The RedRum Podcast
Join Captain and Wilson as they enjoy an adult beverage or two and review the good, the bad, and the ugly of horror films!
The RedRum Podcast
Chopping Mall
Send us your movie recommendations!
This week, Captain and Wilson discuss the 1986 horror film, "Chopping Mall"!
Eight mall employees decide to have an after-hours party that turns deadly when lightning strikes the mall's new security robot system, causing the robots to malfunction and hunt them down. The group must use their wits, weapons from the mall's stores, and explosive traps to survive the night as the robots systematically try to eliminate them one by one.
The film discussion begins around 12:42.
wait, what were we saying? Oh, als ALS. Yes, sorry that man has ALS.
Wilson:That sounds so insincere.
Captain:I don't know him personally. I don't wish it upon anyone. They have gotten really far with ALS ever since the Ice Bucket Challenge. I heard that's coming back For.
Wilson:McSteamy no, just, no, just. Well, I don't think so. I think just in general the challenge. I don't know if it's still related to alice oh what, you can't just steal it for your? I mean, I don't know, I I don't know if that's for sure, I just haven't heard. I heard that.
Captain:Okay, well, I mean, I guess whatever works, but you are kind of stealing.
Wilson:Oh my gosh. Now I need to look up. Oh yep, it's back and it says with a new mission, but it cut off what it's for.
Captain:Of course it did. It wants you to click. Sucks to be them, because I went to Wikipedia, oh, a mental health organization, that's the current but I do think the ice bucket challenge did create like a lot more um, like funding, and therefore I hate when my camera makes me blurry. I have to like turn it off and back off.
Wilson:I think it's focusing on your um like this thing oh, this thing is not the main character, okay do I look like a microphone cover?
Captain:yeah, seriously the fuck, um, but anyway, um, yeah, he, that man does have ALS, though I forgot that. He said that recently. He's young, right? I guess ALS is not an old person disease.
Wilson:I don't know if he's. Oh, okay, hold on, let's see.
Captain:I thought he was like 40s or 50s.
Wilson:He is 52. See.
Captain:Well, welcome, I'm here.
Wilson:We here, we out here.
Captain:I'm nuptials completed.
Wilson:That's a fun way of saying that you're married.
Captain:I beat the mission, yeah. And then I went to Norway for my honeymoon and I know we've talked about it, but there's one thing we didn't talk about that I want to talk to you about on the podcast.
Wilson:Okay.
Captain:So they have a lot of. In Norway. They have a lot of troll mythology and history, like, um, and so like in like uh, souvenir shops and like little trinket stores, like there are trolls everywhere. Like I wasn't expecting how much trolls are important there. Um, and we did go to like the official troll museum, um, which was kind of interesting, but um, it is like I understand. So like they have this his like mythology where like there's like levels of trolls, like there's the trolls that live like in the underworld, basically um and um. I feel like some of these names you probably have heard of, but then they have like the trolls on earth and then they have the trolls in the like high. They don't call it heaven, but they call it like acer or something, but it's like asgard.
Captain:So like they have the asgard world which you know, you hear about in the war, um, but yeah, they just, I don't know, they have like so like that's asgard. And then there's like midgard, which is like the world of humans, and then okay the world of the dead is called hellheim, um, but yeah, they just have like these, like this troll thing, and I think it's interesting uh is this all like?
Wilson:is asgard? Is that from norwegian mythology, or did? They adopt it somewhere okay I think so.
Captain:I think, um, but yeah, like they just have this interesting troll museum where they talk about how trolls are the basis of the universe and there's a troll for basically every. It's almost like in Roman mythology with deities, where there was a god for everything. It's kind of like there's a troll for everything, but they don't give you the sun and the rain, not like that. It's just like they guard things or they protect, like land, or they're like eat humans to protect something. Um, and I just the most interesting part of the museum I thought was that I understand why they have this mythology, because there are like multiple rock formations in Norway that literally look like trolls, which are cool. I guess I should have pulled up the pictures, like I just have pictures on my phone, I feel like you can't, but like that's a rock formation.
Wilson:Oh, that does look trollish.
Captain:Right, but it's like literally how a rock formed um so that one's called the troll who lost his hat, and it's a rock formation that looks like a troll on a mountain who does not have his hat anymore.
Captain:Um, and after he looked he was looking for it. The myth is that he on a cloudy day he lost his hat. He went, I'm sorry. He came out one night wearing a big hat and he heard a rumor to find some golden treasure. He went looking for that golden treasure and after many wasted hours he sat on a mountain peak and then the strong wind took his hat. The midnight sun shone in the sky and I guess that turned him into stone, so that's why he's stuck there. And then there's another troll rock formation. Here's like another picture of another one.
Wilson:That one looks old.
Captain:Yeah, it is, I can't, I don't know. It's another picture of another one. That one looks old. Yeah, it is, I don't know. It's like weird. But yeah, this one's called the Troll of Bysfoyard, okay, but they had like six or seven of these. I only took a couple pictures, but I don't know. I was like like, oh, there's rock formations that look like trolls and they're like probably thousands of years old.
Wilson:Like that I can see where we're coming from so are you saying like all norse mythology was based on these rocks that look like trolls?
Captain:I think a lot of it probably was. But if this was like from a long time ago and you don't know how science works, like I get it fair, but like probably is that troll bitch rock over there, like especially if they do a lot of. So they do a lot of like, uh, seafaring and fishing there and it's like if, uh, the sea captured, you know, if people didn't come back because the sea was like really rough, be like it's probably those trolls over there that took them okay, I see what point yeah like that's how people made up sea monsters I still have questions, but well, it's a very old mythology that's been around for a really long time old.
