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KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK... what a film! I first encountered this film as a Movie-Of-The Week on TV when I was about nine years old. I thought it was great then, of course, because back then (late '70s) ANYTHING Kiss-related was "great." When I saw it again years later on the late movie I found it hard to keep my drink from spraying out of my nose while I laughed hysterically through the entire movie. I ran out and found the movie on VHS the next day and spent many a happy Saturday night during college exposing my friends to this underrated gem. It became a surrogate "Rocky Horror" midnight movie for the metal heads in my dorm. The other posts on this movie have already beaten the "plot" (or lack thereof) to death so I don't need to berate it any further. Let's just say this: the script is hilariously bad, as are the performances, the special effects, etc., etc. But for KISS fans this is mandatory viewing at least once. In fact, I use this film as a litmus test when speaking to other KISS fans to find out how hardcore they are. I ask "Have you seen KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM?" and if they answer "Yes," I ask "How many times?" If the answer is more than five times, then I know I'm in the company of a hardcore member of the KISS Army. The band may hate this movie (I believe they even sued a DVD distributor recently for releasing the film on DVD and had it taken out of circulation) but I simply can't get enough of the Star-Child ("you're looking for someone...but it's not KISS"), Space Ace ("Insufficient data, Starchild! ACK!"), the Demon (There ARE no right hands but OURS!"), and the Cat Man ("Gene's brother was an only child!")in action. It's a bad movie to end all bad movies. I love bad movies, and I love KISS, so for me it's a match made in heaven.

Consider this: In 1978 Wonder Woman was a fairly decent sized hit TV series. Cheese and camp were in. KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park originally was planned (and scripted) as "Star Wars meets A Hard Day's Night." Unfortunately, the network censors decided that it was too violent and too serious for all the kids that would likely be watching, so the script was toned down. After 3 or 4 re-writes the script hardly resembled that which the band and their management agreed to, but they had already signed their contracts, so...

Out came KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park to TV screens in the Fall of 1978. It was bad, unintentionally funny in spots, and yet - it was still kind of cool if you "got it." The idea of KISS as superheroes was a natural, and, in fact, it followed the two Marvel Comics KISS special issues from 1977 & 1978 - including the idea of where they got their powers. There are some ideas in the story that if fleshed out and written well could have made for a good TV movie. Unfortunately Hanna Barbera was running the show, and turned it into a live action cartoon - with the approval (and outright urging) of NBC. The band so hated the script that even Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons - the guys in the band with good work ethic and aspirations of becoming serious Hollywood actors someday - didn't bother to study their lines. They just had their lines barked out to them and repeated them for each take. Peter Criss, as has been noted many times, didn't even bother to show up for the "looping," or overdubbing of his voice to fix the spots where the audio recording wasn't up to par (and had his voice replaced by a cartoon voice actor throughout the film as a result). Ace Frehley also seems disinterested for most of the movie (and as he was, and still is, a big Science Fiction fan that shows just how unhappy he was with the script - and the film-making process in general).

Anthony Zerbe and Carmine Caridi, however, do their best to salvage something out of this mess. They give solid, fairly believable performances despite dialog that is often cheesy, and despite their characters being written as cardboard cut-outs rather than 3 dimensional people. Kudos to them, they clearly were (and still are) professionals.

The highlights of the movie end up being the music and the cheesy fight scenes - and maybe the interplay between Zerbe's Abner Deveraux and Caridi's Calvin Richards. KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park can be fun to watch IF you go into it expecting a cheesy 70's superhero camp movie. If that's all you expect, then it meets and exceeds those expectations. It's a great bit of nostalgia as well.

KISS survived this movie, but just barely. A year later they had a huge hit with their Dynasty album, but then saw Peter Criss leave the band, with Ace Frehley following suit a couple of years later. They saw their fortunes fade for a few years (despite the introduction of the late, great Eric Carr on drums in 1980) before their career revival minus the make-up with albums like Lick It Up, Animalize, Asylum, and Revenge. In 1996 the original group got back together for a wildly successful reunion that lasted for 5 years. Once again, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley proved to be too unstable and erratic to continue in the band, and they each ended up leaving KISS (or being asked to leave) for a second time. Despite a "Farewell Tour" in 2000-2001 KISS still continues today, and they still hate this movie. But like a veteran telling war stories, they still tell the tale of making this movie, and of how a great idea was turned into something profoundly stupid yet still strangely compelling.

This is such a terrible movie that i can't help but love it. It's so pointless! The plot is terrible, it looks like it was shot on a broken VHS camera by someone with a blindfold on. The acting really couldn't be any worse but the music is good apart from when the evil Kiss robots do a show. Can anyone tell me why Beth is in there, yeah it's a good song but it's not set-up, no-one comments on it and everyone is just posing... absurdly. The thing i love the most though is how Gene strides around in his platforms, he looks like he's been riding a horse for too long! It's such fun it has to be watched and absolutely essential if your in danger of taking Kiss too seriously...

