Zapped! (1982) User Reviews

Typical 80s Sexploitation

[The-Sarkologist · 5/10 · 8 January 2023]

I remember seeing this film years ago, and if it wasn't because it was recently brought to my attention, I probably would have left it on the list of films that I have watched years ago. Mind you, I suspect that I was a teenager when I last saw this film because while I vaguely remember details, there were things in the film, such as the marijuana being grown behind the orchids, that I didn't remember. Not that it was funny or anything, it was just something that stood out to me now that I sort of missed the last time.

Anyway, the film is about a high school student who spends most of his time in the lab performing experiments (and growing marijuana for one of his friends). However, after a couple of accidents, he suddenly discovers that he has the power to move things with his mind. Well, being a 80s film set in a high school you can pretty much figure out what is going to happen, particularly when it comes to shirts flying open of their own accord. In fact, it all comes to a head at the school dance at the end, where things become really chaotic.

Actually, it sort of goes to show how little imagination that was put into this film because, well, there really didn't seem to be much in the way of a plot. However, I sort of feel sorry for the guy, especially when we discover what his parents are like. Honestly, I'm not at all surprised that he wants to spend all of his time in the highschool lab, and come back after dinner, especially when we see what his mum happens to cook.

Yet in the end, this film really has one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to show as much flesh as possible, without being pushed past a certain limit. However, despite the low rating, there does seem to be a bit of a following to this film, probably because it is pretty much a classic 80s sex-comedy, the type that you pretty much don't see in the cinemas anymore (for a pretty good reason, namely because these days it would be considered exploitation). Still, unlike a certain genre of film, this one not only has a plot, but after the chaos that is caused at the school prom, our protagonist, Barney, does realise that maybe his powers could be put to better use than making shirts randomly pop open.

Actually, I only just discovered that the film was reshot to add more nudity. Yeah, only in the 80s.

Funny, in a weird kinda way

[Gislef · 6/10 · 21 November 2000]

It's your basic 80's teen comedy. How can you identify this unique sub-genre? Look for a movie with a good brunette and an evil/bad girl blonde.

Scatman Crothers was probably embarrassed to list this on his resume, but Christopher Aames is actually kinda funny in a few spots: he does a decent Groucho impersonation near the end.

Baio and Schacter have some decent chemistry, and for some odd reason I really like the music. Other then that, it's pretty much a guilty pleasure.

If Things Had Only Gone This Well For Carrie

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 10 November 2008]

Zapped secured the services of three current teen stars to guarantee a box office for this comedic salute to Carrie. The three are Scott Baio from Happy Days, Willie Aames from Eight Is Enough, and Felice Schachter from The Facts Of Life. Would that things had only gone this well for Carrie on her prom night.

Nerdy kid Scott Baio, a misunderstood science genius, gets some kind of chemicals mixed due to baseball coach Scatman Crothers spilling something and a noxious gas overtakes him in the laboratory in school. When he wakes up he finds himself with the power of telekinesis. After that it's one ridiculous situation after another.

One thing about this film, except for the three leads nearly everyone else in the movie is a blithering idiot. Other kids, teachers, Baio's parents, Scatman Crothers is an exception. Best scene in the film is on prom night Baio's parents get a couple of priests to perform an exorcism on him.

As for the prom, the scene is strictly a takeoff on Brian DePalma's Carrie with the damage played for laughs instead of violence. Typical brat pack comedy by three who were trying to break into the pack. Some funny scenes, but mostly kind of dopey.

I Know It's A Bad Movie, But I Love To Watch It!

[Kevin1963 · 4 January 2001]

I just bought a copy of Zapped for $5 and watched it for the first time in several years the other day. All the reviews you will read for the movie here sum it up. It's a bad story, with bad actors, with bad acting, with bad special effects and I enjoy it every time I watch it. I don't know why because I've never liked Scott Baio or Willie Aames in anything else they did, but they click here. I also think Felice Schacter was a cutie in the picture. I always make the comparison to WKRP in Cincinnati when I watch this picture. Felice is Bailey Quarters and Heather Thomas is Loni Anderson's Jennifer (and I preferred Bailey by far). I always got a kick out of Scatman Crothers and he has some great lines in this movie as does LaWanda Page (from Sanford and Son fame). And don't forget the movie industry's biggest geek, Eddie Deezen, who makes an appearance.