Captain:Wow, that's rude it's just been there, but um. The museum was, um, I think, more targeted towards children, but it was kind of cool and I feel like you'd like there. No, these are like literally like the troll, doll trolls, but more scary.
Wilson:Okay so not literally the troll dolls.
Captain:No, I didn't, that was a lie. Some of the trinket, like souvenirs, are more like the troll doll trolls. But the museum itself, like the pictures they have of what they consider trolls, are like scary trolls.
Wilson:Oh, okay.
Captain:Not all scary, but a lot of them are.
Wilson:That reminds me of a movie I need to put on our watch list.
Captain:Is it Trolls?
Wilson:No, but actually that would be an excellent choice. I'm surprised we haven't watched that yet.
Captain:I mean, I've seen it.
Wilson:Sorry, like.
Captain:For the podcast.
Wilson:Yeah, the podcast, I'm going to put it on here. We're going to have a Trolls Week. We're going to do that one and You're killing me. The one I didn't say out loud. Oh, now I remember Okay.
Captain:You're killing me, okay. And then the other thing I feel like this is going to gross you out. But the other thing I want to talk about and this is only because I just randomly saw this on a social media post but have you ever heard of the common Suriname toad? No, okay, it's a type of frog that's fully aquatic and it is from um northern africa areas, um, but it has a very interesting reproductive cycle in which the mother, um her back becomes, uh, covered in all of her egg sacs and literally her skin like becomes where the eggs grow and like baby frogs like burst out of her skin when they are ready and it is like super weird.
Captain:You can like literally see like gifs of the frogs, like videos of the frogs like popping out of her back I'm intrigued, but also gross they hatch in small, like as small toads, looking identical to the parents, and they like, they like, pop out the back, um, and and yeah, it's like really fucking weird and there's like pictures of it that are nasty it sounds disgusting, but I'm still intrigued are you looking it up?
Wilson:no, I don't know if I'm ready for it right now, but I am intrigued. You should take a look. I don't know if I'm ready for it right now, but I am intrigued.
Captain:Well, you should take a look. I don't think there's any other. I think they're one of a kind. Oh yeah, you can watch a really great minute video from Nat Geo.
Wilson:What's this called again?
Captain:The Surinam Toad the Surinam Toad, the common Surinam toad the Surinam toad. I just saw that and I was like what that's like, that trypophobia thing. Yes, that is exactly what it's reminding me of. If you don't like a bunch of holes, you're really not going to like that. I guess I should have probably trigger warning.
Wilson:It's fine.
Captain:But she's here, she's ready.
Wilson:Let's bring us in.
Captain:Oh, I did actually open a Florida Seltz, I know.
Wilson:It's a strawberry kiwi. I haven't had that one.
Captain:It's pretty goodwi. I haven't had that one. It's pretty good. I just have a LaCroix.
Wilson:Okay Are you ready for our cookie, cookie spooky.
Captain:Yes, Now I want cookies, but yes. Okay, welcome to the 168th episode of the Red Room Podcast, where we review horror movies while enjoying an adult beverage or two.
Wilson:And I'm Captain, and I'm Wilson.
Captain:And this week we're reviewing the 1986 American independent techno-horror film Chopping Mall. I don't really know why they would call it a techno I mean that soundtrack though oh, like technology horror. Is that what that means?
Captain:I, I don't know, couldn't tell you so I looked this up a long time ago and put it on our list of kooks, um like, we try to do one cookie a season or more, but I did not look at the details of this movie until literally a few hours ago. So it was directed by Jim Wynorski and he is known for soft porn, mostly known for soft porn. He has done some creature films. He did have this um run of doing like more recently like child like dinosaur films, um like, and he did some with like, uh, a dog who's like an air air pilot or something wow, he just does whatever the hell he wants, doesn't he?
Captain:yeah, it's like real, I don't know. He's got a, it's eclectic. Give you that. Um, he did do return of the swamp thing in 1989. I wrote 1889. He did Ghoulies number four in 94. Okay, he really likes to do a lot of erotic movies, so I did not know that.
Wilson:I was looking over his movie titles and one of them made me laugh. It's the Bear Wench Project.
Captain:He has a really famous soft porn erotic movie called like the Breastwick of something.
Wilson:Okay.
Captain:It came up multiple times when I was looking him up. Yeah, he does a couple pun ones. There's a lot of pun ones. So if that's what you're in the mood for, jim's gotcha um, jim's gotcha um. It was also produced by roger. Are you still looking at movie titles?
Wilson:I'm gonna close it out continue oh, it was also.
Captain:I mean, I'll take a fun one, I don't know um. It was also produced by roger corman, slash julie, his wife. But roger corman is like a huge name in hollywood. He is known as various monikers, such as the pope of pop cinema, the spiritual godfather of new hollywood or the king of cult. He was known as the trailblazer in the world of independent films, so he produced a lot of them, um, like greenlit, a lot of independent films, and he basically like changed the industry so that independent films could be like more mainstream well, I've never heard of him well, you're not in the biz yet.
Wilson:Okay, let's see all right, let's give it a couple weeks yeah, let's see how this hershey movie comes through.
