Pandemonium (1982) User Reviews

somewhat amusing, but disappointing horror spoof

[FieCrier · 5/10 · 10 March 2005]

Odd thing about the post/cover art for this: you'd have no idea it was a horror movie at all, it just looks like a straight comedy. I knew it was a horror spoof, though, and watched it almost back to back with Student Bodies (1981), which I feel was slightly better than this one. This almost feels like it was made for TV.

It starts off with a shot of the moon, and we see the shadow of a wolf baying on the moon's surface, which is revealed to be cast by hands doing shadow puppets, which become hands grabbing a football pass. Four cheerleaders get skewered by a long javelin toss by a mystery killer, so long, the javelin is more like a heat-seeking missile. It makes a shish-ka-bob of them. This is in "It Had to Be, Indiana" at It Had to Be University (It Had to Be U - I like Bullwinkle's Whattsamotta U better).

Years later, a woman reopens the cheerleading school. Each of the new students is introduced by a caption "Victim #1," "#2," etc. Exposition is accompanied by an "Exposition" caption, then "Still More Exposition" etc. A bit weak. Student Bodies relied on captions for humor too.

Isabella Telezynska plays a character spoofing Maria Ouspenskaya's Maleva character from Universal's The Wolf Man, offering a warning in rhyme about pompoms. Carol Kane plays a Carrie-like psychic girl raised by an oppressive mother.

Meanwhile, a driller killer who turns his victims into wood furniture somehow has escaped from prison, and a madman wearing a mask has escaped from an asylum and they hit the road together. The madman's doctor is in pursuit.

Tommy Smothers is the local cop, a Royal Canadian Mountie, for some reason, who has a horse with a circle painted around one eye, and a deputy or servant played by Paul Reubens, doing his Pee Wee Herman voices and laughs, but behaving surly.

The deaths are not quite as odd as in Student Bodies, but there are a lot of them. There are a number of good actors in this movie (like Donald O'Connor and Phil Hartman) who are on screen for so short a time, and given so little to do, often stupid, that they are wasted.

There are some funny lines in the movie, and it is just funny enough not to be a total waste of time.

Likably goofy slasher spoof

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 9 June 2019]

This spoof of slasher films is hit-and-miss (sexy-eyed Carol Kane as a Carrie-like heroine is a hit; Paul Reubens as an idiotic assistant to the sheriff is a miss), but it's likable enough, and the characters are quirky and developed enough that - dare I say it? - you actually feel kinda sorry when they meet their (cartoonishly over-the-top) ends. The film often diverts from the horror genre and goes every which way and as a result it doesn't have much momentum, but it does make you laugh at several points. My favorite line: "Do you want me to come with you?" - "Sure, if we can time it". **1/2 out of 4.

Look out, Mr. Tooth Decay.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 25 July 2021]

During the height of the slasher era, various comedy filmmakers took a shot at spoofing their conventions. Other famous examples include Greydon Clarks' "Wacko" and Mickey Roses' "Student Bodies" (the latter being the best of the bunch, in this viewers' humble opinion). This one has some good ideas; one of the most obvious is making the hero (played by legendary funnyman Tom Smothers) a Royal Canadian Mountie, in reference to the Canadian origin of slashers such as "Prom Night" and "My Bloody Valentine".

The set-up is that a bunch of cheerleaders are massacred after a big football game at It Had to Be U (ha, ha) in the 1960s. After various attempts over the years to create a cheerleaders' school in the area, a character named Bambi (ever-perky Candice Azzara) is making a last ditch-effort to get one going, recruiting youngsters whose names mostly tend to rhyme: Mandy, Sandy, Andy, Candy, Randy.....and Glenn (Glenn Dandy). They're played by Teri Landrum, Debralee Scott, Miles Chapin, Carol Kane, Marc McClure, and Judge Reinhold. But wouldn't you know it: there is once again a psycho on the loose who likes to butcher cheerleaders.

"Pandemonium" was the last theatrical feature film (as a director) for Alfred Sole, who'd made a pretty interesting 70s shocker called "Alice, Sweet Alice", and thereafter functioned as a production designer. He doesn't seem to have a real flair for comedy, although the script (by Richard Whitley and Jaime Klein) predictably throws out all kinds of silly gags in the hopes that at least some of them will hit. But unfortunately, "Pandemonium" just doesn't have that many laughs to offer. Two cast members who do manage to be hilarious to watch are David L. "Squiggy" Lander as a guy named Pepe, and Paul Reubens, cast as Smothers' assistant who resents his boss giving his horse Bob preferential treatment. Reubens, giving a very Pee-wee Herman-esque performance, is a riot at times, especially in the memorable "going through the drawers" gag.

