Die Killertomaten schlagen zurück

The original 1978 Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes was an oddly entertaining funny little film that mocked itself from start to finish with it's Airplane (1980) style humour.

It's sequel was far weaker but still delivered the laughs, this third movie delivers them very few and far between but there is still fun to be had.

Following directly on from the second film we see John Astins Professor Gangreen return with another scheme for world domination.

The tomato sfx have gotten more advanced and that's a bad thing, the novelty has thoroughly worn off and it's just not funny anymore.

The cast make the most of the script and there are laughs to be had but the whole killer tomato's thing has grown stale.

The Good:

Hilarious opening sequence

The Bad:

Novelty has worn thin

Not as much humour as previous films

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I may have been a tomatologist in a previous life

Boyles trouser collection is the stuff of legends

Ordering a bloody mary in a tomato bar is unwise

I found the Godtomato scene more interesting than every Godfather movie combined

A woman having ketchup poured all over her chest is not as sexy as you'd imagine

This film essentially begins with an attractive woman (played by Debra Fares) running in the woods at night while being chased by an unseen attacker. Once the attacker catches up to her it is revealed that he is a man in a hockey outfit that looks eerily familiar to Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th franchise. However, rather than being alarmed by his appearance, the young woman is relieved that he isn't a killer tomato. Just then, a noise is heard and both the woman and the goalie let out screams of horror when they find themselves surrounded by killer tomatoes wearing hockey masks and wielding chainsaws. The scene then shifts to a detective by the name of "Lance Boyle" (Rick Rockwell) getting an assignment to investigate a double homicide out in the woods. Being the rather clueless detective that he is, he immediately rules out killer tomatoes as the culprits even though a tomatologist by the name of "Dr. Kennedi Johnson" (Crystal Johnson) tries to convince him otherwise. It's also during this time that the notorious "Dr. Gangreen" (John Astin) makes a return appearance with plans to, once again, use killer tomatoes to take over the world. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film turned out to be one of those comedies that just wasn't very funny. At least, not to me. It does, however, have pretty good special effects and having an attractive actress like Crystal Johnson certainly didn't make matters worse. But even so, on the whole, I found the movie to be rather tedious and I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

Professor Gangreen (the indefatigable John Astin) has returned once more, still intent on global domination. In KILLER TOMATOES STRIKE BACK!, he's decided to use television to create a world of stupefied tele-zombies (art imitating reality?). Through his insidious TV persona known as "Jeronahew", Gangreen sets his plot in motion.

Yes, there are plenty of killer tomatoes rolling around as well.

Can super-cop Lance Boyle (Rick Rockwell) and stunning tomatologist Kennedi Johnson (Crystal Carson) save us from Gangreen's plan to turn the world into a tomato-induced, talk show hell?

Another goofy entry in this juicy series, with plenty of social satire amidst the absurdity...

Well, it's a lot more entertaining that most of the previous installements. If you turn off your brain you might even get a giggle ouf of this movie.

As others mentionned, it's a poor attempt at imitating the Leslie Nielson /Zucker brothers movie style.

I think the funniest thing in this movie is seeing people wearing MC Hammer pants with a suit jacket... man thats scary!

Say what you want about the "Killer Tomato" flicks, but this particular entry does contain one of the better and more beautiful homage sequences to classic horror milestones that I've seen in a long, long time. There's a wondrous scene that spoofs/tributes "Jaws", "Psycho" and "The Omen" all at the same time. During a virulent tomato attack in the shower, both the uncomfortable tune of "Jaws" and the satanic music of "The Omen" can be heard. Very pleasant regardless of how stupid it sounds and looks.

I seem to be watching the "Killer Tomato" franchise in reversed order. The fourth and thus far final episode "Killer Tomatoes Eat France" was the first film I watched – and admittedly quite liked – and this second sequel (the one NOT starring George Clooney in an early embarrassing role) is also my second acquaintance. This time, the killer tomatoes and their wacky master Dr. Gangrene are back. The crazed maniacal scientist now even hosts a TV talk show and fiendishly plots to take over the world via subliminal brainwash messages. The only people who are able to stop him are the sport-addicted detective Wilbur Finletter, who denies the existence of killer tomatoes, and the sexy female "tomatologist" Kennedi Johnson. Like with "Killer Tomatoes Eat France", the film relies on a handful of downright hilarious situations and genuinely clever gags, but the overall wholesome of the script is plot-free and juvenile. Personally, I find it very amusing to watch tomatoes wearing tiny little Jason Voorhees hockey masks or ninja outfits, but obviously you can't really refer to it as being a good film. John Astin obviously enjoys himself very much, as he purposely aims his over-the-top evil laughs directly into the camera and combs his longish hair in such a wild and unmannered style that he looks even more deranged. I guess it's because movies like this one that some brainiac invented the term "guilty pleasure".