Captain:Then maybe you'll heard of mr corman himself okay, okay okay, so roger corman like produced this movie and like greenlit it, so that means something, kid sure um, there's a fucking cast for this movie and I'm not gonna get into like all of them, but, um, there's like what, four couples basically, um, that are supposed to be teenagers but they do not look like teenagers. But so it's like four girls and four boys, and most of them haven't been in a ton of stuff. But the main one of them, kelly Maroney, plays Allison. She was in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and she was in a soap opera called Ryan's Hope, but she also pairs up with Jim Wynorski a lot. I think she's very pleasantly okay with erotic scenes, apparently. And then her partner in the film, tony odell, plays ferdy um, and he's mostly, he's probably the one of the most known names. He is in cobra kai, or sorry, he's one of the cobra kai members in the karate kid um, and he was, uh, in a couple of those movies. Yeah.
Wilson:I have never seen Karate Kid.
Captain:Ugh. Ugh I feel like it's. I feel like how did you not see that movie?
Wilson:I don't know.
Captain:I feel like everybody's seen that movie at some point.
Wilson:You've seen it.
Captain:Yes, you've seen it. Yes, I've seen it multiple times.
Captain:All right, okay. And then there's that guy doesn't really do anything. And then Suze. Oh, I did it again. Suze, played by Barbara Crampton, is probably one of the most known people. She was known for doing a lot of soap operas. So Days of Our Lives, the Young and the Restless, the Bold and the Beautiful. She was in Re-Animator and she's in From Beyond. Okay, I know that we did the movie From Beyond. Could not tell you what that movie's about. I squelched it already because I wasn't sure if we did the movie.
Wilson:Okay.
Captain:So it was 1.43. Could not tell you a single thing about that movie. I have no idea.
Wilson:Oh, okay, I just looked it up. Yes, you will remember this movie if you have not looked it up yet. As soon as you what?
Captain:is it?
Wilson:I did Google Images from knew me it was the guy that had like the, the forehead dick and like it was oh, how could I forget?
Captain:yes, okay, that brings it back um. Yeah, and she was inducted into the rondo hatton classic horror awards monster kid hall of fame sounds completely made up I don't know, but it was last year, 2024 she got inducted props to barbara. Um, and then, who the fuck is mary in this movie? Mary? Is that one of the? Is that the girl?
Wilson:oh, I think it's the brunette, because there's that one couple that were just like married no because there's paul bland and mary bland yeah, I think they're Wait what.
Captain:Oh no, that was Linda.
Wilson:What are you talking about?
Captain:That girl in the movie. Her name was Linda.
Wilson:I don't know who the hell Paul and Mary Bland are.
Captain:Then I don't remember siblings, I think they're that couple in the very beginning, when they're watching the trailer for the robots, and there's those two people talking to each other. The couple is talking. They're like making peanut gallery comments about the robots.
Wilson:Yeah, wasn't that? The weren't those the people that ended up in the mall and they were married.
Captain:No, I'm talking about the older couple, like next generation couple. I don't remember them at all there's like a lady in a red dress and she's talking to her husband about the robots and they're like how much would this?
Wilson:cost, oh yes, while they're in the mall seeing the presentation yeah, I think it's those two people. Oh, oh, okay, that makes sense yeah so we don't get their names. You don't even have Linda listed here.
Captain:Yeah, I don't think she was in a lot. Paul and Mary not really important characters in this film, but Mary is a cult film star because she's worked in a lot of Roger Corman films and Andy Warhol films and she's in House of the Devil, which we did not do that movie Not to be mixed up with. I Trapped the Devil. Are you thinking we did House of the Devil? I think I saw that movie. I think I'm fairly certain I saw this movie.
Wilson:I think I'm fairly certain I saw this movie.
Captain:Yeah, same.
Wilson:Are you sure we didn't do it?
Captain:We might have done it, but I didn't think we did. I thought I was mixing it up with. I Trapped the Devil, we did see House of the Devil.
Wilson:It was episode 51. I Trapped the Devil. We did see House of the Devil. It was episode 51. I Trapped the Devil was 163.
Captain:Girl 51? I couldn't tell you anything about it.
Wilson:I couldn't tell you. Yeah, if you look up Google Images, it's familiar.
Captain:Brings you back.
Wilson:Well, I don't know about that.
Captain:Okay, and the last person that actually has done stuff I think walter is the janitor that gets killed, played by dick miller, and he's done a lot of stuff. He was in little shop of horrors a um roger corman film, the howling Gremlins, the Terminator, gremlins 2. But he, yeah, he's like the most known actor in this film. He's only in it for like two minutes.
Captain:Oh yeah, but Little Shop of Horrors, speaking of, is like the main film that got Rogerger corman on the map because it was seen as like a very uh weird, like indie culty film and it did really well and it was like from the 1960s, so that like got him, got him on the map, okay, um, yeah, so, like I said, this film mostly revolves around, uh, four couples, so like eight kids, but they all work at this park plaza mall, um, and it starts off with giving you, the park plaza has decided to instate these state-of-the-art security system, but it's just like these R2-D2 robots, but with a lot more guns.
Captain:Yeah, tranquilizers, tasers, Tranquilizers yeah, yeah, yeah, and they're supposed to. What was the word? Neutralize the criminals?
Wilson:Yes, not kill them, just keep them captive till the police can come yeah, and it's supposedly supposed to make them the safest mall in america.
Captain:Um, but shortly after, like literally the night they're instated, um, there was a thunderstorm and it looks like the lightning like surged out the power or something and fucked with their power or their yeah, for some reason the computer main system was outside um and it got struck by lightning and it caused the robots to be bad yeah, I don't think.
Captain:Does wikipedia even mention that? Oh yeah, it does, I see. Oh yeah, and there are three robots Protector 1, 2, and 3. And then we get introduction to the kids. So there is Allison and Susie. They are waitresses at a pizzeria in the mall and then their boyfriends work in like a furniture store or something in the mall, and then their boyfriends work in like a furniture store or something at the mall. Ferdy and Greg Never got Greg's name. They're also friends with Rick and Linda, told you Linda.