One impressive thing that "Pandemonium" can boast is an amazing roster of comedy talent in many of the roles, with lots of familiar faces turning up in either cameo roles or bits. I'll let the prospective viewers discover most of these for themselves. The main players keep things watchable through the sheer force of their comic energy; Kane is endearing as always, and Smothers is just a hoot. Overall, the ridiculousness of the material is just not as inspired as it is in "Student Bodies".

Perhaps the funniest thing about "Pandemonium" is that it was filmed under the title of "Thursday the 12th", and was changed in order to avoid confusion with another horror spoof called "Saturday the 14th".

Six out of 10.

You'll chuckle at first, then get bored with the stupidity

[docm-32304 · 1/10 · 11 February 2019]

A stellar cast of comedians from the past, but not a clever spook of Friday the 13th movies, just kind of dumb. I'm sure most of the cast would like to not remember this experience. As for the writer and director...well...proof that there are plenty of drugs in Hollywood

Some funny liners, but mostly bad

[bonwardulr · 3/10 · 21 August 2009]

I've heard about this movie for many years, and finally got a chance to see it. A massive murdering of cheerleaders back in 1963 and 1969 eventually cause a cheerleading camp to close up. Fast forward to 1982, and Bambi, a former student, opens it back up with new recruits, among them Candy (Carol Kane), Glenn (Judge Reinhold), and Sandy (Debralee Scott). One by one, they are murdered by the killer, until only one remains. It is then when we find out who did it and why.

Also in the movie are Tom Smothers doing a terrible accent as a Canadian Mountie, and Paul Reubens doing his Pee-Wee Herman schtick. The plot overall isn't very well developed, and quite lame, but some funny scenes do occur, namely the House of Bad Pies and the strip poker scene. The ending seems like it's thrown together, which is a shame.

Overall, good for about ten or fifteen minutes total, the rest you can just fast forward through. Maybe catch it on TV, but it's not worth buying.

Incredibly unfunny 80s comedy does offer 80s nostalgia

[a_chinn · 3/10 · 10 November 2018]

I was quite shocked at how unfunny this film was considering some of the talented actors involved (Tom Smothers, Carol Kane, Tammy Alverson, Phil Hartman, Eileen Brennan, Judge Reinhold, Marc McClure, Pat Ast, Paul Reubens, Eve Arden, Tab Hunter, Edie McClurg, Donald O'Connor, and many others you'd recognize but probably not know their name). Tommy Smothers, playing a mountie with his deputy, Reubens, are on the trial of a killer at a cheerleader camp. Smothers manages to overcome the awful material in a couple moments and Kane has a few moments as well, but most of the film is shockingly unfunny. Only worth watching for 80s nostalgia value, although the film is more of a 1980s version of the 1950s Riverdale/sock hop era.

Slasher silliness!

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 29 October 2019]

There was a time, let's call it 1983, where we couldn't just sit down and instantly find any single movie from anywhere in the world and any point in time. You might think that that would have been a dreary existence, but it was actually kind of awesome. You were at the mercy of the HBO Guide, whatever was on TV that day and whatever new releases were in your video store. Now, it's all very robotic.

Pandemonium is exactly one of those movies, a film that would just show up on HBO to my delight and one that I'd often stare at on the video shelves. Did it belong in horror? Did it belong in comedy? What kind of maniacs would make this?

Alfred Sole, that's who. It's the last movie he'd direct. If anyone knew what slashers were - and had the timing to make fun of their conventions - the director of Alice, Sweet Alice was more than up to the task.

Welcome to It Had To Be, Indiana. It's a place where football is king and Blue Grange (Tab Hunter!) wins the 1963 National Championship before he goes on to professional glory. As the game ends, Bambi the cheerleader (Candy Azzara, who played Rodney's wife in Easy Money and was almost Carol - she was in the second failed pilot - on All In the Family) tries to win his heart before the rest of the cheerleaders kick her out. Seconds later, they're all skewered together by a javelin.

