aren't expecting much. It's got it's moments, some you'll laugh at, and some you'll shake your head at. But all in all not a bad way to spend your time on a lazy afternoon. And the director should thank Jack Elam, without him this movie would have lost over half of it's laughs.


I saw this when i was 10 and i liked the movie.now as a adult i get the more adult humour.the cast list is as big as any all star cast.and most were at the height of there careers.the Stunts are first rate.if this was made now it would be fake cgi,instead of death defying stunt work. shame.by the end of the film it seems everyone had a party making this and that sense of fun translates to the screen.


I don't know why this film makes me laugh. I really don't. Did I, I'd tell you! I would!! But I can't. I can't defend this immoral film about a crazy bunch of speeders, razing across America in pursuit of... fun!! There's nothing to it, but a great cast from the 80's and a lot of good-willed humour. (That and some BADLY filmed fighting, by a young Jackie Chan).

If you like Police Academy, you're gonna love this one! Honest!

I give it an 8.


and you stomp it out, and it full of doggie droppings?

Well, that's pretty much what this movie is.

The plot is that the Russian Mob (or maybe it's the Romanian mob. Who cares) unleashes a shape-shifting creature in America to bump off (or maybe it's break out) an informant from prison. Essentially, we are to believe that six convicts when left alone with a young hottie guard aren't going to gang rape her or try to escape, but are going to listen to her stupid directions that proceed to get nearly all of them killed. Right, these are the nice convicts. (Rolls eyes) Don't even need to put locks on the cells because they won't try to escape.

The movie is largely an excuse to use gore makeup and act as a showcase for young FX artists ("Yeah, ignore the stupid plot, but look at that cool makeup I did for $1.99 and some bottle deposits.") None of the actors can really be called actors.

Oh, hey, and Sci-Fi Channel employees, stop posting here with good ratings, you're not fooling anyone. I stopped watching your channel a long time ago. I just occasionally encounter your stuff at the video store.


So there's this Romanian guy who can change from a person into a monster. We start off with an MTV rap video (Hear that noise? That was 75% of the audience changing the channel) of him killing a guy while a prostitute gets splattered with his blood. Not a terribly auspicious way to begin the movie. He's arrested for something and taken to the local jail, which was apparently a prison at one point, but now the upper two floors are abandoned. The cops don't know about his shape-shifting power. We meet our guards, a couple of guys who behave like clowns and a female who's got a bit of a back-story (gee, wonder who will live 'till the end?). We meet the prisoners, a group of stereotypes who do the usual trash-talking for a few minutes. Then of course our shape-shifter does his changaroo thing and the fun begins.

I really wasn't too interested in this at the beginning, it looked like your typical "trying way too hard to be hip" type thing, but once the monster starts running around, it actually improves quite a bit. The guard babe strips down to her see-through T-shirt with half her bra sticking out, and the stereotypical prisoners turn into fairly normal human beings who are all fighting for their survival. They crawl through some crawlspace above the ceiling of the jail and get into the abandoned upper floors, which provide a suitably creepy place for them to have their various engagements with the killer critter. There's also a somewhat interesting story that develops about what the monster's motives are. The prisoner characters are used pretty well to add even more interest to the story as they of course aren't the most compassionate bunch towards their fellow prisoners. And the lead babe is quite a good actress, she really does a nice job with her butt-kicking heroine roll. And did I mention she's running around in a see-through T-shirt with half her bra sticking out? Well, it bears repeating.

Overall, after the crummy start, I thought this evolved into a fairly entertaining monster flick by the midway point. I give the beginning a 2/10 and the rest a slightly above average 6/10, which averages out to about 4.


Shapeshifter is the story (if I can use that word) of a monstrous shapeshifting beast wreaking havoc inside a prison ... and that's about as deep as this thing gets. The acting is terrifically bad, the script was written by someone who has no idea how people act and react and the monster suit is just laughably bad ... as if they took something off the discount rack at the Halloween store. Add to all that a director who masks the lack of any special effects with that frenetic flash-editing style that probably causes some people to have epileptic seizures and you have one terrible, terrible movie. Across the board, there is simply no talent associated with this movie. Strictly amateur. If you're into watching train wrecks, rent this one. If not, find something else. My wife asked me why I wanted to rent it and I said you never know when you'll find something pretty good ... which is almost never. If you want to see a low-budget, amateur movie with some talent then see The Revenge of Bloody Bill.


This is kind of an "Alien"-set-in-a-prison type movie. A very attractive prison guard (Jennifer Wiggins) is trapped in lockup with some bad-boys and a guy who turns into a four-fingered monster with horns on the back of his head and the worst case of back hair you've ever seen. He spends the whole movie switching from monster to prisoner and back again. The movie starts off with a bang -- the movie's before-the-credits-roll sequence features the prisoner/monster escapes and kills a guy getting serviced by a prostitute, so you're on the hook immediately. Unfortunately, the movie gets a little slow at times. The producers spend too much time developing characters that you're just not interesting in getting to know better. But Wiggins is very enjoyable to look at, and unlike most SciFi movies (this was a SciFi Premier they bought the rights to, not a SciFi original) she makes it to the end. For the reason alone, this movie gets upgraded to a 4.


First, there is NO security in this prison. Second, the guards have firearms (big no no). Third, the script is terrible. Fourth, the monster suit is ridiculous. Fifth, the acting is abysmal. Sixth, the direction is worse. Need I go on? The guy who plays the monster in human form is cute, though, but not cute enough to save this stinker.

And the jail doesn't even have a phone, much less a radio. And why is the female deputy running around in a skimpy top? Definitely a prison no no. Nobody seems to have the least idea of procedure. The Romanian ex-priest is terrible.His accent keeps changing. I won't spoil this one for anyone because it would be redundant.

One of the worst films I have ever seen. For real.


Shapeshifter is set in a state prison where state law demands the warden has to have a minimum number of female deputies, ex-soldier Ginny Lydon (Jennifer Lee Wiggins) gets the job. It's Ginny's first night & she's placed in the low security wing where they keep the none violent & mentally unbalance prisoners, a new prisoner named Velku (Vaz Andreas) turns out to be a Romanian shapeshifter who can transform into a huge hairy monster thing. It's there to break fellow Romanian Marcoux (Marat Glazer) out & kill any witnesses in order to conceal it's human identity, however it never reckoned on Ginny Lydon who doesn't take too kindly to hairy monsters ripping her prisoners apart on her shift...

Co-written & directed by Gregory Lemkin one has to say that without wishing to sound too unkind Shapeshifter is awful. The script by Lemkin & A. Everett Howe is terrible, it's boring, it's predictable, it's slow, nothing of any interest happens & it goes on for too long, far too long. The character's are awful, the dialogue is awful, the comedy relief is awful & all the character motivations are awful like continually splitting up & wondering off down corridors on their own, not making enough of an effort to escape, standing around talking doing nothing in particular & this whole film is just bad. Very bad.

Director Lemkin doesn't do anything to make this rubbish any more watchable, there are annoying editing techniques where everything on the screen goes double & blurry, there's the usual irritating & pointless slow motion scenes & as a general rule Shapeshifter is a bit of an eyesore. There's some cheap gore, a few people have their guts ripped out & someone has their head bashed in, these scenes are pretty brief & sound batter than they actually are. There's no atmosphere, no tension & certainly no scares. The special effects are terrible, the actual hairy creature thing looks absolutely awful in every respect. Even with Lemkin trying to keep it in the shadows as much as possible can't disguise how bad this thing looks.

With a supposed budget of about $200,000 this was a low budget film & it show's, it's pretty bland, dull & incompetent. Shot in Los Angeles. The acting is terrible by no-one you've ever heard of plain & simple, enough said.

Shapeshifter is one of those awful horror films where nothing works, it's one of those films where after the first twenty odd minutes you just sit there waiting & hoping it will finish. Soon. Definitely not recommended.


I have to admit that I enjoyed this movie.

You probably have to be a fan of the low budget horror film to understand what makes Shapeshifter stand out. I've seen a lot of these films (including those by The Asylum). They're one of my guilty pleasures, outlandish gore fests often filled with hilariously campy acting.

Shapeshifter is a bit different. It's is much more of a horror-thriller than a straight horror film, it has a plot that makes sense, a solid cast, and only a moderate amount of gore.

Underneath it all, Shapeshifter is a classic siege film. It's has a solid premise, a female prison guard gets trapped in a jail with a deadly beast and must band together with the prisoners in order to survive. It's kind of like a supernatural version of Assault on Precinct 13.