As another reviewer put it, watching Zapped is a guilty pleasure. if that's the case, I probably belong on Death Row! If you want to clear your mind of all thoughts and don't want to do it with chemicals, pop in Zapped and enjoy!

not one of the better 80's comedies.

[triple8 · 5/10 · 15 April 2004]

Though this is watchable, it does get a little played after awhile. For some reason, this movie isn't as good as one thinks it could be, when you first hear what its about. I think zapped could have been a little more creatvie in how the powers were actually put to use, to many girls being disrobed etc etc, it's fun at first-but there's nothing done thats spectacular or strongly memorable. It is just a nice little movie about a boy who develops special powers. The movie could have had more of a field day with creative innovative ways to use those powers! But nothing special happens at all.

This movie isn't especially terrible but cannot come close to some of the more well done 80's movies, not enough creativity went into developing an entertaining idea. The movie becomes a bit to formulatic and "been there,done that". I'd give this just a 5 out of 10. Not bad, but not particularly good either.

Silly but Entertains

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 3 April 2019]

The nerd Barney Springboro (Scott Baio) researches in the high-school laboratory means to increase the orchids of the principal and the behaviors of drunken mice under water. When the baseball coach accidentally drops one substance in another, Barney accidentally develops telekinesis power. His best friend Peyton Nichols (Willie Aames) and his school mate Bernadette (Felice Schachter) discover his secret. Peyton uses Barney´s ability to bet closer to the hot Jane Mitchell (Heather Thomas), who dates the college student Robert Wolcott (Greg Bradford). Bernadette tries to find application for Barney´s power and they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile Barney gets into trouble when Peyton decides to use his friend´s ability to make easy money.

"Zapped!" is a silly comedy that entertains. There are a couple of funny scenes and many hot girls, highlighting the sexy Heather Thomas. The viewer can see this film in a rainy day with few alternatives of entertainment. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Mistura Especial" ("A Special Mixture")

Zap This One Out of Your System!

[phillafella · 1/10 · 11 April 2003]

Some movies are just plain awful, and ZAPPED! has awful written all over it. Scott Baio stars as a high school kid who gains telekinetic powers after experiencing a scientific mishap. The movie is a trial to sit through and does not contain a single laugh. It is even worse than MODERN PROBLEMS and that movie was bad enough. I was never really a Scott Baio fan, although he did have a good role on TV's "Happy Days," but ZAPPED! is quite easily the worst teen movie I have ever seen in my whole life.

0 out of 5

Get your remote ready

[Turtle-20 · 6/10 · 13 February 1999]

Hey, it's a 1980s video-type movie. It's a one-gag picture with some amusing moments, some dumb moments, and a titillating finale. Don't pay more than a buck to rent it. Scott Baio is... well, Scott Baio. Enough said.

low caliber sex romp teen movie

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 17 February 2015]

Barney Springboro (Scott Baio) is a real high school science nerd. His best friend Peyton Nichols (Willie Aames) just wants to party. Coach Dexter Jones accidentally adds to Barney's formula. Bernadette is the pushy class nerd who wants to interview Barney. The mixture explodes giving him telekinetic powers. Jane Mitchell (Heather Thomas) is the entitled cheerleader going out with a college guy. Both Bernadette and Peyton find out about Barney's powers. Bernadette wants to publish while Peyton uses his powers to win a baseball game.

It's a functional sex romp of a pretty low caliber. It was a lot better seeing this as a boy. This is the usual raunchy teen movie with nude boobs. The idea of a guy with telekinetic powers is a lot better than the execution here. The highlight is Heather Thomas. Scott Baio has a bit of charisma but he doesn't seem to be fully committed to being a nerd. A good pair of thick glasses would help and he needs to button up his shirt. It's like he's too cool to play the part.

Funny but boring

[welhof1 · 6/10 · 4 June 2020]

This movie had a really cool plot idea. Simple and funny. But it was just kind of boring. Nothing was really memorable in it except the prom scene at the end. There were a LOT of scenes where they expected to be hilarious but just weren't. His mom cracked me up though. She was strangely funny.

The cheesiest movie ever made!!