Wilson:I'm not going to remember any of these names.
Captain:Those are the married couple that are mechanics, I think. And then Mike and Leslie. Oh yeah, those are the ones that died first. Spoiler Sorry, mike and Leslie. So they're like all kind of getting ready for Susie's party and Allison is actually. It says that Freddie is her boyfriend, but she's actually kind of nervous to meet him because she's being set up as a blind date. But really like quickly. I mean they're really just here to like dance awkwardly and like fuck on the couches.
Wilson:Way too close to each other. It's nasty.
Captain:There's really not a party happening. Like they say party's really not a party happening. They say party, this is not a party. They are just fucking on the furniture in the value furniture store in the mall.
Wilson:Well, two of them are just watching a movie.
Captain:Yeah, the Allison and Ferdy, who were set up as a first date, are not doing that, while three other couples have sex on the beds.
Captain:Literally right there, right there. And then we get the. We also get the scene of the. So Marty, who was the guy that was working in the back where the robots were, as soon as they get struck with lightning, the robots are like it's time. Get struck with lightning, like, the robots are like it's time to kill. So they kill marty, and then the next security guard comes in there afterwards. Marty's nowhere to be found. I'm like they eat him. His body's gone, um, and then they just kill the next guy, um, and then they're basically like ready for their mission. So so they're like protector one, two and three dispersed onto levels of the mall one, two and three. So after these kids are like fucking or whatever, one of them Rick maybe Leaves I don't think it's Rick.
Wilson:It's a chewing. Can we just call him Chewing Gum?
Captain:Chewing Gum leaves to go get cigarettes. And the crazy part about this movie which I feel like you don't see a lot there is no buildup to the kills. It is like.
Wilson:We jump right in.
Captain:Like there's no suspense, there's no like, oh, maybe they'll get away. It's like, no, they just, they're just, it's killing. Now it's it's very weird to see because like when you see a campy movie, you're expecting, I don't know a little, I don't know, like carnival-ish fun. But you get none of that. It's like, and we're killing um. So he got chewing gums, getting cigarettes and like, immediately killed.
Wilson:So it's interesting, they knock him out and then kill him, which seems weirdly humane.
Captain:I was confused because I thought he was tased, but then it's like oh no, he's mostly decapitated, yeah. So yeah, I thought he was stunned, but, yeah, his girlfriend comes looking for him and she's she does a good scream queen when she finds him dead. Um, but then she is being chased by the robot. Um, lasered her fucking head straight off fantastic scene uh, really good scene.
Captain:Um lasered her whole fucking head off in front of all of her friends. Um, and they're like, oh fuck, and like I can't explain to you how much there is no suspense. Build up the robots like let it go from blasting that girl's head off to immediately breaking through the glass of the store that these kids are in and just tracing them down, like they don't waste no time, no time, yeah and so the kids are like screaming, they like run to the back, they try to get themselves um like protected behind some other wall.
Captain:Does not care, the robots are just gonna laser their way through um, but they do get the girls the three girls that are alive up into the air shaft, and they were gonna like climb to the parking garage.
Wilson:I guess to get help. This is also where we find out the robots also have c4 um for some reason important for mall protection. Yes, yes, uh, but like as you were saying, the girls all go in the air duct to get to the garage, which they don't make it there they do not make it there.
Captain:It's hot as fuck up there. Um, there's some thought process that the robots are uh, like can read their minds, or like they have intelligent thoughts, I don't know. Um, but yeah, they literally are like oh, you guys are hiding behind like a security door or whatever, no problem, and they just blow that bitch up with some c4 again, just like last movie. There is quite an explosion budget, um, but yeah, so the three boys don't die. They make their way out and they're like we're gonna go to the weapons store so they get like hunting guns. Um, clearly none of these men have ever shot a gun before. They are the worst aim Like I've never seen aiming this bad in a movie. They can't shoot anything Like.
Wilson:They cannot like hit anything, they eventually get there.
Captain:Allison gets there because her father's a marine, but it's not good. Um, and then, after they get the guns, they figure out that if they use a propane tank for an explosion, they can kill another robot well, maybe kill it that's true, it did have goopy noises, but I don't know if that was.
Wilson:They don't show us.
Captain:And yeah, I think it was added in added in after maybe it was a defense mechanism that the robot had like oh, humans will think that I'm dead, but again important to have a defense mechanism for um, so, yes, he, uh, oh, what, yes, and then around the same, I meant to mention so the janitor, he kills the janitor. I think around the same time actually, I think it's like the first kill, I meant are these movies related because they kill the janitors?
Wilson:is that the the underlying theme of these two episodes?
Captain:Yeah, that's.
Wilson:Dick Miller.
Captain:Yeah, the guy, but he was electrocuted with paint somehow. I don't know.
Wilson:I think it was just a dirty bucket of water and the water like, oh, it was just really dirty water. It was really nasty. It looked like milk or like chocolate milk.
Captain:Oh, he did say somebody, maybe it was really nasty.
Wilson:It looked like milk or like chocolate milk.
Captain:Oh, he did say somebody. Maybe they spilled like milk or ice cream or something.
Wilson:Anyway, he kept washing the floor with that, but whatever.
Captain:Yeah, it's nasty, but have you ever walked around a mall food court and the floor has been like clean, like it's always like a little sticky or there's french fries?
Wilson:Yeah, like it's always like a little sticky, or there's french fries, yeah, and even if it didn't feel sticky, I would I would never assume it was clean.