The cast is a lot of fun. The inmates are one of these classic crews of ragtag prison characters. There's the Goofy Young Black Guy, the Old Excommunicated Priest, the fallen Brother from the Nation of Islam, the White Trash ex-Junkie, the Romanian mobster and the Prisoner who never talks.

Jennnifer Lee Wiggins plays the female prison guard, a former solider with an other-than honorable discharge and a chip on her shoulder. Okay, it's s bit cliché, but once she gets the dorky prison guard shirt off and starts running around the prison in her wife-beater t-shirt, she looks totally hot.

There are almost no special effects or computer graphics. The film could have used some, but I still thought the Beast was convincing.

The plot gets a bit goofy at the end. I'm not sure why, because the writing and the directing are pretty solid up until that point. Editing tricks and flashbacks are overused but still add to the film's impact.

Overall, a good rental for fans of the genre.


I picked this movie up last night looking for a little demon-themed horror and was pleasantly surprised that Shapeshifter delivered. The creature effects were awesome (a lot of time and effort was poured into this creature, Tom Savini and Rick baker would be proud) and the story was a cross between "Alien" and "Oz" - pretty cool concept. There are a few moments were the suspense builds a little too long, but overall the payoff is great. Much more of a watcher than some of the theatrical "thrillers" like the most recent "Stay". Overall, I could see this become an ongoing series of films, like "Wishmaster" and "Leprechaun". A "must-see" for any fan of the claustrophobic thrillers/demon cult genres.


OK, here comes the spoiler (is it even possible to spoil this movie any more that the soiled piece of trash it already is?) At what time is this "monster" even a shapeshifter? I watched it with the sound off while on the Internet and for like 20 min it was the same scene over and over; just some guy in a bloody cell and finally he begins to gnaw on himself to discover there's an amulet in his arm. OK fine.. then he starts summoning, OK... not bad, then it drags out into a non-demon, shapeshifter that gets stronger when it eats flesh, yet still part of some occult plot according to our on-screen expert, some jailhouse nutbag that suddenly offers all of the 'dirt' to shovel into all the plot-holes. Which of course begins a hole within a hole that inevitably envelopes itself. But since the monster is trapped on the other side of the set, oops, I mean cell, it just keeps eating the same guard, over and over. Oh yea, did I mention a bunch of inmates are trapped with a super hot little Latina cop babe with a white tank-top who's having her first day in training at a prison, and they aren't even remotely suggesting raping her or anything other than dragging up her past to suggest she doesn't have what it takes to "command" them or be in charge. Omg am I writing a review of this garbage? A bunch long drawn out completely unbelievable dialog and premise that goes beyond the ability to render it understandable by any conscionable level. That's it, I am not awake. I must be having one of those dreams that makes no sense again. You know the one. Yer dreaming, you start realizing it and think, "man, this dream would make a great movie". And then you wake up, except the writers never did for this stupid nutshell...

They did save a bundle though filming in just two rooms, and clothing the monster in a $40 outfit. Oh and not having a script or any concept.


We saw this on SciFi Channel.

It was clearly so low budget that it became part of the fun. We saved it and watched it late at night, mainly yelling back at the television.

The odd thing was that the first half hour was actually pretty good. There was some good suspense as the lead character and Shapeshifter gets introduced, but then the film got bogged down.

All the kills were pretty obvious and the gore was less realistic and more exaggerated, almost as if the filmmakers were just having fun with it. I'm not sure the style would be very satisfying to hard core horror fans.

The best part was actually the beast, the old "man in a rubber suit," more more fun and way more campy than a computer made monster. It has that old fifties creature feature vibe.

There are a few cool scenes - the kill with the old guy by the door, the scenes in the catwalks etc. The actors vary from pretty good (Marcoux, Ginny ) to somewhat amateur.


And I thought it couldn't get worse than SKELETON MAN. I was wrong. The Sci-Fi Channel's latest effort, SHAPE SHIFTER, is a rehash of JEEPERS CREEPERS, with a flesh-eating, morphing demon invading a jail and knocking off the inmates one by one. The entire cast of this dreadful movie can be counted on the fingers of two hands, and none of them -- and I mean none -- can act their way out of a cardboard jail cell. The creature, a man in a costume, would be OK if its rubbery head horns didn't keep wiggling every time the creature munches down on someone. The gore is frequent, but poorly executed. The filmmakers obviously were trying for that supremely nasty moment in JEEPERS CREEPERS when the Creeper is found gnawing on the limb of an inmate. In this, they fail miserably. You want over-the-top gore and a better monster, stick with CHUPACABRA.


You can always tell the comments which come from those with a vested interest in a movie like this. Amidst myriad comments decrying how AWFUL it was, you get a few who praise it - much worse, they actually cast votes as high as 10/10! No matter how much guilty pleasure one derives from dreck like this, by no stretch of the imagination could this film be ranked as high as the greatest films of all time!

Yet I'm not here to rail on those who pretend this is a good film. I have nothing against them. I merely bring them up to point out how pathetic this film truly is. That it will garner no sincere admiration of this (or nearly any) level.

Movies just don't get any more stupid. This movie ranks among the very worst, with no real redeeming qualities or enjoyability whatsoever. It is true garbage.

Sad to know this is what the Sci-Fi Channel has stooped to. Now they have become synonymous with movies which scrape the bottom of the barrel and are written for severely mentally disabled adults or below average children.


This is the second film ( Dead Men Walking) set in a prison by TheAsylum. The mythos behind plot is very good, Russian mafia has this demon do there dirty work and the rainbow array of inmates have to defend their bars & mortar. Jennifer Lee(see interview) Wiggins stars as a prison guard who has a inmate ,who maybe a DEMON. The monster suit is awesome and frightening, and a different look that almost smacks of a Toy Franchise, Hey if Full Moon and Todd McFarlane can make action figures for any character..Why not The Beast from Bray Road Wolfette,Shapeshifter with medallion accessory,or the Rhett Giles everyman hero with removable appendages.


A film that can't help but aim too high, "The Omega Man" suffers from the very thing that makes it great. Set in a post-apocalyptic future (for the audience of 1971) the film attempts to show a world populated by a single solitary man. Well, a man and a cult of malcontented zombie/mutant/vampire beings. Robert Neville (Heston) is the lone survivor of a germ war that turned the population of the world into freaks. Based on the amazingly brilliant book "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson, the film shares most of the qualities of the book, yet excludes the portions that make "Legend" fantastic.

The idea of being the last man is intriguing. I used to fantasize about being Neville as a child (probably not the healthiest thing for a kid). Neville has paradise, but with the highest price possible. He can have anything he wants, but no one to share it with. And come night time, he must hide in his fortress away from the angry mob of mutants.

The apocalyptic world that makes the first half so captivating is destroyed by the second half's plot device. I won't go into details for those who haven't seen it. However, I will say the film starts to slide downhill from the mid-way point. But the lesser parts can be enjoyed as early 70's camp.

Even with its faults, "The Omega Man" is a great Sci-fi movie. It also gives Heston a chance to play his quintessential role of a man at the end of civilization. The film's weaknesses don't ruin the experience entirely. It is a film that myself and my friends talk about to this day despite the fact that most of my friends only saw it once or twice (when forced by me).

Related note: I Am Legend was also made into the film "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price. "Omega Man" is discussed in the first scene of indie-film classic "Slacker."


This action packed and thought-provoking sci-fi drama has been one of my personal favorites for over 30 years. Charlton Heston found his definitive role here, as the last man on earth, a scientist fighting a single handed battle against hundreds of mutant creatures of the night.

On the basic level, this movie has some of the most explosive action I have ever seen. Heston is at his best as a bloodless technocrat, a stone killer, "exterminating" mutants with machine guns, pistols, grenades, and his bare hands, all the time giving off an icy air of detachment. Put Chuck up against Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson and he definitely holds his own purely as a Seventies action hero.

On the other hand, this is also Chuck's best performance as an actor. The fact that he literally has the screen to himself for the first half hour allows him to do things he never did in his "epic star" mode. Watch him buy that used car, making small talk with a rotted corpse. Chuck puts across so much loneliness and yet entirely avoids self-pity, as in "thanks a lot, you cheating bastard." It's a scream to watch the bigger than life Moses dealing with life's everyday hassles, not in reality but in wistful fantasy.