Almost two decades pass and the cheerleading camp remains closed due to this tragedy, but Bambi comes back to town to start it back up. I just love how the words EXPOSITION and STILL MORE EXPOSITION flash on the screen while she explains her backstory to Pepe (David Landers, who was Squiggy on Lavern and Shirley) and his mother, Salt.

As each student arrives at the school, they're labeled VICTIM #1, 2, 3 and so on and so forth. The first is Candy (Carol Kane!), who is basically Carrie as she gets into a fight with her mother about dirty pillows at the bus station.

Then there's VICTIM #2: Glenn Dandy (Judge Reinhold), who comes from a strange family made up of Kaye Ballard (who was in Spike Jonze traveling group of musicians and would use her catchphrase "Good luck with your MOUTH!" on shows like The Patty Duke Show and The Perry Como Show) and Donald O'Connor from Singin' In the Rain. And VICTIM #3: Mandy, whose dad (James MacKrell, who played Lew Landers in both Gremlins and The Howling) introduces her as if he were Bert Parks (look for Victoria Carroll from Nightmares In Wax as her mom).

VICTIM #4 is Sandy (Debralee Scott, Cathy Shumway from Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, a show that probably will elicit blank stares from, well, anyone), who gets a ride from Ronald Reagan. And then there's Andy and Randy, VICTIMS #4 and #5, played by Mile Chapin (Richie from The Funhouse) and Marc McClure (Jimmy Olson himself!).

"Candy, Mandy, Sandy, Andy and Randy," they all shout.

"And me, Glen." Everyone stares at Glen.

"Glen Dandy!" This line makes me laugh like a maniac. Look, I was 11 when I first saw this.

After meeting all of these folks, we get to know Sgt. Reginald Cooper (Tommy Smothers), a mountie who is the U.S. for some reason. He's on the trail of a convict named Jarrett (Richard Romans, who provided voices for Heavy Metal), who killed his family with a drill and turned them into bookshelves. Perhaps he can meet up with The Breather from Student Bodies and they can discuss bookends. Anyways, he's escaped and Warden June (Eve Arden, Our Miss Brooks and Principal McGee from Grease) has no idea where he's gone.

This is where I should mention that Johnson, Cooper's assistant, is played by Paul Reubens in an almost proto-Pee-Wee Herman mode. In fact, much of the cast are Groundlings, so you get appearances by a young Phil Hartman and John Paragon as a prisoner.

The movie turns into a slasher as the killer makes his way to campus and Cooper falls in love with Candy. Glenn gets blown up on a trampoline. Mandy is trying to brush her teeth for hours when she gets drilled.

But it's not Jarrett or another killer named Fletcher or ever Dr. Fuller from the mental hospital that's behind it all. The real killer is still at large, with Bambi getting drowned in a tub full of milk and cookies. Randy, Andy and Sandy are killed after a game of strip poker. And now the killer is after Candy, revealing that he's...

Well, don't you want to watch this for yourself?

Other notables that show up are Alix Elias (Coach Steroid from Rock 'n Roll High School), Pat Ast (Edna from Reform School Girls), Don McLeod (T.C. Quist from The Howling), Edie McClurg (who was in, well, any role that needed a funny redhead mom in the 1980's) and former pro wrestler Lenny Montana (who was most famously Luca Brasi in The Godfather).

Will you like it? Well, I know some people that love Full Moon High and Wacko, while I dislike those films. And I've read plenty of folks online who have negatively compared this film to those. But this is just so much better, in my eyes. Sole has a great eye for a gag and some innovative camera movements. And despite the racism of the Japanese Airlines scene, having Godzilla as a stewardess that uses atomic breath to warm up coffee is still hilarious to me.

Could also be called "Scary Movie", but for different reasons!