Captain:Yeah, it's got the milk, the milk the milk haze on it yeah um, yeah, so anyway, he is, has mop water bucket and he's yelling at this robot because it's asking for his badge security. But I just like that. It electrocutes him and then the robot quickly says thank you, have a good day, have a nice day. And the robot just keeps doing that. Whenever it killed somebody, not only do you get no suspense build up, it immediately kills people and then it gives you this hysterical line of thank you, have a nice day oh yeah um, which is just great.
Captain:Like you're, like you're just laughing through the movie because it's just so ridiculous, um, but anyway. So they guys have the guns and the girls come out of the air ducts because suzy is like panicking that it's way too fucking hot in there. Um, so when they girls jump out of the air ducts because Susie is panicking that it's way too fucking hot in there. So when the girls jump out of the air duct, they're still in the mall and they decide to make also bombs. I don't know. They're putting towels, soaking towels in gas cans.
Captain:Why are there so many gas cans and propane tanks in this fucking mall?
Wilson:I mean, I guess there was a sports goods store where they got guns.
Captain:Yeah, but I've been to Dick's Sporting Goods. I don't remember seeing it like this.
Wilson:I mean damn, this is what the 80s that's true.
Captain:So they're like arming themselves with that. Allison was smart and grabs a flare, which nobody else does. She should have said something. But fuck those friends, I guess. But after they kind of like get themselves armed, one of the robots that they thought they killed, he's like back online and I think that's the one that the girls try to light on fire when they're trying to get like past it. And um, susie, quickly, uh gets lit on fire with the fire that they cause and she like burns alive. She's screaming for a long time and her friends are like we have to help her, but then they don't help her at all.
Captain:Yeah, they literally are like no, sis, we're not coming over there at all.
Wilson:They would have been fine if she didn't urge them to get out of the air duct.
Captain:That's true. So you're saying Susie deserved it, it's her fault.
Wilson:Yeah.
Captain:I was just like I get it that Susie got shot in the leg and she was like I, I know I can't walk, but she doesn't even try to move a lot like it's. She's on fire and she's like not trying to like. Just because you're shot in the leg doesn't mean you can like, not, you can't like roll around to put the fire out.
Wilson:I mean yeah it stopped drop and roll, something that came out after 1986 or whatever I, yeah, I don't know I, but if she wasn't caught on fire, the robot might have caught up to them faster and killed all of them oh, so she was a sacrifice yeah, so the saint suzy saint suzy had her nips out earlier in the film didn't she compare.
Captain:Didn't she like make a pizza reference pepperoni, it was pepperoni it was a pepperoni joke and I was like that's never gonna. If anything, that's an ick girl, I don't know, even though her boyfriend was in on it. He was like I like pizza. I was like get the fuck out of here. There are way too many people in this room for you to start bringing out your kinks out.
Wilson:Yeah, we don't.
Captain:Nobody else needs to hear that yeah, and everybody's in the room hearing it. It's crazy, um, but anyway, um side note. Okay, do you remember? I remember being in preschool, so this is like earlier than five years old and learning.
Captain:Stop drop and and roll I feel like we talked about stop, drop and roll way too many times for me to never have to pull it out. I feel like stop, drop and roll was going to become very important in my life by how many times we discussed it, I don't know. I mean I guess it's good that I know that, but I mean I guess it's good I've never had to use it, but they talk about it a lot it's a lot.
Wilson:It's a lot. I'm thankful I've never had to use it, but wow I. How often are they lighting kids on fire?
Captain:I know I'm like when does this come up to the point where I needed to learn this? Like a fucking song that goes along with it. Like what? Yeah um, anyway, well, suzy didn't learn it, I guess no, she did not um, yes, but suzy dies and her boyfriend rick is not doing well he is, so they regroup the boys and the girls.
Wilson:Yeah.
Captain:But Rick is sad and stressed and he's not doing well and he's kind of like crazy. So he like I don't know exactly what he says, but he basically like runs off and was like I'm going to kill him.
Wilson:Yeah, because that always works out so well.
Captain:Yeah, he doesn't. Um, he, I think he walked away for this moment to get another drink or whatever, but he like quickly gets himself like yeeted off of, like the third floor, like the walkway, the balconies that like looked out on all the other floors. Yeah, one of the robots just shoves him off the side with its robot arms. Actually you get an image of him from the top floor and his neck is cracked to the side and his arms broken behind him and he's covered in the worst looking fake blood I've seen in a long time. But he's dead, so he's not doing well, I cannot explain how much.
Captain:There is no buildup to these murders, but anyway, now there's four kids left, so we have Allison and Ferdy and the married couple, linda and somebody. And they decide okay, what we should really do is go to the computer room, because that's what's controlling the robots from there, so we can go there and we can turn their power off. Let's just do that. And they say that. But then they don't immediately go and do that, which I was confused about, because then they do this other plan where they're like with the mannequins. I guess the robots are chasing them.
Wilson:Maybe that's why, yeah, but I don't think they even end up in the computer room.
Captain:No, they don't think they even end up in the computer room. No, they don't. They bring it up twice. They don't really end up there confusing um, but they do make their way to another store where there's um mannequins and like a mirror, and they basically set the robots up to attack the mannequins for targets. And then there's like a mirror behind the mannequins. So when they pull this drape off, the laser that the robots are shooting ends up shooting back at the robot, so it kills the robot, kind of yeah.
Wilson:I don't really get that part, but.