Then watch the WOODSTOCK scene in the movie theater. Here's right wing idealist Charlton Heston watching left-wing hippies dance and frolic. Here's the last man on earth watching huge mobs of people crowd up the world that is now empty. The ironies are razor sharp, and Heston just lies back and lets the dialog work for him. "Just to see, just to really realize, that if you have to be afraid to smile at someone, if you have to be afraid to walk down the street, what kind of world is that? Right?" Note well the master's restraint. He doesn't sneer, he puts much more sadness into the lip-reading bit, with a little self-loathing on the side. The dialog and situation are tailor-made for Heston's cold decisive vocal style. It's not hammy stuff, it's Heston giving you the same kind of chill Deniro achieved in TAXI DRIVER. It's the paranoid loner as tragic hero. This cold withdrawn stuff is right down his power alley, and Chuck sends this scene into the upper decks.

Once the movie gets started, Heston gets superb assistance from Anthony Zerbe as the religious fanatic Brother Matthias. Zerbe is superb and the commentary on religious fanaticism is even more relevant today than it was thirty years ago. Then there's the sizzling racial subplot, the kill-whitey fanaticism of Brother Zachary striking far too close to home in 1973 but remaining as provocative as ever today. It's disturbing indeed to note the subliminal message of the inter-racial love affair -- the nice white man is happy to take care of the black woman and her children, but only after the assertive black man is dead. A movie that provokes, entertains, and combines scorching social issues with rip-roaring adventure, THE OMEGA MAN is Heston's best.

"Nope -- they sure don't make pictures like that any more."


This is personally my favorite film. However, I can understand why this one-time sci-fi/horror flick views more like a comedy today. The film has dated more than other films from '71/72, and with the special effects bar haven risen astronomically since that time there is little hope for the film to grow even older gracefully. And a shirtless, oily, middle-aged, often over-acting Charlton Heston doesn't exactly shout hero or Academy Award. But THE OMEGA MAN has its moments, in particular its unexpected, and unexpectedly touching, finale. Add to that worthwhile ending a legendary Ron Grainer (Dr. Who, The Prisoner) soundtrack and some very quotable dialogue ("Thanks alot, you cheating bastard") and THE OMEGA MAN rounds itself out into a very memorable movie.

Unfortunately, Warner Bros. has continually delayed the release of OMEGA MAN on DVD - 4 years now counting. Maybe during the wait someone there will realize the potential this movie has a video game. Our heroic player must track The Family down by day and fend them off by night in a bunkered-up penthouse. Like the DVD, it's wishful thinking.


In 1977, the American scientist and colonel Dr. Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) is the last man on Earth. All the human race died or became mutants due to the use of biological weapons in a war. During the war, Dr. Neville was researching an experimental vaccine, and in a flight to a hospital to use his latest experiment, the pilot of his helicopter died and the helicopter crashed. Dr. Neville used the vaccine on himself and it worked, making him the last survivor of human race. The race of mutants self-calls 'The Family' and is leaded by the fanatic Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) in the middle-ages standards, without the use of any facility of the Twentieth Century. Dr. Neville finds some other survivors and intends to use the anti-corpus of his blood to prepare vaccines for them. The apocalyptic story has a tragic open end.

Yesterday I saw this movie maybe for the tenth time. In my opinion, it is one of the best Apocalyptic Sci-Fi movies of the 70's (together with 'Soylent Green'), when the world had the cold war to threaten and the population had a great fear of a biological weapons. In Brazil, 'The Omega Man' has not been released on VHS or DVD, and I have a VHS, recorded from the open Brazilian TV in the 80's, dubbed in Portuguese, with a terrible image, but what else can I do to see this movie if the distributors and the cable TV do not show interest to release it in my country? For persons of other native languages like me, I would like to explain the original title of the movie. In accordance with 'The Heritage Illustrated Dictionary', omega is not only the 24th and final letter in the Greek alphabet, but also means the ending, the last of anything. I hope that Tom Cruise does not spoil this magnificent story, since I heard he had the intention of preparing (or spoiling) a remake. Remake of good movies should be forbidden! My vote is nine.

Today (06 September 2006) I have watched "The Omega Man" again, now in the original language.

Title (Brazil): 'A Última Esperança da Terra' ('The Last Hope of the Earth')


In typical rock-em, sock-em Heston style, he battles the bad guys in a not to shabby, but now somewhat dated sci-fi adventure. Still, an excellent movie with a terrific premise, and great plot, as mankind is nearly destroyed by nuclear/biological warfare, and Heston struggles to survive as the last sane man in a diseased and dying world.

Flashbacks of events leading to this disaster really make this movie come alive. A little melodrama, however is apparent in the scenes of "the family", and the movie does show its age with the language and color of the 70's culture.

I'm not sure how some people may take the ending of this movie. I don't remember any big fuss about it in 1971, so I guess it won't be an issue now. A good movie, with a sad, yet hope-filled happy ending, this film is yet another feather-in-the-cap for Charlton Heston when he was in his sci-fi movie making period (Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green) in his great career, and this particular "social statement" movie of the 70's remains relevant to this day.


This is one of my favourite sci-fi movies with Charlton Heston making credible the whole story for me. Anthony Zerbe is tremendous as the family leader as is the now deceased Lincoln Kilpatrick as Zerbes sidekick. Heston as seemingly the last man on earth brings feeling to the film in some cleverly scripted conversations with himself! In fact the script is punctuated by some great one liners! Quick-paced & tense with good supporting performances from Paul Koslo as "Dutch" & Rosalind Cash as "Lisa" Dated now it is, but still stands the test of time as a truly great 70's sci-fi & if you haven't seen it, then you are in for a treat. Great music too from Ron Grainer! Do not miss this one! A full 10 out of 10!


Chuck Heston is too cool to be the ALPHA MALE, so he becomes the OMEGA MAN!!! Reasons why this film is a masterpiece of apocalyptic sci fi and a damn good promotional for the NRA: SEE: Chuck Heston prowl the streets of Los Angeles in his smooth rides (Lincoln, Mustang, Dodge Weapons Carrier)looking for murderous mutants and decked out in his mod safari jacket, shades and submachine gun! SEE: Chuck bridge the generation gap as he digs Country Joe and the Fish at a private screening of 'Woodstock'!

SEE: Chuck in his penthouse suite, wearing a green velvet smoking jacket and ruffled shirt, as he swills whiskey and endures the taunts of the legions of the undead! HEAR: Chuck crack wise as a prisoner of the Luddite zombies, just before he's burnt at the stake! Other priceless scenes worth watching: the zombie who envies Chuck's penthouse as a 'honky paradise' Chuck smirking as a news anchor pontificates about the end of the world, Chuck socializing with bronze statues and putting the moves on mannequins, plenty of gunplay and CHUCK'S RAGE!!! You don't like this flick....maybe Chuck (The Omega Man) will come and beat you up.


**MINOR spoilers** Along with Soylent Green and the Planet Of The Apes movies, The Omega Man represents Chuck Heston in fine form. This movie continues to influence others even today. The basic story involves Chuck as possibly the last man on earth trying to survive against albino mutants who despise the technology that ravaged the world(and Heston).

Let's get one thing nice and sparkling clear: Chuck Heston is a ham. Deal with it. It works unbelievably well in this sci-fi classic for an aging, stubborn badass survivor. Chuck is losing his mind from loneliness and killing mutants day in/day out. He is also a man of science and the only(?) uninfected human left. Anthony Zerbe is great as the preacher/leader of the rotting horde. Rosalind Cash has surprising acting ability, tons of attitude, and thankfully, a complete willingness to be nude or near-nude several times. Although another reviewer said if you squint, she could pass for Pam Grier, they're obviously insane as Pam Grier is stacked, so to speak, whereas Cash could use a sandwich or two.

The real appeal besides the interesting, very relevant premise, "spooky" deserted Los Angeles, and pretty daring racial content and dialogue, is...Chuck. Forget the car way in the distance, the makeup/effects are capable. If you want a thought-provoking, sometimes hilarious, action-packed sci-fi movie with great camera work...SEE Chuck run, SEE Chuck shoot lots of people, SEE Chuck grimace, sneer, and bare his huge choppers; SEE Chuck crash multiple vehicles on land AND air, SEE Chuck toss one-liners left and right like grenades, SEE chuck in frilly clothes(briefly), SEE Chuck the Mack, SEE Chuck in a Jesus Christ pose...SEE The Omega Man.


The greatest movie of all time?? Well, probably not, but certainly the most influential on my life back in the mid 70s when I first caught it on British television. Charlton Heston is awesome in his role of Robert Neville, and the musical score is outstanding. The story itself may seem a little dated these days, but its religious analogies stand up well even in today's more effects laden times.

SPOILERS: The final sequence, as Neville is brutally killed by the leader of the vampire community Matthias (Anthony Zerbe) came as a genuine shock to me, but its underlying hopefulness for the future at least compensates some way for this. I cried and cried when Neville died. Even now when I watch the film, the bleak feeling which runs as an undercurrent throughout, never ceases to move me with the tragedy of the ending.

