Killer Workout

Widely hated by moviegoers and horror fanatics alike, the years have given this cheesy slasher film a certain charm. While it's obviously hampered by the low budget (it's one of those films where the producer/director/actor are all the same person), the cult appeal of this atrocious film is such that I found myself having a great time while watching it.

The acting is bad all around, with the possible exception of the actor playing the cop Morgan, who overacts a bit and chews the scenery in a fun way (at least this variety of 'acting' is better than standing around and delivering leaden lines straight off the cue card). The killer kills people with a giant safety pin, which gives you some idea of the ingenuity of this film (the cleverest thing is the title AEROBICIDE). The '80s pop music soon grates heavily on the viewer's nerves while the point-of-view killer shots are stolen from HALLOWEEN (as per usual), and basically have been copied far too often to be effective anymore. The camera dwells on the girls in the aerobics classes far too long, and works the other way too when focusing on muscular young men. Add the fact that they're all dressed in hideous '80s clothes and you'll be ripping your own eyes out to try and stop the torment.

As you can imagine, this film is pretty dire, full of bland actors, characters who you don't give a damn about, and the murders aren't even particularly gory. So why did I enjoy it? It's difficult to say really apart from the fact that as everything was so bad it all became one big comedy and, in a way, one of those 'so-bad-it's-good' kind of films. Saying that, you probably need a high tolerance level to be able to sit through a film like this… or maybe, like me, you're just a glutton for punishment!

Now this director knows how to sell sleaziness.Still a far cry from the Italian sleazy gialli but more than enough to give this bad movie the spice that it needs.Let there be no doubt about it.This movie is bad.Real bad.No,not the Michael Jackson kind.I mean it could be considered awful.But it is so bad and awful that it is good.I mean I laughed almost throughout.It went from one hilarious scene to another.Which was intensified by the fact that everything was taken seriously by director and the actors.Resulting in a parody of the slasher genre without intending it to be.Pay special attention to the detective who thinks of himself as a hard boiled and intelligent cop who is amazingly stupid.There is not one moment in the film where you can look at him in action and say now that is some fine acting.Not a hint of damn,"I got to pay the bills that is why I am in this rotten movie".On top of that the director tries to make a film that combines all the Eighties goodness or badness whatever you prefer resulting in something that I could describe as one huge mistake. Slasher,kungfu flick,crime film,flashdance type film,you name it is there.And of course enough crotch and boob shots to please the people who like that sort of thing.Who me?I can't deny giggling at some of the gratuitous shots made.It was like,"we are serious film makers trying to film scenes where serious actresses portray some difficult exercises and these are so difficult in fact that the camera has trouble recording them so we have to zoom in to spots we know very well to get back on the right track.Well,we got lost a lot of times."Or some other excuse like this.OK,I admit it I was expecting these shots and thank god they were there.Otherwise the film would not have been nearly as entertaining as it was.Do I really need to explain to you why Killer Workout is not a proper slasher or horror film? Even when there was enough present to come close.From start till the ending you will be entertained by the randomness of the events and more so when the killer and the motive is revealed.It is beyond ridiculous.But it won't matter much since you had fun for 90 minutes.

Set in Rhonda's Work-out, an L.A. aerobics gym where the only the gorgeous are welcome (well, with the exception of a token fatty on an exercise bike, presumably there for the hard-bodies to make fun of), Aerobicide sees a killer hacking through the establishment's clientèle with a giant safety pin (!). Meanwhile, police detective Lt. Morgan (David James Campbell) and private investigator Chuck Dawson (Ted Prior) attempt to uncover the identity of the murderer, and gym owner Rhonda Johnson (Marcia Karr) tries to prevent her customers from cancelling their memberships.

As a slasher film, Aerobicide is a complete failure, devoid of scares, tension, or decent kills (there's very little in the way of gore); however, as an opportunity to ogle hot 80s women flaunting their flawless, toned bodies in skimpy lycra outfits, it can't be beat.

With the 'horror' regularly punctuated by cheesy 80s dance routines, fans of the female form are guaranteed plenty to enjoy: shapely butt's gyrate, groins thrust, and big breasts jiggle to a hi-energy disco soundtrack, and additional titillation comes in the form of a nekkid bird who gets grilled like a cheese toastie in a sun bed, tasty Teresa Van der Woude whipping her top off during a dream sequence, a victim being killed whilst taking a shower, and buxom Dianne Copeland flashing her ample charms in a bikini that is quite clearly struggling to contain such a well developed physique.

Fans of trashy 80s nonsense should also get a kick out of an unbelievably hideous gold and black outfit worn by Rhonda, a couple of ridiculous punch-ups between the gym's beefcake male instructors, one of horror cinema's silliest jump scares in the shape of a spring-loaded rubber arm (which pops out a locker not once, but twice), and a seriously unconvincing wig (to explain more would be to spoil the film, but you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it).

If you've watched and enjoyed similarly themed slashers Death Spa and Murderock, then this voyeuristic piece of low-brow entertainment from the days when big hair and leg-warmers ruled the world will no doubt also hit the spot.

Note: also released under the title Killer Workout.

What an absolute masterpiece of So Bad It's Good filmmaking. Nothing makes sense. The acting is atrocious. The breasts are gratuitous. The main cop doesn't say a word for ages, then when he opens his mouth and you hear his ridiculous voice, you realise why. There's a fight scene that's like a cross between the ones in They Live (1988) and Hobgoblins (1988). I mean…

It's a slasher film. It's set in a gym. It was made in 1987. I don't want to spoil it by saying anything else.

Verdict: Track it down, order a pizza, and enjoy.

If you're a slasher fan, forget the bad reviews for Killer Workout, or Aerobicide as I know it. It's an amazingly entertaining and cheesy slasher flick that can't be taken all that seriously. It has everything - cheesy 80's rock music, tons of breasts, women in skimpy outfits, twist endings and ridiculous death scenes. The only thing that disappointed me was the gore - the deaths have blood but aren't very gory. The killer uses some sort of large safety pin to kill people with, which is an original but not very convincing method. The film also manages to squeeze in some samurai fight scenes, which are funny to watch. The twists are also very good and keep you guessing until the end. There's even the typical 'sequel friendly' ending.

If you love cheesy slasher films, add this to your collection immediately! It's great fun and while it doesn't deliver scares or gore, it delivers plenty of laughs. It's not that expensive to buy on DVD either. If you liked this you might also want to check out Fatal Games and Death Spa, which have similar themes to Killer Workout and are entertaining in their own ways.