Captain:The lasers are also like really um low budget yeah, I mean they look okay from 1986, but I don't know. We've watched 80s movies where the special effects look way better, but this is a low budget film, so yeah, that's fine so the robot is like now electrified, and this is where the one guy dies. Yeah, One of the lasers that bounces off the mirrors hits Linda. She's gone. And then Linda's boyfriend I don't know what he was doing, but he drives one of those little like mechanical maintenance.
Wilson:Yeah. Some kind of little cart Honestly, I don't know what it's for like the mall carts.
Captain:I feel like I've seen those in malls before, but it just he just drives it directly into the robot, not really sure what's going on here?
Captain:he also becomes electrified and then dies yeah, but the robot also dies, I guess oh yeah, and then I should mention so. So that's one robot down. They killed one robot shortly before this in a propane explosion. They really killed it this time in like an elevator shaft propane explosion. So there's one robot left, right, left, and they're like okay, now let's go to the computer and they separate, which I never understand. Why they split up. I never get it. They always say like let's split up for blah, blah, blah. I'm like you're dumb.
Wilson:I guess this is where they're looking for the computer room, but like she ends up digging around in a closet.
Captain:Yeah, again, I don't know. She was nowhere near the computer room, but I guess Protector 2 and 3 are dead. So Protector 1 is still alive and he corners Allison in her little closet, digging and she's screaming, but I think she gets. Oh, is this when she runs into the pet store?
Wilson:she does hide there at some point. Yeah, oh, she does the paint well, she's in a pet store and then maybe right after that is when she goes to the paint store yeah.
Captain:So she's in a pet store and there are puppies in there. I was very nervous, even though I know I double checked our movie list. Triple checked. I was like there better not be any death here. But she basically gets covered in snakes and spiders and has to stay quiet. Her reaction after the robot leaves and she just like gets off and shakes them off. I was like this is so awkward.
Captain:I don't, because like normally you would see her like freak out after she could freak out and like make noise, but it's almost like they left an extended couple of seconds in that cut because she just like gets up. It's almost like she's not acting yeah, she like shakes them off and walks off camera. I'm just like, why did you leave this clip in here? It was very weird, um. But then she makes it to oh, and then we see ferdy gets um knocked out. So you think he's dead so I also think she's by herself.
Captain:Um, and she was like, okay, fuck this, I'm gonna make a another explosion bomb. So she like puts a bunch of paint on the ground.
Wilson:I didn't really understand what that was for I think it's, and with paint thinner, I think it's really flammable, even though I don't really understand is flammable. That part was like I.
Captain:I thought paint thinner was flammable but I was like why the paint?
Wilson:I mean she's, maybe she's dumb or and also paint.
Captain:Back then was flammable probably, probably, um, she also had so much time like she had. She opened like a dozen containers. I was like how far away is this fucking robot?
Wilson:because I know they're fast. We have seen them like barely outrun them we've seen them barely outrun them.
Captain:We've seen the robots sneak up on people even though they make the largest screaming mechanical noises. Yeah, somehow they can be silent sometimes if they want to. I was like, okay girl, she literally had like 20 minutes to just dick around and open cans in there, um, but she opens them all, she gets the robot trapped in there and then she lights the paint and paint thinner on fire um big paint explosion store and that finally destroys the last robot protector protector.
Captain:Um, so allison is alive, but she's definitely hurt and she's like limping out as, I guess, daylight appears because they've been trapped in the mall all night. Um, and then she sees that fred alive, ferdy's alive, ferdy, her little boy.
Wilson:He's caring for his head wound with toilet paper.
Captain:Yes, he is. And then they get out. Oh, there's a post-credits scene.
Wilson:Yeah, we did not stay around for that.
Captain:I fast-forwarded through a lot of it, I mean Anyway.
Wilson:It might even be a video no visual.
Captain:Okay, there's post-credit scene that says a fourth unknown protector says it's cut phrase have a nice day, one last time I don't feel like that's hinting at a fourth protector. I feel like that's just just a funny line from the movie yep yeah, yeah, I pretty much after every single death, they say thank you, have a nice day, which is just very comical also at one point. Okay, these are huge robots with like um, like uh conveyor belt treads or yeah, like on each side yeah, and at one point, one of them comes up an escalator.
Captain:I was like, sir, you are not fitting on the step of an escalator, like they don't show the bottom of him because there's no fucking way he's getting on an escalator and not working, um, but yes, the movie is very campy and it's funny, um, but I like that. Compared to the other really kooky, campy movies we've done, this one has like more, uh, production value, like based on versus lamageddon well, yeah even um killer sofa like um thanks.
Captain:Killing like this has better production value than a lot of this, so am I hearing some compliments for this movie. This movie is funny. It's not bad if you're like was it entertaining? Yes, it's not scary, but it's funny and campy okay um, like the rotten tomatoes score is a 55 and a 39, which is like not that bad for a horror movie that's actually.
Wilson:Yeah, that's pretty good I know this movie.
Captain:I couldn't find a box office. The budget was very limited. It it says $800,000 total, but it didn't have great box office success. But according to Jim the movie did super well when it made its way to VHS and there's a quote of him saying you couldn't walk into a blockbuster in the late 80s without seeing many copies of Chopping Mall apparently.
Wilson:Wow.
Captain:We wouldn't know what that was like, but that's what he says. So it made a lot more money, apparently, when it went to VHS. Yeah, Did you want to hear some hot goose? Oh, yeah.
Wilson:I do. Did you want to hear some hot goose?
Captain:Hell yeah, I do so. When Norski Jim said he was inspired by the 1954 54 film Gog no fucking idea. He said he never saw the 1973 TV film Trapped, which some believed Inspired Chopping Mall. But I haven't seen either one of those. I don't know anything about those.