This was Heston's best, in my opinion even surpassing Planet of the Apes, and many times more entertaining than the dreadful Soylent Green (sorry but I really didn't like that one). I really believe that the films you see when you are between 12 and 16 remain with you forever, because its the most impressionable time of your life. At least it was for me. I love this film, always did, always will. Quite honestly 10 out of 10. Though I may well be the only person who thinks this....lol


Yes, this film is dated. However, I respectfully submit that Mr & Mrs Corrington (with input from Seltzer, Sagal & Heston) knew that most visions of the far future are going to appear deficient with the passage of time. See "Soylent Green." Accordingly, they set the film in roughly the same time period that Matheson used in "I Am Legend." In the novel, the story covered the period of 1975 to 1979.

In this way, the 1971 film is best viewed as a kind of alternative reality for the way American culture was evolving in the turbulent late '60s/early '70s. When so viewed, the film is not only clever, but is really inspired. *** SPOILER ALERT****

Matheson's concept was to try to use science fiction to give some credibility to the vampire legend. That had been tried, to a point, in "House of Dracula," when the scientist isolated a microorganism that had "infected" Dracula. Matheson went further and in so doing over-extended the premise. The novel is very poignant in parts. However, its primary problem is that tried to create a kind of moral equivalency between Neville and the vampires. That weakened the strength of the narrative. In the novel Neville drank canned tomato juice, like the vampires drank blood? Parts were just silly: vampire women disrobed to lure Neville outside after dark; the head vampire resembled Oliver Hardy. By the end, Matheson was apparently trying to persuade the reader that the vampires were just an "alternate" form of life, infected with "vampirus," that was just trying to survive and deserved pity. For, in different circumstances, "normal" is relative and Neville became the fearsome legend for the "new breed" of humanity, i.e., he became the new "Dracula."

Not so for the 1971 concept; no "relativism" here. The world war to which Matheson only alluded was made explicit. Neville became a high-level military scientist (who better to have access to a potential vaccine?), not Matheson's layman who was trying to teach himself about microbiology.

The victims of the virus became vicious, homicidal, collectivistic, anti-technologists, beyond reason and compromise. Colonel Robert Neville, US Army Medical Corps, became the object of their fury. His antagonist: Jonathan Matthias, TV newsman/pundit, adept at influencing an audience. Media Monster. He is the fallen one, who creates the Mansonesque "Family," rejecting all traditional American values. It is the counter-culture.

Colonel Neville, by contrast, is the establishment. Hard-drinking, exceedingly well-armed (thank you, NRA!) and not averse to zapping the zombies. However, he is compassionate and enlightened. He falls for an Afro-American woman (the late Rosalind Cash) and tries to help her (Heston also marched for civil rights in the early '60s with Rev. King).

By the end, we realize that He is the savior. If we partake of His blood, we will be saved. Christians call that the Eucharist. Ultimately, he sacrifices Himself for the good of humanity, so that the normal world, America, will be re-born. The little girl survivor senses it, He is God, or at least a man chosen to be God's agent on Earth. He is, of course, also a soldier, one who is willing to lay down his life so that others might live. No relativism here.

Very nice fusion of ideas, Mr & Mrs Corrington. You took Matheson's basic story and made it much better. Neville became the legend he deserved to become. The Ultimate Hero.


The Omega Man was a product of it's time. It played to Cold War fears of a biological war. In the original story, the plague was never really specified as to where it came from and how-it just kind of happened, however in the 1964 Vincent Price film of the same book, it was hinted at that it was something that escaped from a Eastern bloc country's biological weapons lab but it was only in passing. In The Omega Man, a flashback Heston has, shows us that Russia and China had some kind of escalating border war, and the US is somehow pulled into it. All this is done with a montage of stock footage of bomb tests,missile launches,voice overs warning of "Bacillus carrying warheads!" and bit later, we learn that "Jonathan Matthias" was once a news commentator as things went to Hell, as the plague takes full effect with scenes of overcrowded hospitals, people dropping on the street, and him on TV talking to dead viewers about "Judgement day". The virus, or whatever it was, hits very fast and seemingly kills most people within minutes. Some, however,we learn, it takes longer and they wind up as light sensitive,albino zombies, with the now insane- "Matthias" the guru of at least the Los Angeles area ones, battling Robert Neville, the last plague-free man on the planet. Alive,thanks to an experimental drug that seemed to be the cure,he found in the waning days of civilized society, but because of a helicopter crash, too late for anyone but him. We see him, apparently in 1977, two years after the plague had hit-in Spring, 1975(an old wall calendar and Easter greetings reveal this. The "Easter" reference would not be the film's only "Christ" allegory.)

The film has a tremendous Ron Grainer opening score, and positively drips everything 70's-fashions, expressions,cars and including nods to blaxploitation films of the time and managing to portray Heston's Neville as "The Man...on his own"

It became a seemingly terribly dated film after the Cold War ended in 1989, (kind of like The Day After became of it's time) and many people chortled at the idea of a biological war. After the Soviet Union collapsed, it was found that those fears were not unfounded-that in fact as a "doomsday" weapon the Soviets had secretly stockpiled massive amounts of Smallpox to create just such a last-ditch situation had they been on the losing side of a WW3 that never fortunately occurred.

However, now, with both fears of Avian Flu, and the threat of terrorists gaining some kind of viral agent and unleashing it, the film has a new relevance. A good piece of 70's nostalgia but with a current ring to it.


Despite the ridiculous plot, this shows what a very strong pair of actors (Heston and Zerbe) and a very visually arresting director (Boris Sagal), and a strong musical talent (Ron Grainer) can do, to say the least of Richard Matheson who is an acknowledged wizard in the field of paranoid science fiction (a particular genre).

The film is gut-wrenching on many levels and is one of my top 20 films. Heston does the loner better than any other actor.

Grainer, who scored the remarkable score for McGoohan's Prisoner series, is in fine form, with an excellent score.

Sagal's visuals are absolutely gripping.

Zerbe is the perfect antagonist and shows that his TV persona works perfectly on the silver screen.

If you get the movie, turn the lights down and watch it at night. You're in for a treat.

Many good lines in this movie.


Anyone who saw this growing up has a soft spot in their hearts for it; I've encountered enough people over the course of my 37 yrs who perk up at the mention of it to be aware of its place in a lot of our memories. This has been satirized on the Simpsons, which proves it has embedded itself in the national pop culture consciousness. Anyone who has read the book its based on, the incredible "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson, knows that this film has very little in common with it beyond its initial premise--and even that is not followed too closely. All of the criticisms of THE OMEGA MAN are valid: It is very dated and not at all scary or intense and some of the stunts and special effects are laughably, ludicrously cheesy; the villains--who should have been more terrifying than even Romero's zombies--are just crazed albino hippie Luddites and the last half of the film, once Chuck hooks up with Rosalind Cash and the kiddies, is really a let down. But the scenes that open the film of Heston hefting a cool-looking machine gun while decked out in Austin Powers-style finery (!) staring in angst at an old calendar or losing his mind for a moment hallucinating the sound of telephones ringing in the deserted city still pack a punch. This was the second movie, after 1959's THE WORLD,THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL, to successfully pull off the eerie effect of being the last living human being in a huge empty city. Both films established the visual motif of streets filled with blowing waves of newspapers and swirling trash.After years of seeing this on TV -- a guaranteed late September or early October event every year for a few years on the local TV station during my Pacific Northwest childhood in the old Dark Age before CABLE TV and the videocassette revolution, its nice to see this movie on DVD with a beautiful widescreen transfer. It looks and sounds great. As a child I always liked the music, particularly the "surprise party" theme that plays when the villains make their first appearance. It rocks here in all its xylophone and funky electric organ and horns glory!


Film is vintage Heston, in the same vein as Planet of the Apes, and Soylent Green. Heston is bad ass (as usual). Still, if you're just the type to like movies such as "How to Make an American Quilt," or, "The Princess Diaries," you probably won't like, or "get" this film. Film is only for macho studs who are ready to take on the "family." Heston, to paraphrase Rowdy Roddy Piper (of "They Live" fame), came to chew bubble gum and kick ass. Damn...he's all out of gum.

The film is crafted well, with a great score for a B film. I'd get it on CD if I could. Too bad IMDb doesn't list the soundtrack. HINT HINT, IMDb...get the soundtrack listings!!!

