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Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge (1989)

   
Directed by: Richard Friedman

Produced & Written by: Scott J. Schneid, Tony Michelman & Robert King

Story by:
Scott J. Schneid & Frederick R. Ulrich

Starring:

Kari Whitman .... Melody Austin
Derek Rydall .... Eric Matthews
Jonathan Goldsmith .... Harv Posner
Morgan Fairchild .... Mayor Karen Wilton
Rob Estes .... Peter Baldwin
Pauly Shore .... Buzz
Kimber Sissons .... Suzie
Gregory Scott Cummins .... Christopher Walker
Tom Fridley .... Justin
Ken Foree ... Arcardi

Release Date: Supposed Direct-to-Video: September, 1989

*Images courtesy at: www.anchorwomaninperil.blogspot.com

 

 

Rating:

 

A teenager named Eric Matthews (Derek Rydall) has his house burned down with him inside of it as some greedy landlords wanted to build a big mall on top of it.
Eric is reported dead but his ex-girlfriend Meldoy Austin (Kari Whitman) is still trying to find out how he died and the people responsible for burning down his house as she has some help with her new boyfriend.
But then Melody discovers that Eric was never really dead and is hiding inside the mall watching her every move with his own surveillance camera's and planning to have her back to be with him for the rest of his life even if it means killing her new boyfriend as well as doing away with the security guards and the rest of the people responisble for his near death incident.

 

Another 80's cheesy slasher flick that's so bad it's good movie and interesting to watch for what it is.
Of course the makers tried to make this a mall version of Phantom of the Opera but it doesn't work a all by a longshot.
For all you people that enjoy cheesy teenage horror flicks you may find this one a bit amusing but its a bore too in many spots and it doesn't always get to the point of the film.
Still it's nonstop fun for the one's who enjoy cult type flicks like I do since there's alot of garbage out there which is the reason for all those bloody remakes since there's nothing original anymore.
It's definetely for people who enjoy the malls with their horror involved too.

The acting is quite dated and fairly cheesy but not terrible. Kari Whitman seemed to pull her role off well as the teenage employee at the mall and the one who was the love of the Phantom's life. She had the perfect looks too along with her characteristics.
Derek Rydall
looked great for his part as the Phantom at the mall with the scarred face from the fire incident but his acting skills needed some improvement. However, he does well with his menacing behavior.
Jonathan Goldsmith
does a fine job as a greedy businessman and owner of the mall who shows descent aggressions and a typical self centered behavior for his part in it.
Morgan Fairchild
is another one who stood out quite well as an assistant employer and knew how to portray her acting just right with her speech.
TV Soap opera star Rob Estes plays a good role as the nice boy next door role and shows some good energy to his part in it whom would later land roles in TV shows like Melrose Place and 90210 due to his charming attitude.
Pauly Shore
marks one of his debut film's by having a supporting role in this one since lots start out in low budget horror films. He really brings on the comedic charm to his part in the film adding lots of goofiness on someone who doesn't take his job too seriously.
Gregory Scott Cummins
really brought his part to life as a violent and nasty security guard in the film plus had the mean looks too but of course often got typecast in shows due to all of this. He was a natural for sure with action packed energy.
Tom Fridley
has the supporting role as a teenage delinquent in the film like his uncle John Travolta usually played in shows during his early years. However, he doesn't meet up to his talents and overdoes his part with his aggressive attitude but wasn't terrible by any means. He was a bit better in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.

Women are changing in a changing room of a mall.
Kari Whitman's
character is topless during a sex scene of a dream sequence.
Pauly Shore
moons a surveillance camera.

Eyes are popped out of a security guards head.
A head is chopped off by a mechanical steel door.
A sharp object is stabbed through a nasty Mayor's chest after being thrown out a window inside the mall.

Richard Friedman's direction is also a little stale but still fun to watch. There's a cheesy dialogue with Kari Whitman and Kimber Sissons at the counter of a food place at a mall talking to Pauly Shore when he serves them ice cream and his joke with a decapitated candy ear in one of them and the two being grossed out by it.
We spot many good shots on Derek Rydall peeking through a vent in the mall.
We have some cheesy dialogues between Jonathan Goldsmith and Tom Fridley as a father and son not seeing eye to eye along with Goldsmith's aggressive actions towards him which wasn't too bad.
There's a good camera approach on supporting actor John Walter Davis as a sleazy security guard in a vent with a good dark shot on Rydall attacking but Davis doesn't seem to react too well with his screaming which looked quite fake and Friedman should've spent more time with his direction on that certain scene.
We have a cheesy dialogue between Morgan Fairchild and Goldsmith about what the plans are for the mall. Later on we have a good shot on a corpse landing on a desk but Goldsmith's reactions were terribly phony.
We have a good approach by Fridley towards bit part actress Kelly Rutherford coming on strong with her but however he seems to not seem convincing to be a threat to her.
A good setting with Rob Estes tryng to sneakily take a picture of Gregory Scott Cummins and trying to act like he's a customer browsing along with a great shot on Cummins starting to look up with an evil and cold expression on his face. Then we have many good camera takes and a chasing scene with one another.
We spot a nice dialogue between Estes and Whitman in a car discussing what happened to Eric Matthews and a nice setting of a flashback sequence between Whitman and Rydall which looked good as them being a couple along with nice shots on the house being caught on fire but however their reactions to all of this looked quite slacking.
We have some good moments with Cummins acting menacing towards Estes by dragging him out of his car and getting aggressive.
Goldsmith
does a good job quarelling towards Fridley as it looks descent having a dysfunctional argument with father and his son causing trouble.
We spot many good shots on Fridley with a rope around his neck being dragged up an electric stairway of the mall since this is one of the best directions camerashot wise with him struggling.
There's a good fighting sequence between Rydall and Cummins with some descent camera angle shots too.
We spot a good approach by Whitman towards Rydall in his own area with a nicely done dialogue sequence towards one another along with a great close up shot on Rydall taking off his mask. There's also great aggression with him when he demnds her to stay in his domain forever.
We have a nice struggling moment between Rydall and Estes battling one another.
There's a nice shot of a woman falling down but the people don't react too well like they should be after the results of what happened.
A good shot on an explosion in the mall which showed some descent effects.

We have some great 80's cheesy sounding low synthesizer music which works for a low budgeter horror flick like this along with some keyboard piano playing and the odd pounding sounds for a chase scene in the mall which is composed by Stacy Widelitz.

We have a terrific 80's rock ballad titled "You Are the One" by The Taurus Boys used during a sequence when Eric is watching the TV screens on Melody.
There's also a trashy theme song during the closing credits called
"Is There a Phantom in the Mall?" performed by a group called the Vandalls.