Wilson:No, I probably won't watch them, but I am curious.
Captain:Yeah, I feel like, but I don't know if I've heard of Gog or I've just heard of something. I mean, it's just not a word, so it just sounds like a noise.
Captain:I feel like it's probably the noise that the robot makes Like I don't know protect our one yeah okay, and then the film was intended to be shot on the location at the beverly center, which is in la, and you probably have seen that mall before. Like it's pretty famous, but it was. There's a much larger fee to film in that mall, so instead they filmed in the sherman oaks galleria, which is also in la, but that mall is much cheaper to film in and it was where the fast times at ridge mount high was filmed. But they still use the beverly center as the exterior shots for the mall in this movie.
Captain:Um, so, yeah, apparently the um owner, or like the yeah, I guess the owner or the manager of the um sherman oaks galleria was apparently like really on board with this film and was excited about it. Um, he's probably just somebody that was into movies because he let multiple movies film there, even though security there kept telling him that this movie is like like damaging things. Um, he was like, no, it's fine. Um, and as I was watching this and I, after I read that quote, I was like there are like sparks in the film and there's definitely like a lot of smoke happening yeah, and like I don't see how this wouldn't damage even like the carpets, or I mean they're playing in an elevator shaft at one point.
Captain:I'm like I don't know, they're breaking a lot of glass, even if it's like movie glass, like you still have to clean all of that oh yeah like I can see that happening, but I don't know.
Captain:I guess the manager was like it's fine, they're making a movie, what do you want me to do? Um, so yeah, and then I think this is interesting apparently they made this movie and then they put it out to a test audience and the original title was was kill bots? Um, but it tested really poorly, so they cut over 15 minutes of the movie out and then they retitled it to be better suited for a larger audience.
Wilson:Why make it shorter? Was there too much conversation around kill bots in the movie?
Captain:I swear to fucking God, they probably took all of the suspense out. That's what it feels like, because we have no suspense and it's just and we're killing Like there's no build-up. Um yeah, but apparently they took over 15 minutes out. Um, I don't know. I don't know what they took out. It's just, that's what it says. Kill boss is not a good name, like chopping no name but, um, the.
Captain:It's not a correct name, like even the title or the iconic cover of the movie and the ad campaign there's like a mechanical claw gripping, like a bloody shopping bag that has a decapitated head in the bag and like that is not realistic to what the movie is fair enough yeah, it's really not.
Captain:I mean, it catches you but, yeah, but I think the original movie, non-truncated, might be more real Like, might be more what that movie poster is, and I think the movie might have made a little bit more sense with the full cut. Yeah, but this cat.
Wilson:I see the movie might have made a little bit more sense with the full cut. Yeah, but this cat I see the cat.
Captain:I see the cat. Don't let them cut your cords.
Wilson:Oh yeah, it should be fine.
Captain:Yeah.
Wilson:Yeah, but I honestly, even though the movie was cut, I still really liked it.
Captain:So yeah, I just wish there was like. Yeah, like I said, I just wish there was like a little bit more. Are they going to kill him or how are they going to kill him and it's like we're killing. I don't know what to tell you. And then the last thing for the special effects. So excluding the laser beams, which I like that they mentioned that. So excluding the laser beams, which I like that they mentioned that most of what you see the Killbots do are actually remote-controlled via the effects crew.
Wilson:Oh really, the laser beams were not real.
Captain:Yeah, but all of the movements, all of the compartments opening and the shooting and stuff, apparently that was all done via remote control, which at one point you see a robot turning around in an elevator and I was like, oh, that's so funny that somebody's like like on a little remote control turning that robot around.
Captain:Um, and then also with the special effects, um, there's the scene where greg's thrown to his death. Oh, his name's greg. Um, apparently, jim volunteered to try the stunt himself, as long as they set him up from the second level, and he completed it successfully. But afterwards he found out that he'd broken a rib in the process. But he didn't tell anybody that he did that, that he got hurt, so no one found out about it.
Wilson:Um, during the production time, which I feel like now, that would not be allowed well no, because that means he deceived someone else into thinking it was safe to jump off yeah, betcha, he didn't, betcha, he didn't.
Captain:Um, I didn't write it in here, but there was something that came up multiple times that apparently roger corman the like god of cult or whatever the fuck um apparently he was excited to do this film and he basically came to set for like the first three or four days and everybody was really really nervous that he was like watching them do this, all of this, and then apparently like towards I don't know day three or four he was like, okay, you guys, look like you got it. And then he never showed up again and they were like whew, a big sigh of relief, because I guess this guy, jim, doesn't do a lot of big movies. Not that this is a big movie, but you know it's porn, right.
Wilson:It's like a weird mix of people like I'm surprised it happened and ended up being the way it did.
Captain:I don't know yeah, I, um yeah, but I did. I did actually like it wasn't bad, it's just um yeah, and I thought it'd be more porny after I read that he did soft porn, like that's what he's known for, but I I mean there's like teenage hookups, but I feel like we see that in a lot of 80s movies.
Wilson:Oh yeah, it wasn't egregious. Nothing felt more than like any other 80s movie.
Captain:Yeah, I mean, there's like the intro scene where it's like you know, here's things that are happening at the mall, which felt like filler, even though you said you really liked it. But even then there's like teenagers making out and I was like. I was like, oh no, is this gonna be like, is this gonna be bad? But it really wasn't I thought it was. I thought that was about to start off with being like, oh, like, this is just just getting you ready, warmed up yeah, yeah.
Captain:but I was like, oh no, this is just like an 80s teen movie, even though, like I said, none of those kids looked like teenagers.
Wilson:No, they did not.