There are two types of people in this world: those who like Heston/Omega Man, and those that don't. The former group consists of men and heroes - the latter, mere Ethan Hawke apologists and Spice Girl fans. Don't be that guy. Be a real man, enjoy vintage Heston


One of my all time favourite movies, starring my favourite actor Charlton Heston, what can I say about this film other than magnificent, it is even more entertaining than Richard Matheson's excellent 'I am Legend' upon which it is based. Some reviewers feel this film to be campy and dated, but I heartily disagree, these reviewers are obviously shallow minded snobs, reared on awful modern cgi nightmares.

In the movie Heston delivers a great performance as Robert Neville the last man on earth, talking to himself, hearing phones ringing on the edge of sanity. The action scenes where we see his gun toting avenging angel persona are extremely entertaining, enhanced by Ron Grainer's amazing score, one of the greatest film scores ever recorded in my opinion. Mention must also be made of Anthony Zerbe as the megalomaniac leader of the family Mathias, he delivers great fanatical lines, a totally believable cult leader.

If you haven't seen this movie already do yourself a favour and see it instantly!


This is a very clever adaptation of the novel 'I Am Legend' by Richard Matheson. Even the film's title shows some of the thought that has gone in to it - Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, so the 'Omega' Man is a clever way of saying The 'Last' Man.

Many comparisons are now being made between Will Smith's 'I Am Legend' and 'The Omega Man'. For me 'The Omega Man', even with its faults and the fact it is now nearly 40 years old, still stands above Will Smith's new version. Why? (1) The plot - The Omega Man to me is a far better more rounded and believable story. Especially the ending. (2) Acting - Charlton Heston seems far more viable in the role. (3) The creatures/infected - In Will Smith's version, they are obviously just over the top CGI and behave very unrealistically.

Of course there are problems with the film, but putting these aside we have what I believe is a great 70s cult scifi film, which the more recent 'I Am Legend' fails to match in most ways. When will Hollywood learn just throwing money at a project (and its effects) is less important than the script and its portrayal. Or more importantly, when will the ticket buying audience...


My brothers and I loved this movie the first time we saw it at the drive-in theater in Commack, Long Island, NY. In 1971 we were 13, 12 and 10 years old. We were also fanatical Charlton Heston fans. In hindsight, we probably were the targeted demographic, given the cheesy dialog, poor production values and extreme violence of his movies. The "Planet Of The Apes" movie series whetted our appetite for Mr Heston's over-emoting and small weapons mastery. Then, "Omega Man" and "Soylent Green" came out with one year of each other. Both gave new meaning to the term "Christ Complex". SPOILER ALERT: The sight of his bullet ridden body at the end of the film in crucifixion pose gave us chills. Years later when we learned more about Chuck's far-right politics, did the scene give off a different vibe. But I digress. The guns. The hot black chick that gets down with Chuck (which again given his far-right politics, the scene now gives off a different vibe). Those crazy white faced, red-eyed zombies in their black bathrobes. What's not to love about this movie!? The perfect bookend to this movie is "Soylent Green", another dark futuristic thriller. Enjoy!


POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! We all have to have our cheese,so why not make it good actor cheese? I'm talking Charleton Heston and Anthony Zerbe.Neville and Matthias duking it out;and L.A.is the prize!Anthony Zerbe ALWAYS does the best villains!Ironic, that a former t.v.newscaster becomes such a technophobe.It's also weird that both hero and antagonist both have a connection with the same woman.[Rosalind Cash as Lisa.]This movie may be cheese,but it does give you some things to think about.[Effects of loneliness,human inpact on the environment.]I can think of worst things to be doing on a rainy Saturday!A good,fun way to kill some spare time.


The Omega man may now receive renewed attention as a result of the current and third re-make of the original story from which it derives, "I Am Legend".

Whilst "I Am Legend" may well be more faithful to the original book, that text, however, is an unremarkable piece of escapist sci-fi. Whereas The Omega Man, using the story as a vehicle, developed it into what may now be read as an uncannily insightful analysis of latent undercurrents of late twentieth century culture.

The Omega Man replaces the rather puerile vampire theme with that of a reactionary cult of anti-science. The epidemic that supposedly turns people into blood-sucking Buffy-beasts in the original story is replaced by a rather more believable illness of which symptoms are aversion to light and insanity. A TV news anchorman, using the technology of mass communications that science has put at his disposal, is shown as opportunistically exploiting the biological disaster to create a religious cult that entirely renounces science, with himself as its head.

Aspects of this scenario reflected elements within the "hippy" movement that was nearly contemporaneous with the movie's making. The nascent "Luddite" reactionary element that was in hippiedom has swelled in prominence in the years since the movie was made, as the less harsh themes of Sixties "counter-culture", libertarianism and the renunciation of top-down political dogma, have evaporated. Today, in the mature, even decadent technological societies, the principal themes of culture and politics are a renunciation of science and the reassertion of mediaeval religious dogmas. These two elements frequently intertwine. Whilst the "environmentalist" political dogma seeks to dictate from above every aspect of everyday life for every citizen, the state has launched into a millennial conflict with renascent mediaevalist religion as it is expressed overseas in "terrorist" movements.

Seen from today's perspective, Charlton Heston's depiction of the isolated, besieged man of science, Dr Neville, seems eerily evocative for the embattled minority of us who cling to the ideal of scientific truth that is now under attack. As in The Omega Man, we now see the mass media that is a product of science used by that media's own opportunistic elements to generate a hostility to science that they can then play to their own advantage. We have reached the point at which to dare raise the pseudo-scientific nature of the dominant political ideology that is environmentalism is to risk being rendered an outcast, like Neville.

A far-fetched fantasy adventure at the time of it's making, The Omega Man now seems to have uncannily anticipated the major political themes of life in the early Twenty-First Century. A truly prophetic parable of our times.


The film is set in the near future and Charlton Heston seems to be the only person left on the planet. Everyone else is either dead or a psychotic zombie that cannot come out during the daytime. So during much of the film, cool Heston drives about town in his cool car--rooting for food or blowing apart the occasional zombie. And after a long day of this, it's home--not for a Miller beer, but to hide out in his amazing fortress home. At night, the crazed zombies attack his home again and again, but since Heston would later become the president of the NRA, it wasn't surprising that he proceeded to blow the crap out of the intruders--and do it with great gusto and style. Seeing Heston with a machine gun mowing them down was indeed a guilty pleasure.

There's a lot more to the movie than this--including a REASON for the plague that did this to the people and explained why he was immune (something forgotten in the earlier version of this film that starred Vincent Price). In addition, later in the film some hope for the redemption of mankind appears--thought you'll have to see the film for yourself to find out exactly what occurred.

This film is rare in that it's a remake of an earlier film AND it's actually better than the original! While not as good as Heston's greatest sci-fi films, PLANET OF THE APES and SOYLENT GREEN, it is wonderful fun. Sure, it isn't Shakespeare or amazingly artistic--just good old fun that is very re-watchable. An excellent and cool film that will please most viewers.


Being a Charlton Heston fan (as a result of the first two PLANET OF THE APES films), I found myself first in line the Wednesday THE OMEGA MAN opened. The newspaper ads had looked spooky: Chuck, armed with a machine gun, was firing into surrounding darkness. "The last man on Earth," the copy read, "...Is not alone!" So, there I was, snatching up a couple of the freebies laid on the concession counter- mock-up newspapers featuring NEWS FROM THE END OF THE WORLD! There were black and white shots from the movie. I was hooked. The movie itself was a mixed bag, even then. The last man on Earth wasn't exactly alone, after all... Nor did he have to do his own stunts... Still, the movie was great, if for no other reason than Charlton Heston's performance. That was 1971...

Three decades later, while it's definitely dated, it's still an entertaining movie to watch. Vastly inferior to the novel upon which it is loosely based (Richard Matheson's brilliant I AM LEGEND, adapted by the Corringtons, the husband and wife team who also gave us the abyssmal BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES), it nonetheless holds up as a good SF shocker STILL notable for Heston's performance. (One can only imagine what could've been wrought had they opted to do the novel the justice it deserves.) This was the second time around for I AM LEGEND; perhaps the third time will be the charm...


Tacky 1970s version of the I AM LEGEND story and having the clichés of the period: angry black biker chick, a groovy group living an alternative lifestyle etc. It also sports an albino zombie gang clad in cowls and sunglasses called the family (something of a nod to Charles Manson's gang of the time). One black member(who with his whited-up appearance looks disconcertingly like Harpo Marx) cannot refrain from some black panther-esquire comments despite it having no bearing on the story.

This is a vehicle for action man Charlton Heston but the action sequences are badly staged, not rising above the level of a TV movie. The finale is also anti-climatically shot and whatever effect the director was trying to achieve is undercut by the odd and inappropriate music.