[Poseidon-3 · 14 July 2004]

In the wake of the monumentally successful "Airplane!" came dozens of parody/spoof films in the same vein (or attempting to be in the same vein.) This one has to count as an attempt, and a fairly poor one at that. Someone has been killing cheerleaders for decades near the town of It Had to Be, Indiana. (Thus giving the film makers the opportunity to have a university called It Had to Be U.....) It falls to Smothers, as a Canadian Mountie, to crack the case. Azzara has just begun a cheerleading camp (with participants Candy, Sandy, Mandy, Andy, Randy and Glenn) and, before too long, the killer starts to pick them all off. Also on the loose are a prison escapee and a mental asylum escapee. The plot is deliberately slim (and even then doesn't really make much sense) to make way for the various (mostly horrible) jokes and sight gags. Among the many stabs at humor, only a scant few things emerge as even remotely amusing. What makes the film palatable, if it is at all, is the cast of familiar faces (some quite surprising along the way) and the general amiability of the film. Meant as a spoof of "Friday the 13th" (it was even called "Thursday the 12th" in pre-production), it lacks the graphic violence and vulgarity of that film and its sequels and opts for a kinder, more coy approach. This disappoints fans of the actual slasher movies and is aimed more toward an audience who probably doesn't even really watch such films! Smothers (headlining a feature film in 1982?) doesn't really have a lot to do, but does fit his role well and utilizes his deadpan style admirably. (His horse tends to get more laughs than anybody!) Reubens, as his assistant, basically does an adult extension of his Pee Wee Herman character to middling effect. Most of the high school cheerleaders are (as an in joke to the genre) pushing 30 and they all try to bring a lot of energy and spark to the proceedings, but they have been left out to dry with substandard gags and even more substandard direction. The jokes and potentially humorous visuals are often filmed with minimal creativity and impact. A few amusing things slide through such as a trip to a (really!) greasy spoon diner and a planeload of Japanese (who employ an unexpected and ludicrously funny stewardess.) If one doesn't expect much and gets enjoyment out of intentionally stupid humor (and checking out some stars before and after they were stars), it isn't that hard to get through and is mercifully brief. It pales mightily next to anything Jim Abrahms and the Zucker Brothers did, though. Hunky Hunter, as a football star, shows more animation here than he did during his whole career as a contract actor! Arden looks terrific, but should have skipped this. "Grease" was one thing, but... Many other notable character actors turn up briefly with varied results.

Save Your Microwave Popcorn

[TedMichaelMor · 3/10 · 25 August 2012]

"Pandemonium" had potential but fails. The production obviously involved effort and even care. Almost nothing seems to click in ways that are genuine parody. The silliness is simply silly.

The overall look of the film is ugly. That would not be bad were the ugliness not apparently accidental rather than by design.

I have rarely seen a film that wastes such a remarkable cast thrown away in an aimless script. Individual effects reveal a good eye for film design but the narrative never engages one. Surly, the people involved in making this film sensed that it lacked focus. I wonder when it got to editing what one had on film, that one just did what one could to splice the mess into something that vaguely resembled a movie—well, their effort failed. It never becomes even the semblance of a parody. There is no soul here, not even a ghost of one. How could so many talented people be wasted this way?

Save the microwave popcorn for something funny and fun. Skip this one.

You're frightened of baloney?!?

[Coventry · 6/10 · 14 November 2010]

Even though the overall quality level of "Pandemonium" is just average, I don't believe I ever laughed as hard in my life as I did with one of the dumb jokes here. Somewhere in the middle of the movie, there's a scene where an elderly Romanian and superstitious woman bumps into a couple of teenagers running around the house at night. She asks: "Are you frightened of the night?", to which the boy replies: "Baloney!" and then the old lady looks very confused and mumbles in herself: "You're frightened of baloney??". Okay, admittedly this is a really dumb gag, but it was actually so hilarious that I nearly choked in my drink and laughed for five minutes straight. There are a handful more of jokes like this, genuinely hilarious I mean, but also a whole lot of embarrassing moments. Still, in comparison with the other contemporary horror spoofs/parodies – like "Wacko" and "Saturday the 14th" – this one is fairly successful. The opening sequences are in good old-fashioned Hammer Studios style, with Gothic music and (completely irrelevant) images of a traditional castle. Back in the early 60's there was a serial killer targeting the young and obnoxious cheerleaders at a summer camp. He/she killed so many of them that they eventually had to shut down the camp, but now a former employee intends to reopen it. Naturally, the grand reopening coincides with the return of the killer. There are several inventive characters in "Pandemonium", including the Canadian Mountie and his inseparable horse (and I do mean inseparable) and a Carrie who fires off laser beams with her eyes. The film is well- directed, oddly enough by the same guy who made the hugely suspenseful "Alice, Sweet Alice".

So bad that it is just terrible.