Captain:They were adults. Actually, maybe they're not supposed to be teenagers because the one couple's married.
Wilson:Yeah, it's just a weird group of people Like you all look the same age, but it seems like you're in different stages of life.
Captain:Yeah, yeah, I'm not really sure. I guess they had beer, I don't know. But anyway, um, did you? I don't know? What do you think? Did you like it? Do you have a rating? Do you have a raise your glass scene? Um, how we feel percentage wise, I'm conflicted.
Wilson:I think, in terms of a campy movie that mostly knows what it is, I would say like a 65.
Captain:Oh, okay, nice, I feel like I'm going to be right around there. If it's a campy movie that knows what it's doing. Did you already put it on Letterboxd?
Wilson:No, I haven't rated it yet. I think, I'll give it a two and a half and I'll say I'll give it a two and a half and I'll say I'll give it a heart.
Captain:What? What does that do?
Wilson:A heart just shows people you like it, so like you could think a movie is like kind of a one, but you love it.
Captain:Oh, oh, okay, I don't think I'm doing a letterbox that way, but yeah, I think I'd give this movie like so there's not a big storyline, like there's a lot of in my opinion filler of like robots wiggling around and like not actually doing anything. I don't know why they cut so much out, because I feel like there was plenty of this stuff to cut, unless they just cut more of the filler out, which would be shocking. But it was still like I think I'd give it a 60 because it's still like a story that knows what it's doing, entertaining in the fact that it's funny and I think it knows that it's comedy. Like, thank you, have a nice day.
Captain:Like girl knows. So what did they call this at knows? What did they call this? What did Wikipedia call this?
Wilson:Oh, independent techno horror, oh right, oh, which reminds me the soundtrack was really good.
Captain:Oh my gosh, yeah, I was fucking down with the sounds of robots killing that little soundtrack. You said it's on Amazon, I'm not going to buy it. I wish it was on amazon. I'm not gonna buy it. I wish it was on spotify though did you look?
Wilson:no but I can't imagine it would be on there oh, you never know, there's like some obscure stuff on there sometimes would it just be the chopping mall soundtrack um, I think so. Let me see chopping. Yeah, it looks like it's on here wow, that's crazy one of the songs is called fergie's dead, but wasn't you say the name is fetty or something?
Captain:wikipedia called it ferdy with a d. They're saying fergie with a g. I don't know which one's right oh well, I don't know.
Captain:Um, oh, I meant to mention so little shop of horrors. Like I said, is like a really big film in roger corman's life. Um, apparently there's a lot of like inside jokes in this movie that that deal with him or jim or some of the characters, like there's many easter eggs that you could pick up if you want to, if you know a lot about them. But, um, the pet shop is called roger's little shop of pets and it like shows you that like very clearly, so that it's like a homage to him?
Captain:um, and I just like picked up on that because I read about it earlier today and I was like, oh, okay, okay, um, did you have a razor glass moment from this movie?
Wilson:I. I think it has to be just the laser beam to the head and it explodes immediately no, that was pretty good do you have one um, mine was a super random, but I laughed a lot.
Captain:Um, so when the robots uh, come after them after c4ing, exploding the door, and the boys are like we have to go get weapons, they get to. They get to the gun store and one of them goes oh man, how are we gonna get in? And the other one goes don't worry, I have, I have the key. And then he just picks up like a rock, he looks like, smashes the windows and I don't know something. I just wasn't, I was taken aback. I wasn't expecting him to make a joke and it was just. It was just very funny. Um, and I laughed a lot. Um, so that was my raise a glass okay, yeah, that's a good one.
Captain:I don't know, because most of the movie they're super awkward and I was like, oh okay, you got me yeah something about the delivery or something caught me by surprise Because we've heard that joke or that line before Definitely. So yeah, that was my raise a glass. But honestly, if people were like I want camp you my movie, like I actually would recommend.
Wilson:Okay, okay, I didn't know we'd get a recommendation out of you I mean, I don't know, what do you?
Captain:I mean, would you not recommend? I mean I would recommend it I mean we're pretty good, um, especially 80s camp. It's like core 80s camp. I didn't look up our list. Do you know what we're doing for?
Wilson:Oh, I just had the list open.
Captain:Okay, hold on hold on hold on oh damn, I can do it, I can do it. Uh-oh, I clicked on the wrong thing.
Wilson:I just straight up, just pushed the shield out of my face. We are doing Deadline next.
Captain:I don't know what that is.
Wilson:I don't either.
Captain:But it's something because I put it on here 2009. Oh, I'm excited for the 2024 film after that. Okay, well, we're doing Deadline from 2009.
Wilson:I'm curious to see how it is.
Captain:Yeah, I couldn't tell you what it is. But yeah, oh shoot, I don't know if I have. I mean, I have like general.
Wilson:Advice for me.
Captain:Advice for you. I mean, I feel like generally, get the fuck out of the mall before it closes.
Wilson:I feel like no, I mean, yeah, you think it's pretty common that'll happen. Oh, the cat fell. Oh, do you think it's pretty common, if they're like killer mall robots, that you need to get out that quickly? Or?
Captain:you know, today, after this movie, um, who knows, I feel like if they didn't watch this movie, they would just I mean talk about sentient, especially chat dbt.
Wilson:Maybe they are killer robots that's true actually they just put the little ai in there it's all those um, like uh robots from grocery stores that like clean up the aisles. Oh yeah, I don't see those a lot, but yeah, it's gonna be those creepy.
Captain:I don't like them actually. Yeah, definitely, yeah, get the fuck out of there is my advice. Get the fuck away from those robots.