Very dated.


I do not really know why, but this movie really rocks - it has great atmosphere, really cool performance by Charlton Heston and it was very enjoyable. I was satisfied as much, as it was possible.

I do however, have a doubts with calling this 'an adaptation' of the novel 'I am Legend'. There is no real connection - many elements were present in the book, but others were altered or added - and, in my opinion, those changes went that deep, that this movie stands on his own. Overall idea is other for the movie and for the novel. It is very hard to make a one-actor movie for 2 hours. That what is great in the novel, doesn't necessary look so good in the movie. That is completely different type of media.

But for adapting the idea itself - About a regular guy fighting alone with the nations of creatures he doesn't fully understand - it comes closer than 2007 movie.

So movie is great, give it a watch, but read the book afterwords - you'll be still surprised.


This film is kind of interesting in a number of ways. The Second adaptation of Richard Matheson's "I am Legend", it stars Charlton Heston as the title character, a scientist who has built himself a fortress.

The portrayal of the monsters is interesting. Matheson wrote them as classic vampires, including in his narrative scientific explanations as to why they would be repelled by crosses and garlic. Vincent Price's version (The last Man on Earth) kept it in that vein. The more recent Wil Smith vehicle made the zombies more of a cross between Orcs and Zombies, with a hint of CGI in them.

In Heston's version, the creatures are more like the mutants of "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", taking on the quasi-religious nature of the latter group. Very daring, especially for 1971. Even more daring was the interracial sex scene between Heston and Rosaling Cash. (Would never get past the censors today, but it only merited the film a PG rating!) The violence is also very graphic for the time. There was a period in the early 70's where producers could show blood and breasts, and enjoyed the heck out of it for a few years before the MPAA clamped down.

Some parts of the film are definitely dated, like the zombies with Afro Haircuts (which quickly fell out of fashion after this film. Co-incidence? I think not!)


this is the second filmed version of Richard Matheson's novel,I am Legend,the first being The Last Man on Earth,starring Vincent price,and the third bearing the same title as the novel and,starring Will Smith.i really enjoyed the first version,and pretty much hated the third version.this version is,much closer to the third version,in terms of my opinion of it.i found a lot of this movie lame,lacking in any real excitement.the acting was pretty poor(though Heston wasn't too bad).i also felt the movie was a bit too talky at times,and there is no real air of mystery to the story.having said that,there was one good thing about it.this one had a plot,(as slow as it was)which i felt the third one didn't.it was just this side of boring,for the most part,occasionally slipping over into the area of boredom.i was able to get through it.but i wouldn't care if i never saw it again.it just really didn't anything for me.my vote for The Omega Man is a 3/10


The Omega Man is the second film version of Richard Matheson'snovel I am Legend, the first being a low budget Vincent Price vehicle. Whereas the first version was true to the book, Boris Sagal's version is simply loosely based on the novel. A couple of concepts were changed such as the antagonists no longer being vampires but zombie-like victims of biological warfare. Vampires in 1972 were really no longer a concept for horror films. The other reason is that Neville had to be a morally ambiguous character. In the book it turns out in the end that really he was the monster or that fighting monsters turned him into a monster. Neville in The Omega Man is an officer who was actively involved in developing biological warfare and so his personal hell seems to be a fitting punishment. The film is very much about innocence vs. experience. Neville remains in the city and kills his oponents in meaningless fights because tha's all there is left in his life. His life is validated by having an oponent- an almost Kafkaesque concept. So naturally, when he meets a group of survivors they are children. Some critics thought that his was a document about American fixation youth and being young. In fact, they plan to go t "a new Eden" but there is no place for Neville, because he is -as one boy puts it- hostile. So although in the end we see him as crucified (and more or less resurected through his blood) he is more like Virgil who lead Dante to the gates of paradise but was not allowed to enter himself. The film is very well written in terms of creating sympathy for Neville and then bit by bit deconstructing his character. Neville is very complex, a scientist, a ruthless killer and yet a man who recites poetry and loves art. Heston gives an overall fine performance. There is one beautiful scene where Heston plays chess against a bust of Caesar and you really wonder if he is aware of the fact that he is playing both sides. Visually the film is very well made: In the first 9 minutes we just watch Neville driving through LA and as a prime example of showing vs. telling without any dialogue we begin to understand what has happened so that the following flashback really is unnecessary and relatively crude for such a well made and well written film. In spite of the technical limitations of the early 70s Sagal manages to create a feel of emptiness about LA that is masterfully executed. On the other hand the film does have some incredible holes in the logic and some continuity bloopers. But all in all I would say that The Omega Man is a highly underrated film which works both as an action film and as a statement on the human condition.


Of the three films that have been explicitly drawn from Matheson's heady pulp sci-fi story "Last Man on Earth" Boris Sagal's The Omega Man is probably the most well-respected. While it is not as lavishly produced as Lawrence's (2007) I am Legend, nor as creepified as Ubaldo Ragona's Last Man on Earth, it is a nice example of a sci fi adventure film with a soul and a brain.

Doctor Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) has survived an engineered plague which has wiped out most of the earth's human population. Neville developed a cure as the plague erupted, but was unable to get it into production due to a very unfortunate accident. He injected himself, and is now immune. Every night, he is hunted by vampire-like plague victims lead by the puritanical Luddite fanatic Matthias. Matthias and his followers view the plague as the salvation and rebirth of humanity and see their former lives as evil. Neville is the embodiment of everything they despise. Neville, in the meantime, is desperately pursuing survival and trying to re-create the cure.

Then one day, Neville encounters a young black woman (Rosalind Cash) posing as a mannequin in a department store.

Omega Man is not a sci-fi spectacular. There really are no special effects to speak of and the director, very appropriately, went to great lengths to make it clear that the story takes place today - not in some distant future. The film was made by a director whose career staple was 'made for TV' movies. Unsurprisingly, Omega Man is economically directed - and its thrift sometimes shows.

The cinematography is effective, but some of the action scenes are unconvincingly shot. The cast is excellent - Cash and Heston are especially strong. Remarkably, Omega Man creates an abandoned Los Angeles in 1971 with no special effects - almost as effectively as "I am Legend" did in 2007. It is worth mentioning that I am Legend is estimated to have enjoyed a budget at least 10 times as great as Omega Man's.

Omega Man is a good example of the semi-experimental tangents of late 1960s/early 1970s Hollywood film-making. Influenced by the cold war, nuclear proliferation, Viet Nam, and the burgeoning Western counter-culture, films like 2001: A Space Oddyssey, Silent Running, Rollerball and Omega Man - and even the original Star Trek series - stand out as landmarks in the usually intellectually barren landscape of mainstream sci fi.

Recommended.


Now living in the late 1970's, a former army Colonel/Scientist Robert Neville (Oscar-Winner:Charleton Heston) is living in a deserted Los Angeles. After surviving a disastrous plague, which it's been several years that Robert is alone and he thinks he is the only man alive in the entire world. But when it turns dark outside... there's a group of cultists who called themselves "The Family" (Led by Anthony Zerbe), who got affected by the plague. "The Family" are photosensitive mutants, who can't be outside during the day expect night-time. They also are trying to destroyed every technology or human, they could find. Which Robert battles with these freaks of nature nearly every night to survive. But Robert finds out, he is not alone in the city. When he meets a tough survivor Lisa (Roselind Cash) and other humans are not turned by the virus. Now Robert finds another chance to find a cure against these monsters. Before it's too late.

Directed by Boris Segal made an intriguing Science Fiction movie that has moments of action, suspense and some moments of comedy. Segal's film is also visually striking, especially the wide empty streets of L.A. but unfortunately the feature has some incredibly campy moments at rather tense sequences. Heston is very good at his role here. Which it is one of the reasons why "The Omega Man" remain memorable for over the years. Although this is the second version of "I Am Legend", Based on a novel by Richard Matheson (Duel, A Stir of Echoes, What Dreams May Come). First version was done in the 1960's titled "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price and last year's "I Am Legend" starring Will Smith. Which these three films has the same premise but done completely different. The book also inspired filmmaker George A. Romero to created flesh eating zombies in the classic "Night of the Living Dead". Despite some serious flaws, "The Omega Man" is still a good movie. For those who are familiar with the recent adaptation "I Am Legend" and never seen this one. This is worth checking out. Panavision. (*** ½/*****).