[sdrywer · 1/10 · 13 March 2021]

I don't think I would find this even remotely funny even if I was 12yo. It is like bunch of skits(?) and most annoying stereotypical characters that would not make in even in the worst police academy sequel or worst SNL skit. Guess this tried to be horror comedy minus both things. Even part where takes a poo (hehe) and there is bomb in the toilet (hehe) flies up the air next to airplane full of asian tourists everyone carrying a camera (did I mention the stereotypes) Just laugh and take pictures. Sounds silly fun, mut they even managed to make that annoying. Don't get me wrong. I can enjoy even the dumbest comedies out there but this thing "missed the mark" on everything. Thought I watch this randomly at the evenening just to have some gigles, but I just ended up going to bed full of hate. Way worse than someone making silly faces to amuse infant.

Don't forget to brush your teeth!

[Dario_the_2nd · 9/10 · 12 October 2010]

For the 1-Line reader:

"Outstanding entertainment"!

If you agree with this STATEMENT - Scroll down and vote "yes"

If you DON'T agree with this STATEMENT - Scroll down and vote "no"

The more in-depth reader,

Let me start with the great opening of this movie. The 80ties feeling beams straight into your living room, the "Hammeradian" sound score, guiding the opening-credits and the credits themselves have this cliché font in its 80ties yellowish color, impeccable!

The movie features every possible cliché, pointing the finger to several well known horror movies. Surprisingly there are plenty of catchy funny moments popping-up at the most unexpected moments. The on-screen victim-counter adds a certain but important extra towards the exaggeration of wanting to be a spoof-movie. The trick works. Very striking were absolutely "THE" many characters that pass by. Only this, is reason enough to give the movie a shot, because I can't think of any other movie that features such strange diversity of mavericks. I was for the 1st time introduced to some weird looking species with special features, such as: The- coolest-nerd, The-most-repelling-female-bus-driver, The-biggest-nut-case-shock-treatment-patient "EVER", Paper-Rocket-Science-Boy, The-school-example-of (dumb)-blond, quite aggressive-waitresses, a Godzilla-stewardess and The-toothpaste-addict, to name only a few. You just can't think of such diversity of characters, and that's the exact reason why you will be flabbergasted over and over by the most but certainly very interesting- aberrant bunch of weirdos, and pay attention, all of a sudden we see Miss Eva Arden in a well known role, her role as "Principal". For those who don't her know, definitely have to see "Grease"! She shows once again her powers and qualities that made her famous. Nevertheless as personal favorite, I stick to the amazing, "Paper-Rocket-Science-Boy! The technology used by him to deliver newspapers is NASA's biggest classified document, nevertheless our paperboy had a master class rocket-science! The moment you think you've seen it all the movie knows to surprise you "AGAIN", plenty of WTF?-moments with absolute tremendous originality when talking about VISUAL comedy. Here I have to mention a remarkable detail, that's the fact, in this movie the Canadian Mountain police comes standard with the horse. Accurate and precisely placed visual comedy! Top-Notch! Not even mentioning the Disney-guided-tour that happens all of a sudden in the middle of the sport stadium while the cheerleaders have their practicing round.

The acting as we can and should expect of such movies is simply said, spot-on! Dialogue can be as penetrating as a freshly sharpened knife. This actually counts for the whole lot. Acting, camera work, screenplay, dialog, sets, you name it is as cliché as it could be, nevertheless it all works flawless like a fine oiled machine. Viewers who watch a little closer and read between the lines will discover and deeply hidden, a plot that surprisingly links us to "Carrie". The movie doesn't try to hide anything, reason why they almost, "show-off" with their rip-off, of the classic, by now well known and used a zillion times in other movies, the Jaws-tune.

Not all jokes reach their intended climax, some of them are a letdown but because of the speed-editing and the pace of the movie, these few misfortunes of jokes disappear straight into the oblivious fields of our mind, just because of this editing and the amount of countless knee-slappers, a bad joke disappears into thin air.

If I had to pick one of the widen choice that are available, definitely I'll go for the: "I'm-goin-to-brush-my-teeth-and-you-can-watch-Mr. decay-scene! Hilarious material. At the same time an "Electric-toothbrush" gets a complete new definition. One of these quick paced scenes, which has an hilarious impact, is the scene where the police car arrives at the crime scene. Who's sitting in the back of the police car, sticking out his head? The Canadian Mountain policeman's horse! A priceless moment!