[steve-575 · 4/10 · 20 October 2000]

I'll admit that when I first saw this movie when I was about nine years old, I loved it. I couldn't stop laughing. However, when I recently saw this movie, I was laughing for another reason. The movie was so bad and so cheesy it was actually funny. Every scene in this movie was cheesy especially the baseball game and the ending scene which spoofed Carrie. I couldn't believe that I used to like this movie. If you do like goofy movies from the 80s, then I recommend this one. Just don't pay more than a dollar to rent it. However, if you want a good movie with solid acting, then do not rent this.

Best Baio Film Ever

[Edwinjhill · 10/10 · 8 December 2004]

I believe I'm one of the few people who are huge fans of this movie. It's not a great movie but it excels in it's 1980's cheesy-ness. Forget John Hughes and St. Elmo's Fire, if you are looking for the quintessential teen movie, it's Zapped. Scott Baio gets hit on the head and gets telekenisis powers, Willie Ames is with him as always, Scatman Crothers gets high and rides a bike through a field, girls shirts rip off. I have devoted my life to make sure as many people see this movie as possible. And the song they play at the prom, "Got To Believe In Magic" by David Pomeranz. It's beautiful, I've used it in video projects and a play I directed. It's a horrible movie but it's not in the so bad it's good category. It's a movie I can watch repeatedly and enjoy even though it is pretty bad. Stay away from the sequel you will only get scorned.

I liked it

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 19 June 2016]

Well this was fun. It's like a cross between an '80s sex comedy and those Disney movies from the '70s where Kurt Russell gained super strength or intelligence from a science experiment gone wrong. It feels like it might be a parody of those movies ("Are you a junkie, son?"), although I keep seeing people say it's a take on Carrie. I assume that's because of the climax, which is clearly spoofing Carrie a little. The movie teams Scott Baio and Willie Aames years before their Charles in Charge glory. Baio plays a nerd who gains the power of telekinesis from a lab accident. Aames is his horny friend who doesn't hesitate to exploit this new power as much as he can. Baio is enjoyable and Aames is a lot of fun, even though his character is kind of scummy at times. The supporting cast is terrific, with older actors like Sue Ane Langdon, Scatman Crothers, Robert Mandan, and the great LaWanda Page providing many of the movie's laughs. Highlights include the Star Trek scene, marijuana Einstein dream, the cheesy montage when Baio gets laid, and the baseball game where Scatman Crothers makes a fat kid eat a booger. All this plus sexy Heather Thomas and some corny sound effects I loved to death because I'm simple like that. It's a fun movie and I really wasn't expecting it to be. Obviously judging by its score here it's not well-loved by most. I guess I can see why but I did like it so I would recommend it to anyone thinking of trying it out, provided you are prepared for it to be a somewhat odd mix of corny and vulgar.

Jon Monsarrat review: aging teen flick, awful

[johnnymonsarrat · 2/10 · 6 September 2002]

If there's anything worse than the teen flick, there's the aging teen flick.

I caught this in the 1980s on cable TV and it's representative of the Meatballs and Porky's generation of films.

What this film has in common with Star Wars and the X-Men is the fantasy of magical powers.

Even if some nudity will amuse you, there's not much about Zapped! worth seeing.

Who should see this film:

-- nobody

I'll give Zapped! a 3 out of 10.

Scott Baio rules!

[bwilcox · 1 July 2003]

And I ain't joshin'.

Why Scott Baio gets the proverbial shaft when great actors are discussed is beyond me. Here's a cat who has dated all the hottest tail and was the driving force behind what is arguably the edgiest, most acerbic teen flick ever in "Zapped!" ... yet he is often mentioned in the same breath with the two-headed Corey Monster (Haim and Feldman) and his frequent, far less dramatically astute compatriot, Mr. Willie Aames. Such degradation is tantamount to a travesty.

This movie is a cutting comedic triumph. Baio's character makes incisive observations about the empty rhetoric of adolescence, and challenges authority not only with his telekinetic powers, but alcohol, tobacco and sex. And let's examine the telekinesis closer -- is it just another one of those blessing-and-a-curse afflictions that finds the right guy or girl? Absolutely not. We're talking about a uniquely Zen ideal, a manifestation of a young man's private internal nirvana in the laboratory of the local high school. Beakers move, brooms sweep up debris, roulette wheels spin out of control, dad tosses liquid laxative all over himself uncontrollably ... this is a celluloid incarnation of unrivaled genius.