These are the reasons why i hate this film and the reasons why i love it. Don't ask me how that works i'm as confused as you.

Yes, the movie is horrible, and yes it is an embarrassment. However, if you grew up with KISS in the 1970's this movie will be very near and dear to your heart. The fact that this movie was even made is a testament to the KISS phenomenon of the 70's. It isn't so much a movie as it is a magical moment in time captured.

I can remember in 1978 when this movie came out. It was aired on October 29th, just 2 days before Halloween. The anticipation for this movie was kind of like being a kid at Christmas time. You know on Tuesday of this week that Rudolph is on Friday of next week. The days can't go by quick enough, and you anxiously await for it to finally air. Well finally, it did. At 12 years old, and being a huge KISS fanatic, that was the best movie ever. I can remember the next day, every kid in the neighborhood talking about the movie, and for about a week, playing KISS vs their robot doubles. To the hard core KISS fan, the tunes rocked. Rock And Roll All Nite started off the opening credits. Again....at 12 years old, it was magic.

Now enter 8 years later. The age of the VCR's, and cable TV. I had noticed in TV Guide that KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park was going to be on....next week. Just like 1978, I had to go through the anticipation phase again. But the night finally came, and I had the VCR and brand new tape all set. My movie finally aired. I watched it.......and it was totally and completely one of the most dumbest movies I had ever seen in my life. Needless to say....the movie didn't have the same impact on me as it did 8 years prior. I had come to realize that aside from wasting my money on a blank tape, I had just wasted 2 hours of my life that I will never be able to get back. The songs were still great, and the concert footage was good, but the acting was absolutely horrible. At least Gene went on to do a couple better movies a few years down the road(Runaway, Wanted Dead or Alive).

Because of this disappointment I experienced, I had come to the decision that I would never buy this video. I have since seen it on Ebay, record stores, movie stores, etc. And for cheap money at that. But I know deep down inside I'll either never watch it, or I'll start to watch it and get bored rather quickly. I find it better to hold it as a childhood memory.

In a note to the previous posting about Peter Criss' voice being re-dubbed because it was awful.....perhaps. The real reason is (as stated by Paul Stanley of KISS in the KISS home video Extreme Closeup)...the reason for the different voice is because....after the filming of the movie, the band had to go back to the studio to do what was called looping (re-taping their voices). Peter Criss would never show up, so another person had to do his voice.

Every rock group or performer seems to try their hand at films. Kiss turned out one of the worst films of all time. Worse than Zeppelin's Song Remains the Same. Worse than the Stones's Let's Spend the Night Together. Even worse than Mariah's Glitter. Yes, THAT bad.

It really is a Plan Nine level of awfulness, everything about the film the worst it could possibly be.

Bad unintentionally funny dialog? Yes.

Embarrassment for all involved? Yes.

Sucking otherwise good actors like Zerbe into this? Yes.

Z grade special FX? Yes.

Plot, action, and storyline making zero sense? Yes.

Small town middle school level acting skill from the newcomers? Even though one of them, Simmons, mostly just growls. Yes.

Even the biggest fans of the group only watch it to laugh at how bad it is. You will too. It's as funny as Plan Nine or Trolls 2.

I have been a KISS fan since I was a little tyke, and back when this stinkburger came out on TV, I had to watch it. I only now realize that the world of music-related films must be pock-marked with bomb craters (no pun intended)left in the wake of such cinema gold as this poor excuse to sell cheaply-made action figures by MEGO. I mean, even Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) makes sense compared to this.

It was a cartoon. A live-action cartoon. Joseph Barbera must have felt horrible after unleashing this poor excuse for a film on an unwitting public.

But yet, as with so many other films that are real cheese-fests, I can't help but sit mesmerized by the events on screen. I'm not following the apparent lack of plot, nor am I really caring about the equally detestable special defects, I guess it's that I just go into Zombie mode with this film. If Dr. Forrester of MST3k really wanted to rule the world so bad, he would have used THIS film to turn Joel & the 'bots into so much mental cabbage.

I am still a fan of KISS, however. This film failed to change that. All the same, I am NOT a fan of the people responsible for convincing Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter that a TV movie of the week would be a great idea for publicity.

I think that any film aficionado worth his/her salt owes it to themselves to see this film once. after that, appropriate dosage should be determined by your physician.

Now fair is fair, I'm a Big Kiss fan, this was great on tv in 78. And it's still fun to watch just to see how young they were and the "Scooby-Doo" music really adds to the humour of the picture. I didn't take this one too seriously then and I don't now. You think this is bad? Well The Beatles did a worse film called "Magical Mystery Tour". Now that's a bad flick.

The acting on all sides is way over the top, they were musicians and not actors. Even the vets are over doing it. It's a comic book with live action. The only thing missing is the occasional "Booms" or "Pows" in big print on the screen like the Batman series.

With Hanna-Barbara at the controls, we're lucky more cartoon music didn't work it's way into the backround.