This great little film, that doesn't prove at all looking at its art-cover to be a comy-horror movie, will surprise every viewer no matter his or her age! The movie is one big laugh and top entertainment!

9 outta 10 / momentous spoof!

Now, after reading this you can honestly vote, useful yes or no Thank you,

D/

Pandemonium - Yes, It Is!

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 6/10 · 29 April 2022]

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Pandemonium; before launching into my critique, here's a breakdown of my ratings:

Story - 0.75 Direction - 1.25 Pace - 1.25 Acting - 1.25 Enjoyment - 1.50

TOTAL - 6 out of 10

Pandemonium will not bust your gut, but it should put a smile on your face and a giggle in your mouth. Some of the gags are dated by today's standards, though unlike most of today's humour, these have some thought behind them. We also run the gamut of comedy with sight and verbal gags, word-play, and slapstick. Everybody's funny should be catered for here. Though not all the jokes work, I particularly loved the Cheerleader Shish-ka-bab and the Bad Pies Cafe, and the way Mandy brushes her teeth is something else.

Unfortunately, these skits take centre stage, and the narrative becomes secondary for the writers. Had they decided to make the sketches part of the story and not weave a story around the sketches, the movie may have been a more gripping tale of murder and mayhem. But what we have is a below-average slasher story.

The director does his best with the direction, and sometimes he hits the spot dead centre, as with the Bad Pie Cafe segment. Regrettably, this is not always the case, and his aim is slightly off. The trouble is, with comedy, slightly off is a chasm. A hit works, and a miss, however slight, doesn't - Which is the case with the Strip Poker segment. Nothing about it comes across as funny, though by the narrative and dialogue, it should be. Some of the misses could be down to his timing. The pacing of the whole film needed to be crisper and more precise. Several scenes come across as sloppy, especially the Singing Mountie parody, though it is mildly humorous if you remember the antediluvian film it's parodying - Which was ancient in 1982.

The cast is sublime and surprised me. At the beginning of the picture, the performers present as less than brilliant. But that is down to their characters. The story calls for dumb bimbos, stupid nerds, and sexily vivacious cheerleader types, and the cast gives you these in spades. Sometimes they do it too well. Mandy, played by Teri Landrum, comes across as the atypical blonde airhead. She's so good that you start to believe it's her real character and not one she's created for her beauty pageants. Then we get to the Tooth Decay and Toothbrushing skits, and we see her sexy side. It would have been nice to have had this Mandy a few extra times, maybe when she was around the other dumb blonde, Glen Dandy. I have to admit I liked the way the writers and director let the principal performers have their time on camera. Each has a funny sketch. I enjoyed Miles Chapin as Andy discovering his dead best friend. He goes way over the top, but for him, it works. And I cannot go without mentioning how good Carol Kane is, or the fact that she looks as cute as hell in her sky-blue onesie running around the campus to escape the killer.

If you are looking for an easy-going killer flick with laughs, then Pandemonium could be for you. It entertained me for an hour and a half. I even laughed out loud a couple of times. It's not the best out there, but it's worth a watch, at the least. Though I will say, I'm not sure if I'll return to it in the future. Pandemonium may be a one-watch-wonder.

Please feel free to visit my Absolute Horror, Killer Thriller Chiller, and Just For Laughs lists to see where I ranked Pandemonium.

Take Care & Stay Well.

More stupid than funny

[jhaggardjr · 3/10 · 9 April 2000]

"Pandemonium" is a horror movie spoof that comes off more stupid than funny. Believe me when I tell you, I love comedies. Especially comedy spoofs. "Airplane", "The Naked Gun" trilogy, "Blazing Saddles", "High Anxiety", and "Spaceballs" are some of my favorite comedies that spoof a particular genre. "Pandemonium" is not up there with those films. Most of the scenes in this movie had me sitting there in stunned silence because the movie wasn't all that funny. There are a few laughs in the film, but when you watch a comedy, you expect to laugh a lot more than a few times and that's all this film has going for it. Geez, "Scream" had more laughs than this film and that was more of a horror film. How bizarre is that?

*1/2 (out of four)

amazingly funny,

[ashers-2 · 21 November 1998]

at first glance in the tele mag i thought that Pandemonium would be a disappointing film to watch, but i watched it anyway and to my delight it was a well spent hour and a half.

