Juego de terror

THE NEW KIDS is top-of-the-line moviemaking with a gleefully sleazy gloss.

Cunningham, director of the first FRIDAY THE 13TH and the godawful DEEP STAR SIX, really does himself proud in this Southern-set rape/revenge thriller.

Two kids, whose parents have died, start a new life at their uncle and aunt's luridly low rent carnival.

Lori Laughlin, who plays one of the kids, becomes the target of sociopathic Dutra (James Spader in his best perf ever) and his gang of disgusting miscreants because she's so damn delicious looking. Essentially, the boys want her booty and will break any law to get it.

The film succeeds so well because it embraces its exploitation elements (sex, drugs, violence, teen lust, guns, vicious dogs) with such relish and delivers on its promise unpretentiously but stylishly. It is extremely well directed and acted and moves at a peppy clip.

You really do care about the characters and the film's Lalo Schifrin score nails the drama like a whore to a floorboard,

The carnival setting is a doozy and a triumph of production design; and the film's final scene has a black, perverse feel to it that had me nodding with approval.

A classic, and I'm not going to follow that with "of it's genre" because I'm tired of reviewers singling out films like this as less noteworthy because they're nasty.

Nope, a classic piece of cinema in anybody's book and titled STRIKING BACK in some markets.

Don't let people sway you, folks. This movie is outstanding! It features some disreputable Southern stereotypes and death by roller coaster and lighter fluid, not to mention the brilliant actor John Philbin in a typically memorable performance as "Gid". The production values are strong (including music by the great Lalo Schifrin) and the script is fast-paced and doesn't waste time with nuance or subtlety. There are pit bulls, lazy sheriffs, authentic Florida tourist trap backwoods locations, a pre-"Mask" Eric Stoltz, and impressive mid-1980s fashions. What more can you ask for? A solid 7/10.

"The New Kids" is about average for this kind of film: competently if not stylishly made, routinely written, reasonably rousing for its big finish, and full of characters whom you can either like or loathe. And the sides are pretty well delineated: there are the good guys and there are the bad guys. And the bad guys do their able best to show you how much they deserve to die. Director Sean S. Cunningham, who despite efforts like this will always be best known as the original "Friday the 13th" guy, does a decent job, working from a script by future director Stephen Gyllenhaal (who also happens to be the father of Jake and Maggie G.). This is mostly a showcase for the younger crowd, with most of the adult cast relegated to minor roles. Certainly there is some capable production design present here, as well as a good music score by the always reliable Lalo Schifrin.

Lori Loughlin ('Full House') and Shannon Presby (making his only feature film appearance here) play Abby and Loren MacWilliams, two nice, ordinary teens who end up living with their uncle Charlie (Eddie Jones, 'Lois & Clark') and Aunt Fay (Lucy Martin, "Cops and Robbers") in Florida. They become the targets of degenerate prick Eddie Dutra (James Spader, 'The Blacklist') and his gang of repulsive redneck flunkies. Things escalate until a bloody showdown at the amusement park that uncle Charlie operates.

Cunningham does work with a pretty good cast here, also including Eric Stoltz as nice guy Mark, John Philbin ("The Return of the Living Dead"), the great (and too briefly seen) Tom Atkins ("Night of the Creeps") as Abby and Lorens' dad, Brad Sullivan ("The Untouchables") as Colonel Jenkins, and John D. LeMay, future star of the 'Friday the 13th' TV series, in a bit part. Loughlin and Presby do make their characters likable enough that you root for them, and Spader, Philbin and others are just so disagreeable that one just can't wait for them to get their comeuppance. Jones is engaging as a man who's a bit of a dreamer. There is a degree of 1980s style cheese to these proceedings (we get to hear the ditty "Stand Up" three times before this is over), but it's all pretty absorbing up to and including that climax. The final death is fitting and effective.

If you're an animal lover, though, you may be taken aback by the actions of Dutra & gang.

Seven out of 10.

This very interesting but sadly underrated gem directed by Sean S. Cunningham ("Friday the 13th") offers an original variation of both the revenge thriller and vigilante action movie, since it has ordinary common high school teenagers in the lead roles. Basically this means the film begins with harsh but fairly harmless bullying but yet ends with extreme violence and relentless murder. The transition obviously isn't very plausible, as mean bully kids don't just turn into mad dog killers overnight, but "The New Kids" is nonetheless a competently made and occasionally very suspenseful thriller with tons of action, likable performances and an irresistibly charming 80's atmosphere. Following the sudden death of their beloved parents in an accident, athletic siblings Loren and Abby McWilliams move to Florida to help restore their uncle's ramshackle amusement park. They promptly run into conflict with the local school's gang of bullies because Abby refuses to accept an invitation to the dance from the tough leader Eddie Dutra. The mutual mockeries and paybacks gradually escalate into pure terrorizing until, one night, Dutra's entire gang invades the theme park with the intention to kill. Cunningham professionally builds up a tense and ominous atmosphere towards a highly explosive and grisly climax with some ultra-brutal killing sequences and engrossing make-up effects. The extreme violence will undoubtedly appeal to fans of 80's slashers as well as cheap and sleazy exploitation flicks of the 70's. The film benefices from an exceptionally great cast, with veteran B-movie stars as well as upcoming talents. Particularly James Spader is excellent and genuinely uncanny as the sleazy leader of the pack. Highly recommended to all type of cult movie fanatics.

The New Kids is a likable eighties movie from veteran horror director/producer Sean S. Cunningham (Friday the 13th). There are quite a few flaws in it, but it's too much fun to condemn for that. I stumbled across it in the horror section, and yet, it's the furthest thing from a horror flick. It's more along the lines of Paul Lynch's Bullies really. It could almost be considered a thriller, but there's just enough cheese on the surface to keep it from being too scary. It's still well worth a sitting though. The great, young cast is fun to watch, including Eric Stoltz (Killing Zoe) and James Spader (Wolf), who is hilarious and evil at the same time as the crazy redneck, Dutra. Another reason I like this film is the presence of one of my favorite genre actors, Tom Atkins (brief as it may be). The climax, well, the climax makes the movie. It's very well done (especially the pit bull scene) and everyone should walk away pleased. If you're looking for an interesting revenge flick, rent The New Kids.