‘Shopping will never be the same again’
Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge is a 1989 horror film directed by Richard Friedman (Scared Stiff; Doom Asylum; Dark Wolf) from a screenplay by Scott J. Schneid, Tony Michelman and Robert King.
Cast:
Derek Rydall (Night Visitor; Popcorn), Jonathan Goldsmith (Helter Skelter; Blood Voyage), Rob Estes (6 passi nel giallo), Pauly Shore, Kari Whitman, Gregory Scott Cummins (Halloween Night; Watchers III), Tom Fridley (Jason Lives: Friday the 13th: Part VI) Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead; The Devil’s Rejects; The Lords of Salem) and Morgan Fairchild (The Initiation of Sarah; The Seduction; The New Addams Family).
Plot teaser:
A young man apparently dies in a suspicious house fire after saving his girlfriend, Melody. A year later, at the new Midwood mall built over the site of the burned-out house, thefts and murders begin to occur as a mysterious figure secretly prowls around the shopping center and takes a keen interest in watching over and protecting Melody…
Reviews:
“Makers of bad movies should hold their breath in awe after watching this one. Scarcely a scene isn’t gross or ridiculous, scarcely a performance isn’t forced or shallow, scarcely a line of dialogue isn’t a burbling, awkward cliche. There’s a perfection of awfulness here that almost commands respect; it can’t have been easy to keep going on this picture after a look or two at the rushes.” Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times
“For a cheap direct-to-video slasher, Eric’s Revenge is audacious as hell and riotously entertaining as a result—with so much lunacy swirling about, it’s damn near impossible for dull moments to occur, especially since this overt stuff is merely accentuating the typical slasher silliness.” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!
Buy: Amazon.com
“A pretty silly idea executed with only mediocre results, this movie still manages to maintain an enjoyable vibe thanks to the fine cast, many of whom went on to work in far more fabulous projects.” Amanda By Night, Retro Slashers
” … the entire story is in the title. Someone named Eric is taking revenge against people as a phantom of a mall. This also means there is no suspense. We know Eric is behind this, but we still have to see Estes and Cute Girl go through the motions of a silly investigation.” Charles Tatum, eFilmCritic.com
“You should know the 80s slasher drill by now. No scares, suspense, story, acting or characters – just novelty death scenes and a psychotic villain. When a film fails to deliver on the latter two AND the rest, then it’s really bottom of the barrel stuff.” Andrew Smith, Popcorn Pictures
“There’s also the ridiculous ending, with bombs blowing up and bad drama and Ken Foree not getting the screen time that he deserves (he’s relegated to inept security guard status, watching cameras of the women’s dressing room and only getting a minor role at the end of the film – a bad use of a horror icon). It’s kind of a fun mess to watch, but it’s like walking into a store where all of the clothes are tossed around haphazardly – there are things you might like, but it’s too much of a bother to pick through the litter.” Ryne Barber, HorrorNews.net
Buy: Amazon.co.uk
Cast:
Derek Rydall as Eric Matthews, The Phantom of the Mall
Jonathan Goldsmith as Harv Posner, Mall Owner
Rob Estes as Peter Baldwin, Reporter
Pauly Shore as Buzz, Yogurt Clerk
Kimber Sissons as Susie, Fashion Clerk
Gregory Scott Cummins as Christopher Volker, Security Guard
Tom Fridley as Justin, Posner’s Son
Kari Whitman as Melody Austin
Ken Foree as Acardi
Morgan Fairchild as Mayor Karen Wilton
Terrence Evans as Security Guard
Dante D’Andre as Piano man
Choice dialogue:
Melody: “It’s almost like a bad dream, you know.”
Filming locations:
The film was shot in southern California at Sherman Oaks Galleria, Promenade Mall (now Westfield Promenade) and Valencia Studios. Alhambra, California was also a location shoot.
Wikipedia | IMDb | Mall horror: Chopping Mall | Dawn of the Dead