Alas, who am I kidding? This movie is stupid bad. And yet I still love it, dammit. So sue me.

Painful to watch

[guyzradio · 2/10 · 19 October 2018]

There's sophomoric humor, and then there's Zapped. Considerable daylight separates the two, with Zapped on the short end of it. The need to suspend disbelief is stretched so far, the movie looses all entertainment value. IMDb trivia says "the film used several techniques to capture the feel of its high school setting for nostalgic fans." Just wondering what high school that might have been. Don't waste your time on this tripe.

could have been great without ames

[sandcrab277 · 5/10 · 28 November 2020]

This little turdball willie ames screwed up eight is enough before he caused this disaster with his childish pranks ... he always has a con or a gimmick to make money get women or make better grades ... people that play the angles get bent and he was no exception ... the rest of the cast performed well

Hasn't Improved with Age

[Uriah43 · 4/10 · 5 April 2019]

This film essentially involves a high school nerd named "Barney Springbaro" (Scott Baio) working in the high school laboratory and being joined by his best friend "Peyton Nichols" (Willie Aames) who spills some beer into a formula Barney was working on. After Peyton leaves Barney accidently drops the beaker containing the formula which explodes and stuns him for a moment. Upon gaining his composure he finds that he has acquired the ability to move objects with his mind (telekinesis) which scares him at first but as time passes he begins to use it to benefit both himself and Peyton. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I thought this film was okay when it first came out but having seen it again recently I have to admit that it hasn't weathered the test of time very well at all. The humor wasn't that sharp due in large part to several comedic scenes being repeated once too often. In any case, while this film wasn't necessarily bad, it honestly wasn't that good either and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

Zapped! is 'shockingly' good

[Fluke_Skywalker · 7/10 · 18 October 2016]

Plot; A high school genius gains telekinetic powers after a lab accident.

Looks and feels a lot like an updated (for the 80s) Disney's The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes... except with gratuitous nudity, strong language and drug use. By 80s R-rated teen comedy standards, however, those elements are rather tame and sparse. Zapped! is a childhood favorite, and I'm predisposed to love the genre because its films are what my Dad and I bonded over (with some Dads it's baseball, with mine it was Porky's), but nostalgia aside, I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this breezy, good natured romp. Here's to you, Dad.

So bad. So very very bad.

[garethcrook · 1/10 · 8 February 2023]

I've got Josh & Chuck of SYSK to blame for watching this. Zapped! Tells the story of Barney (Scott Baio) and his mate Peyton (Willie Aames), two high school students. A popular theme in 80s movies. Barney is a science nerd. In the era before animal testing was frowned upon and Peyton is... the other one. We're 5 minutes in before I'm resigned to the fact that this is terrible. It might be worse than Howard the Duck. The experiments Barney's been doing on Edgar the mouse have given him telekinetic powers, powers that Barney gains himself after spilling some of the concoction in his lab. Go with it, this isn't a deep film. The acting all round is absolutely shocking. Is it supposed to be this bad? The whole thing is cheap. Apparently the final scene took a week to shoot, I've no idea why. Barney begins to realise he can control things and after opening a few doors and tidying up his lab like something from Mary Poppins, but not as good, he moves onto removing people's clothes. But only after he freaks out his mum with a mannequin and indulges in a weird Star Trek fantasy. Like I said, not deep. Most of it is filmed with a minimal cast, aside a ball game. Where Scatman Crothers turns up as the coach and Barney rigs the game with comedy sound effects in case we weren't sure he was using his powers. Scatman Crothers gets high. There's a montage at an amusement park. An exorcism. They clean up at roulette and piss of the token jock. Barney falls for Bernadette (Felice Schachter) and Peyton chases Jane (Heather Thomas). Everything culminates with the prom where everyone loses their clothes in teenage fantasy Carrie spoof. It plays more like a TV show, a bad one. Maybe not a surprise as that's where most of these actors wound up. There's no redeeming features. I don't really blame Josh & Chuck. I could tell from the poster this wasn't going to score well, but it's even worse than I thought... and they made a sequel!

