The Lawnmower Man (1987) User Reviews

Weak and amateurish for the most part

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 11 August 2017]

"The Lawnmower Man" is a 12-minute live action short film from 1987, so this one has its 30th anniversary this year. Make sure you don't mistake it for the full feature film from 5 years afterward that has Pierce Brosnan in it. Well.. this one here has Helen Hunt, oh wait no it is Helen Hanft actually. So yeah with one exception you won't find any known names attached to this project here that is horror actually, but really more on the comedy side eventually with how cheap it looks. And the exception I mentioned is writer Michael De Luca who scored 3 Oscar nominations for producing in this decade. Certainly something nobody could gave expected when seeing this little film we have here. Good decision to stop writing and start producing. He was in his early 20s when this was made. Director James Gonis can only dream of such a career turn and same applies to the actors here. This film really would be totally forgotten if it wasn't a Stephen King adaptation. Nothing good here, no guilty pleasure potential either. 4 stars out of 10 is still very much on the generous side. Don't watch.

Dollar Stephen King

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 18 April 2021]

Another Stephen King Dollar Baby short film - so-called because low-budget filmmakers could make one of his scripts for a $1 - The Lawnmower Man: A Suburban Nightmare was written by future screenwriter and New Line Cinema production executive Michael De Luca, who also wrote Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, In the Mouth of Madness and Judge Dredd.

The film was made while Gonis was a junior at New York University and only cost $5,000. It played the first Dollar Baby festival and a screening of King films at the Stanley Hotel that inspired The Shining.

If you're wondering, "Why is this nothing like the Hollywood version?" Well, that version was so different from King's - and played Japan under the name Virtual Wars - that King sued and got his name removed.

This is scary

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 5/10 · 12 June 2018]

If this does not scary you no movie will. This is one of the scariest movies ever. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. If like good horror stories you should see this movie.

Barely watchable

[Bored_Dragon · 2/10 · 7 September 2018]

Written by Michael De Luca as an adaptation of Stephen King's story, but as much as these names are big, that much this short movie is bad. Although it lasts just 12 minutes it was torture to endure to the end.

2/10