It's a comedy spoof of friday the 13th. there are many refrences to friday the 13th in the film like when they play strip poker and how there are 3 boys and 3 girls, and one teacher.

If you like comedy and you like spoof films this is definitely the film for you. All the characters have their own comedy side to them essential to the nature of the film.

Watch out for appearances by Judge Reinhold and Pee Wee Herman!!!

This one takes itself less seriously.

[Aaron1375 · 5/10 · 16 October 2002]

Like Student Bodies this one is a parody of slasher flicks. Unlike Student Bodies this one never has scenes that are too serious. Having said that it isn't the best movie ever, it is merely tolerable. Though I loved Paul Reubens (Pee Wee). His character made me laugh any time he was on screen.

Ignore the rating number, message to how to find this movie to watch now

[jwysack · 5/10 · 18 February 2023]

I am a big Judge Reinhold fan, didn't know about this until I did a lookup on his early career for something else.

A person named colleencouch10 had said she couldn't find this in 2013, if she has watches set for her reviews she will find out that this is now watchable as a rental on Amazon Prime and if one looks in Amazon they might be able to get a DVD of it.

Looks good enough as a premise to watch it, normally I'm not into slasher movies or takeoffs of such like Scream, but since I like his work ( see Stripes or Fast Times at Ridgemont High if you really want some great early work of his, Stripes has a recently new directors cut that adds 17 mins but it explains a hell of a lot.

Bizarre Relic

[selfdestructo · 5/10 · 30 April 2023]

In the Blu-ray extras, the director said Pandemonium wasn't supposed to be a spoof on slashers, so maybe I'm way off base by saying Student Bodies and the first Scary Movie did this thing better. Well, there IS a killer on the loose, offing cheerleaders, amongst a bazillion stars. Some really wild deaths in this, just don't expect anything graphic (PG movie). There are a handful of good laughs, and just the "wow" factor of what an oddball film this is makes it worth checking out. Light on extras for a Vinegar Syndrome release. About a 15-minute interview with director Alfred Sole (peppered with clips from the movie you just watched, always an annoyance), plus a still gallery that had, I don't know, FIVE stills in it?

VERY funny even for 2021

[nicko252008 · 7/10 · 16 April 2021]

I watched this last night and got a few laughs. Great cast. I noticed Judge reinhold, Paul reubens, and phil hartman. Although it had it's really cheesy parts the other laughs were genuine, I like how Paul reubens character is mad at the horse. And the mechanical house is funny. That was hilarious. 7 stars for a good ole fashioned silly movie.

Extremely funny and fun slasher movie spoof.

[NateF88 · 8/10 · 29 June 2002]

Pandemonium is one of the best horror movie spoofs ever made. It's definatly as funny as Scary Movie, which was made after this. It's about a woman named Bambi ("Like the little deer." she says)who helped out at a football game in a town called It Had to Be, Indiana. She wanted to be a cheerleader badly so that the man of her dreams (that is a football player there) would lover her. When the football team wins the championship game 5 cheerleaders are impaled on a flying javeline after the game and are murdered. Soon after tons of cheerleaders die over the next 20 years, where some die from exploding pom-poms! Finally cheerleader camps all over the country are shut down, and closed permenently. 20 years later, Bambi's Summer Cheerleader Camp opens up. Many fear a tragedy.

Bambi's the leader of the camp, along with helpers Pepe and Salt. There are six cheerleaders comming. 3 boys and 3 girls. They are Candy ( played by Carol Kane who was adorable and wonderful for the role), Sandy, Mandy (a cheerleader obssessed with having perfect teeth and toothpaste), Randy, Andy, and Glen(who's last name is Dandy, so everone's name rymes.)Little do the seven who are at that camp know that a killer is at the camp and is ready to kill all seven of them. But not if Sergeant Reginald Cooper, his assistant Johnson, and his pet horse Bob can stop the killer. Jarrett, a psycho, who killed his whole family with a hand drill and turned them into bookshelves escaped from a mental institution and begins to kill the residents of another institution. He is mistaken to be the cheerleader killer, so the cheerleader killer is a mysterious killer. Every minute you will be laughing.