Good when nothing else is on.

[frankjames · 7/10 · 4 March 2001]

This movie is one of the better goofy teen movies of the early 80's. The movie gets a bad review by people who don't see it for what it is. This is a movie that when nothing is on you will gladly waste 1-2 hours watching. Movie is clean and silly. Think of what you would do with the powers Scott Baio has in this movie. Soundtrack is typical early 80's cheese.

E.S.P-U

[Mister-6 · 2/10 · 7 September 1999]

How can a movie be so stupid, so unbelievably stupid, as to have Heather Thomas in a major role, then not give her more screen time??

Can you tell I'm a fan of hers?

I'm no fan of "Zapped!", though. Everyone's an idiot in this movie, and those who aren't end up looking stupid sooner or later.

You see, Baio plays a high school nerd who gets special telepathic powers thanks to this concoction he makes up in chem class. With these powers, he can either make the world a better place by ending war, disease and famine... or just use it to rig ball games, roulette wheels and pop open Heather's blouse.

Guess which road he takes?

Come on, it's an '80s movie, dude!

At least Baio and Aames worked well enough together here to star together in TV's "Charles in Charge" later on.

As far as everything else goes: bad special effects, bad script, bad judgment to use old fogies like Baio as high school students, VERY BAD under-use of Heather Thomas. And bad use of Felice Schachter.

Who's Felice Schachter?

Exactly.

Two stars. One for Heather, and an extra one just to give her moral support for this ordeal.

It's okay, Heather. we're here for you.

Awesome 80's Movie that leaves you feeling good!

[Elysia · 10/10 · 25 March 1999]

I saw this movie when it first came out, and just recently purchased it. It is a movie from the 80's that is just about fun and you don't have to worry about confronting any issues or tackling any controversial subjects. It is just a fun romp into a fantasy that we all probably had when we were in high school, to have some sort of "special power" that made us different from everyone else. I say if you just want to forget today's world just pop in this movie and relax for 1hr 38min!

Cute movie with typical high school pranks

[hman3624 · 6/10 · 30 March 2006]

I think after seeing this movie it wasn't the best acting but the plot was good and the final prom scene was worth waiting for. I especially liked the friendship of Barney Springboro, played by Scott Baio and Payton Nichols, played by Willie Ames. The sexy co-ed, Jane, played by Heather Thomas was as fine as a high school girl could be, she was snobbish and you just wanted her to really get embarrassed in the end. I just knew she had to have something interesting happen to her and low and behold it did in the prom sequence. Jane had her pink, strapless gown pulled right off her through Barney's telekinetic power leaving her in only pink matching panties, garter-belt, stockings and heels for the whole school to see. As she discovered her predicament she screamed and quickly ran off only to have Payton chase after her to try to grab her panties. Then what happened next was unbelievable, Barney got carried away, opened the gym door blowing up a stiff breeze which started to tear off everyone's clothes who were in the vicinity. Girls had their dresses ripped off them as they were down to their bras and panties. One lovely blond was shown in just a white lace g-string panty with her breasts covered by nothing but her hands. Another girl up on stage dancing, had her flirty dress blow freely in the breeze, ala Marilyn Monroe, then had it fly off her leaving her in just her white bikini panties. Still more girls were running around showing their assets in skimpy bras and panties trying hard to cover-up while guys were pursuing them. All in all it was a unique but sexy ending to a cute show and had me thinking I wished I'd have been at that prom!

Golden Raspberry Award Winner With Good Reason

[reymunpadilla · 1/10 · 13 November 2023]

Having been a teen back then, I'll tell you the only reason why anyone would watch this. To see breasts without having to try and convince a store clerk to sell you a porn magazine when you were still underage.

And that's it. Just about every other teen comedy in the 80s was funnier. Baio was already washed up, and so was Ames. This film won Golden Raspberry Awards for both Baio and for the film.

There's not even a single joke in this, and zero laughs when I saw it in the theater. Just some "Huh huhs..." when the breasts appeared.

Sadly, by then Ames was already addicted to coke, and Baio later would be in a scandal accused of allegedly abusing an underage costar. So you watch it now cringing and shaking your head.