Heston passed away the day before I sat watching this film for the first time for 25 years. Heston was the ultimate definition of giant mega-star presence and a master of lines delivery that seems to emanate from his chest. Though he has played biblical heroes to iconic effect, I feel that he excels most as the arrogant, stubborn hero/anti-hero. This is such a role and is a tour de force for this giant of an actor. Although set in an apocalyptic future, this movie has everything 70s stamped all over it (made in 1971) including some laughable jive talk from Heston "come on, baby" but all the better for it as this was the decade of heightened paranoia, rebellion and cult factions. This film captures all those elements despite its apocalyptic setting. There are moments of excitement but it is ultimately a riveting one man show which only an actor of Heston's calibre can pull off. I am sure Tom Hanks terrific performance in Castaway was influenced by this. The film's narrative is smartly done with the use of flashbacks and a captivating storyline making this highly enjoyable.


You dig the vibe? Yes it's a psychedelically offbeat, easy going apocalyptic Sci-fi / action hybrid led by a stone-like, but trendy action hero portrayal by Charlton Heston and a prominent budget. The ham-fisted premise is taken off Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend", and was the second feature to be based upon it. The first was the considerably dreary little Italian-made "The Last Man on Earth (1964)" starring the always charismatic Vincent Price. What strikes a chord early on, is the ultra-fashionable 70's style that really does date this cult insured film. The key is the way it begins, as it truly sets the mood superbly. We open with a quiet, arid Los Angeles ghost town and we feel the depressing solitude of Heston's character take shape. The tempo of the story is quite mellow, and purposely steady as John William and Joyce H. Corrington's unconventionally enterprising screenplay is thoughtfully literate, and filled with symbolic themes and powerful images (just look at the film's closing shot). But there's no escaping its campy origins, and the script cops the brunt of it. Some details feel ridiculous, and a tad grandeur than they should. I found the inclusion of the other (unaffected) characters kind of takes away the important construction of Heston's character, and maybe even the chilling side-effects waiting to break out.

The only real major gripe I had was the pacing could get rather sluggish, but director Boris Segal's accessible direction delivered the goods when it came to the action set-pieces, filming the exteriors with its available scope and generating some surprises. Even though there's hope found within the story, it's extremely gloomy and finds a few moments to get down n' nasty with its violence. Russell Metty's poignantly atmospheric cinematography is great, and Ron Grainer's beat-inducing, cosy music score is well oiled. The make-up effects of the albino mutants (who replace the vampires of the original and are known as "The Family") is ghastly, unique and very 70's. Gotta love the shades, and their hooded robes. The performances are really good. Heston carries lot of the weight, and chisels out a subtle but strongly evocative character performance. To cash in on the Blaxploitation market, a feisty Rosalind Cash is cast along side Heston. Anthony Zerbe reeks with cunning menace as the manipulative, preachy leader of "The Family" and there's a short part for a lively Paul Koslo.

Messy and unusual, but extremely groovy fun despite some heavy-handed currents.


Deeply disturbing, intelligently made and without a screaming teen in sight, 'Candyman' is one of the stand-out horror movies of the decade.

To just list all the elements that make this one of the classiest genre efforts of recent years would probably take up most of the thousand words I am allowed here. Suffice to say, it has a genuinely uncomfortable premise, uncompromising execution and a bone jarringly lonely score by Philip Glass. Tony Todd is exceptional as the hollow-voiced titular creature; a lost soul brought to life by the whispers of myth. At once heartbreaking and terrifying this could be the definitive latter day horror movie monster- if it wasn't just that little bit too close to Hellraiser's Pinhead. But, when you have a winning combination of elegance and disgust in a verbose, cultured villain, why alter it too much?

Virginia Madsen convinces totally as Helen; and you can almost see all the cast acting their little socks off so as not to let the side down. So good, in fact, that I'm struggling to find one bad thing to say about it.

I read here, that in the eyes of one viewer, it "dwells on the nastier things in life" and wasn't a "nice film". I can think of no greater compliment for a truly adult horror movie. No dear, you won't find happy teens in pastel t-shirts having slumber parties and discussing trendy scary movies, while some rap star tries to sell records on the soundtrack. This is a grown up film for grown up people. There is a reason horror films are for adults, and that reason is 'Candyman'.


A strong contender for the title of best horror film of the 1990's, Bernard Rose's "Candyman" is a very faithful (and therefore truly scary) adaptation of Clive Barker's skin crawling short story. This film features a very rare and successful combination of both creepy atmosphere and visual ingeniousness. Whereas most movies (especially during the 90's) can hardly focus on any of these essential horror elements, Bernard Rose masterfully succeeds in stuffing his film with genuine tension as well as shocking gore-images. The plot centers on doctoral student Helen (underrated actress Virginia Madsen in her best role) who becomes obsessed with the urban legend of a hook-handed killer that terrorizes the pauperized ghettos of the nearby Cabrini Green. Needless to say that the Candyman-myth gets a little too realistic for Helen, as everyone she comes into contact with ends up being brutally killed with a hook. The script is intelligent and always several steps ahead of you, the eerie musical guidance is brilliant and the make-up effects are fantastically gruesome. Tony Todd is ideally cast as the bogeyman, with his strong posture and  above all  incredibly frightening voice. The legend behind his character is staggering and it's beautiful to see how director Rose plays with the realism and surrealism of Barker's basic idea. Not many horror films of the 90's decade come with my highest possible recommendation, but this one definitely does. And don't forget, the Candyman CANrip you to pieces!


Look into a mirror, preferably alone at night, and say "candy-man" 5 times and...uh...see what happens. Little known Bernard Rose directed this terrifying horror/suspense/thriller set and filmed in Chicago. The story is adapted from a novel by horror master Clive Barker. Two attractive female graduate students research an urban "myth" only to discover it may not be a myth, or is it? That's the premise of this tightly written and directed film, which does for looking into mirrors what Psycho did for taking showers. This is a thinking man's horror film that scares the daylights out of you at times while still leading you to think beyond what's on the screen.

It's much more than just a horror film with a creepy man goring people to death. It exploits many of our deepest fears about society and in ourselves, such as: what can happen in a run down public housing complex (Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green projects), and can our fears remove the certainty of what we know to be untrue? Rose expertly weaves in Hitchcockian themes of being wrongly accused, emotional vulnerability, and psychological exploitation, while maintaining interest and building a high level of tension throughout the film. Philip Glass' quasi-religious score consistently provides an eerie companion when the camera takes us into seemingly normal locations, like a public restroom for instance. Truly one of the very best horror films of the 90's that can disturb your thoughts, penetrate your sense of security, and still provide disturbing gore and violence. This film is not for the faint of heart. Virginia Madsen stars as the main character and doesn't strike a false note. Tony Todd is the candy-man, and he doesn't appear to deliver gumdrops. Don't look behind you! *** of 4 stars.


Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) doctoral student, and wife of a collage professor, is doing research on urban legends and mythological folklore for her school thesis. Though, there is one legend which gets her attention and leads her to rundown housing block where the residents believe that the murders that took place there were done by the hook-handed serial killer The Candyman (Tony Todd). A mysterious figure that can be summoned by repeating his name five times while looking in the mirror. Which Helen does and now her life turns into horrifying nightmare, which teeters between reality and myth, as she gets closer to the truth about the Candyman.

Second time around and this memorable piece hasn't lost any of its effect. It's not only a incredibly brood horror film that manages to create an creeping/ingenious plot with such an unsettling physiological tone, but also providing some generally horrific shocks that creep up on you and aren't for the squeamish. So, it's far from your normal slasher and it just doesn't concentrate on the violence for a change. Not only does the plot build on this mystical legend constructively, but also there's also some solid social commentary on the mindset towards race and sex, which added more to this cleverly layered plot (or should I say tragic love story). What is so great about the screenplay is that you yourself feel apprehensive to what's happening to the protagonist and to where this story is heading by playing on what people believe and how these believes can overcome them. Plus it makes great use of the Chicago's gloomy surroundings. Not only does the film have substance, but also style to boot. The direction by Bernard Rose is quite brilliant, with Rose superbly mixing visuals that gel myth and reality superbly. Particularly the well-crafted encounters between Helen and the Candyman - these sequences were incredibly hair-raising. He creates such a glum and dark atmosphere within these rundown buildings filled with vibrant artwork, the richly layered aura goes hand-to-hand with the moody legend. The slow pacing of the film is perfect; there are no tedious blotches because you are totally wrapped in the story and by the delightful performances. The death toll isn't big, but there are some real gruesome deaths, with A LOT blood. The make-up and special effects are extremely thoughtful and inventive. Phillip Glass' extremely effective score deserves such high praise. Soothing, but also haunting and was incredibly effective towards building towards such an almighty blow. Another bonus was the smooth as silk camera-work; it captured the balanced layout of Chicago with plenty of stunning Ariel shots (great intro). Overall, I was just amazed by this beautifully planned production.