Im surprised this was rated PG, there is violence (most is comical), language, sexual humor, and sexual material. So really, this is a PG-rated version of Scary Movie. Event though it's PG, it wouldn't be suitible for kids under 5. But it's still a great movie, and I highly recommend it. *spoiler* The killings are funny. A girl gets drilled to death in her mouth with a toothbrush, a man has a pom-pom stuffed into his mouth choking him, and more! It's really funny. I recommend it highly. see it on t.v. (it's on Showtime usually). This is a must see for people who like spoofs of horror movies!

I laughed.

[lakenstein · 8/10 · 17 July 2008]

whenever I rate a comedy, i rate how much i laughed, and to be honest i laughed quite a bit while watching this lesser known horror spoof. the acting is actually decent, everyone does a fine job. I'm also going to have to disagree with everyone who said Paul Rebuens was the best part of the film, he wasn't in my opinion, he was rather annoying actually. I also smiled every time Tom Smothers said oot instead of out, hah. anyway I must say this is a rather enjoyable comedy that hits more then it misses, I was not disappointed and I would recommend people to watch this lesser known comedy film, it's tons better then ungodly crap like Meet the Spartans, of course i'm sure every comedy ever made is better then any of the goddawful tripe those fools put out, but that's another review for another time, eh? I'd probably rate this a 7 or an 8 out of ten, but i've never been that good with ratings ya know, it's a good comedy, it's no "Blazing Saddles" but it's worth the 82 minute run time to watch.

this movie is hilarious, i don't know who couldn't like it

[absolut_chikkin · 8/10 · 13 May 2006]

This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, it's just brilliant! It is full of classic smothers brothers/airplane-esquire humor that you just can't miss. I wish this movie was out on DVD! They don't even have it at any of my local video stores, so I haven't seen it in probably 4 years, when it was on HBO for about a week.

The humor is blatant and the plot/script simple, but that just makes it all the better. It is the type of movie you watch when you just want to laugh for about an hour without even the possibility of the humor going over your head, :). It's very clever and witty and is sure to make anyone laugh.

I highly recommend this movie, it's a classic. If you can find it, don't pass it up.

This has the best one liners EVER!!!

[skooshie · 8/10 · 30 August 2006]

The first time I saw this was as a teenager and now 20 years later it is still just as funny. Tommy Smothers, Carol Kane, a very young Judge Reinhold, and the young man that became Jimmy Olsen in the 1970 version of Superman Marc McClure. If you want a to spend a little time with a movie that is laugh out loud funny and makes you want to take a milk bath (chocolate chip cookies included) then this is the film for you. It is a true culmination take off of all the really good horror movies that you know and love. This movie is also billed as one of Paul Rueben's(Peewee Herman) movies. Tab Hunter as the killer is awesome and who wouldn't like a piece of the furniture produced by the inmates at the hospital. Well, worth a look see especially for those Canadian Mounties!!!

Bored? Pandemonium.

[djeld13 · 19 August 2003]

This is the type of movie that one doesn't watch to learn anything or feel any great huge emotions. It's one of those "time-to-kill" films that many people will enjoy, and many others will not. The jokes are not killer, and the script falls a bit flat, but the actors manage to make a good deal of it work. So many stars are in this movie (some not as famous as others), most very good in their roles, but if you are not interested in the big names in the film, then the plot might not hook you, either. All in all, Pandemonium is a movie which could have been better, but succeeds at what it is...a nice little boredom buster with some cute laughs and just enough camp to make this horror parody float.

After 30 years of only hearing of it, I'm very glad to finally see Pandemonium

[tavm · 8/10 · 12 September 2013]

Since today is Thursday, September 12, I thought I'd watch a movie I knew was originally was supposed to be called Thursday the 12th. This was a horror spoof I remembered being promoted on HBO back in the early '80s but for some reason, I didn't get to see this until now on YouTube which retained the original HBO "feature presentation" opening sequence from that time. Anyway, it opens with a football game from 1963 where a murder happens afterwards, then goes to 19 years later when some others will take place. I'll stop there and just say this was very funny to see perhaps because of the way many horror movie references were used to comic effect and the way the performances were gleefully over-the-top the whole time. Depending on your familiarity of many movies and TV shows, you may also get a hoot of how many of the players were recognizable though I was surprised one of them, Phil Hartman, was so small in screen time. I did know he was an associate of another player here-Paul Reubens, best known as Pee Wee Herman-and he hadn't had his big break on "Saturday Night Live" yet so that was probably why his was just a cameo. Anyway, on that note, I highly recommend Pandemonium.