What a horror icon! Tony Todd totally nails down such a terrifying and profound performance as the mythical being The Candyman. I believe this horror character totally wipes the floor clean of the other icons of its genre and who created him? No other than from the dark mind of Clive Baker (Hellraiser), who brings this frightening thriller alive, which is basically based on Baker's short story - The Forbidden. He came up with a unique horror character that's downright unnerving, completely authentic and has a lot of depth. But Tony Todd's towering figure and eerie voice has a lot to owe to that and to make one tremble in his presence! Virginia Madsen gives a stellar performance as Helen Lyle, who we really do care for her and feel what she is feeling. Good supporting roles from Xander Berkley as Helen's Husband, Kasi Lemmons as her friend/student who's also working with her their thesis and Vanessa Williams as Anne-Marie McCoy who lives in the rundown estate. The dialogue was packed with depth, but also laced with interesting topics and Todd's lines were pretty much poetic and smooth.

The one and only "small" negative would be the ending for me. I was somewhat let down by the second ending and I thought maybe it could've done without it. It just felt tact on. Anyhow it didn't stop it from being damn right creepy and it does pack a real unsteadiness.

To get in the mood of it, I say it's definitely a film to watch late at night alone.

One of the clever horror films (if not the best) of that disappointing decade they call the '90s for horror films. If you're looking for a serious horror (before Scream's imitators made a mockery of the slasher sub-genre), I highly recommend this provocative slasher that doesn't cop out the audience.


Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is a graduate student doing research on an urban legend named 'Candyman' who is supposed to be haunting the Cabrini-Green housing project in Chicago. Unfortunately, she finds that this is no urban legend but the tragic truth...

A horror movie that is authentically creepy and unsettling, making it leagues ahead of other movies of its ilk. Enhanced by Philip Glass's haunting music score and a magnetic performance by Tony Todd (it has now become his signature role) as the titular being. It's unfortunately mean-spirited (and very, very gory), and, like some other horror movies, this does not show a great deal of hope for its leading character.

Based on the story "The Forbidden" by Clive Barker, which was originally set in Liverpool (the author was executive producer of the movie). Writer / director Bernard Rose appears fleetingly on screen as "Archie Walsh."

Star Virginia Madsen shares two scenes with her real-life friend, actress Rusty Schwimmer, who plays the policewoman.

8/10


As far as horror films go, this movie will scare the living daylights out of anyone! Clive Barker's novel "The Forgotten" is the basis for this picture that shows a lot of style under the direction of Bernard Rose. This nightmarish tale is translated for the screen by the author and its director.

The two principals, Helen, brilliantly played by the gorgeous Virginia Madsen, and Tony Todd, as the Candyman, enhance the picture. Ms. Madsen plays Helen the student finishing her thesis in urban legends. She makes the mistake of going to the projects to do some research, only to learn much more of what really happened at the scene of the crime. Helen tempts the Candyman. He comes back to haunt her as we discover that this is a story that is being replayed and must have a closure. Tony Todd makes a smashing appearance and runs away with the movie.

The special effects are cleverly done. The brilliant costumes by Leonard Pollack add a touch of class to the proceedings.

This is a film to watch with someone, as it can cause nightmares for a long, long time.


Candyman is one of my all time favorite horror movies. It is genuinely scary, and it makes one have second thoughts when standing in front of a mirror.

What I particularly enjoyed about the movie is the multidimensional development of the plot at the sociological, psychological, and parapsychological level. The first scene of the movie presents in a nutshell the experience that the viewer is going to have, an experience so common (regarding urban legends) yet so distant.

The acting (esp. by Virginia Madsen) is superb. The setting could not be more perfect. The shaggy, derelict apartment buildings at Cabrini Green create the proper ambience for what is to follow.

Certainly the gory scenes are not very attractive, and in a way such explicit portrayal does not seem necessary, since the psychological suspense is the driving force of the movie. Also the ending is rather anticlimactic and overdrawn. Disappointing sequel....

Fun to watch with people who scare easily!


I love the horror genre! I grew up loving films that scared the hell out of me! Candyman is excellent because it is a film that I genuinely found very twisted and disturbing when I saw it at the tender age of 15.

 Check this out, 'It is a blessed condition believe me. To be whispered about in street corners...to live in other peoples dreams...but not to have to be...do you understand?'

 How cool is that quote! I am going to throw in a few quotes in this review because the writing of this film is really, really cool! The Candyman is not an inarticulate Jason or Michael Myers. He has the vocabulary of a homicidal drama professor who likes Richard Burton. Candyman is the thinking person's horror film. It explores the notion of the urban myth. The Candyman exists because people tell the stories about him. They spread the myth making him flesh.

 Unfortunately for researcher Helen Lyle, she doesn't know any of this. She investigates the urban myth of the Candyman, seeking to debunk it and her fate becomes sealed. Hey! Writing a paper isn't worth being burned alive! The film rests on the central idea that fiction can suddenly become real life if enough people believe in the myth. Boogey men can therefore be created if enough people believe in monsters. This theme is familiar to the director Bernard Rose. I recommend another one of his films called 'Paperhouse.' This is about the imagination of a little girl that starts to manifest in reality. It is also quite good although not as scary. The original story of how the Candyman was made is horrific and just deepens the mystery. This is not a film like the Friday the 13th series. This is far more cerebral and relies much more on its concepts.

 The Candyman is the whisper in the classroom that will exist forever. When Helen sets out to debunk the Candyman, this is essentially like trying to murder him. 'Your disbelief destroyed the faith of my congregation. Without them, I am nothing.' Debunking the Candyman will destroy his immortality. The only way the Candyman can exist is through the shedding of innocent blood so that the stories of him can continue to proliferate. So when Helen decides that the Candyman is actually a local drug dealer hiding behind the Candyman identity. She feels that she has solved the mystery of the mysterious murders that the Candyman has committed. What Helen does not know is that the Candyman is a kind of a physical manifestation of the Jungian collective unconscious. The Candyman takes his revenge, he feels obliged to come, after all she has caused much doubt about his actual existence. The Candyman tears away Helen's day to day reality. Driving her into what other people think is her own insanity. Now she knows the truth of the Candyman...

 The conversations between Helen and the Candyman are haunting. What is also interesting is that sadism and masochism are major features in Clive Barker's work. 'The pain I assure you, will be exquisite.' S&M tendencies! This is one dark and twisted piece of celluloid! The acting is also really good from both actors. The final scene is horrific as Helen tries to rescue a baby in a blazing woodpile and is burnt alive! Helen herself then becomes part of the legend and therefore comes back as another physical manifestation of legend. However, remember this is not Helen's ghost but a construction of Helen through the beliefs of those who believe this mysterious urban legend. Candyman says it best...

 'Your death will be a tale to frighten children...to make lovers cling closer in their rapture. Come with me and be immortal...' Genius.

 This film also has a great soundtrack, a very haunting score.

 Candyman is a very interesting film that originates from the absolutely twisted mind of Clive Barker. This is brilliant, well written horror. 9 out of 10.

 By the way avoid the sequels. I saw number 2 and it just ruins the whole thing. Think of this as the one and only.


Undoubtedly one of the more original and frightening horror movies of the early 90s, Bernard Rose's "Candyman," an adaptation of famed author Clive Barker's "The Forbidden," stands well on its own as an effectively creepy film.

I was only about six or seven when I first heard the terrifying "Bloody Mary" legend, which was similar to the Candyman legend. And I'm sure others have heard stories about alligators in the sewer or the hesitant 911 operator. Indeed, the "Candyman" and "Bloody Mary" legends do share some common ground, in that if you chant their names before a mirror "x" number of times, they'll appear behind you and hack you to pieces.

I used to believe in these legends - when I was kid - but as I grew older, I realized that they're just legends and therefore aren't meant to be taken literally. But that's the central dilemma with 1992's "Candyman": If you believe in something enough, will that belief make fiction reality?

The Candyman (Tony Todd) has claimed responsibility for a series of grisly slayings in a particularly rough Chicago housing project, and Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is anxious to discredit the myths. But when she is falsely accused of several brutal murders, could the Candyman be out for revenge, because she doubted him?

I'll admit upfront that I'm not familiar with the works of Clive Barker, who is clearly one of the most talented writers of the last 20 years. Only this film and "Hellraiser" have been able to capture my interest, unfortunately. "Candyman" is certainly a terrifying experience from start to finish, as you can't really be sure if the hook-handed spectral entity of the title actually exists in the physical world.

10/10