The band looks great, sleek and in top shape. They look healthy. And they look to be enjoying themselves. There aren't too many weak scenes in the movie, everyone did a pretty good job acting for all the preporation they had, which wasn't much. It's pure bubble-gum and that's all it was meant to be.

I saw this on that fateful sunday night in 78. I hadn't seen it for a few years, then I noticed it was available on VHS as an import from Japan. That was in 88. I sent away for it and got an english speaking version with japanese sub-titles. Now that makes watching this movie even weirder than usual. I've had collectors offer me $500. for this rare version of the movie. It goes up in price every year and I keep hanging on to it. That's one good thing I can say about this film. The day I sell it, it'll be a sad day.

If you read the comics that came out with the band in them back then, you got this movie right away. If you weren't a fan you didn't. Either way they're just human, and they learned their lesson. They got better at acting, ever see the episode of "Millenium" that they appear in? That was pretty good.

I am waiting for the DVD to come out. I want some behind the scenes stuff too. I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a B-movie night with some friends. It'll keep your attention just to see what happens next, the younger fans who have never seen it before will get a kick out of it.

One little note: I remember Ace Frehley saying in the rock mags of the day, he did all his own stunts in the movie. I believed him then. I was twelve when it came out. Now I know better. Ace can't walk a straight line much less do backflips in those boots. But he does have some great lines in the movie. I thank you. Ciao

This movie sucks so bad it is great. With the added bonus that it is also almost a "Greatest Hits" collection. When you are throwing a party, just throw this in the VCR and if you can play it several times. People will love it for several reasons, mostly the music. But you can also make fun of the acting, the special effects, and the thing I love the most the back ground music. When the flying monkeys are going around the roller coaster, I could swear that in the back ground music is someone saying, "Walk a chicken". Anyway, I highly advise anyone to pick it up.

With tunes like "I Stole Your Love" and "Shout It Out Loud". This movie leaves no stone unturned for Kiss fans. It's so period, so dated, yet completely fun (especially if you're a nostalgia freak). Yet another one of those films where technically the acting stinks, the script is lame and the set is an amusement park but you just have to watch it once or twice or again and again. Choice is yours! (but I'd check it out:) As a Kiss fan I have no choice but to stick it a 10.

Being a major Kiss fan, even I can't justify this abomination! 'Kiss Meets The Phantom' is definitely a candidate for the "so-bad-it-was-good" category. The acting in this movie was about as abysmal as humanly possible, and I'm not even referring to the band! I'm talking about the "professional" actors they hired for this thing! Apart from Anthony Zerbe's somewhat credible performance as the evil Deveraux (sp?), the rest of these stiffs--especially the guys playing the cops/authority figures--couldn't act their way out of a paper bag! I can't say I blame Ace Frehley and Peter Criss for not showing up for filming and/or looping--they were smart enough to see what a travesty this thing was. This film is best viewed after a few stiff drinks--even I'd love to see the "MST3K" crew skewer this turkey!

Kiss' best stuff is their early stuff, but when this movie came out Kiss had moved away from being a band and more of a business. The story is really silly (even the band mates are embarrassed by this thing), and the acting is so bad that it is really funny.

Anyways, it is a good "bad" movie, and it is a bad "good" movie.

Any bad movie afficionado NEEDS to see this one. It's absolutely incredible in the depths of its stench, in a "so bad, it's good" kind of way.

It's a shame MST3K died before they could do this stinker.

There's little to redeem this film about Kiss fighting Anthony Zerbe and his evil robot monkeys. As a Kiss fan, I can't even recommend it as a greatest hits package as all the songs are truncated and cut in length. While the "Hotter than Hell" spoof known as "Rip and destroy" has some great comic value the rest of the film falters in the "for laughs only" realm as you just plain feel bad for the super stars landing themselves in a TURKEY like this one!

Let's just be glad that THE WHO never decided to do a TV movie for NBC! I shudder to think on it!

Acting: terrible. Campy? Yes! Plot: Dumb. Script: Soooo Cheesy! And yet...how terrible it is makes it hilarious! I mean come on! Every time I hear an Ack! It makes me smile. Man, I really need to change my ringtone to that! Then I can change my alarm clock to: "Leave it to me, Star Child! I'll bend these beams with my mind!" As for the rest of the lines ("We don't work with a second act Devareaux! And besides, Armageddon is a lame group!" "Easy Catman, they are serious!" "THERE ARE NO RIGHT HANDS BUT OURS!") they are so cheesy and so terribly acted out that every word will have you laughing out loud. I mean sure, cinematically it sucks, but there are worse movies out there. (Star Wars Holiday Special, that's you! Oh! Sorry! We've all promised never to speak of that again!) Besides, this one at least has KISS in it! If your willing to spend the money you should buy it on eBay! So worth it!

In 1978 the two most important things in my 4 year old world were Star Wars and KISS (the latter being much to my Mom's chagrin). So it's a bit of a surprise that it took me nearly 40 years to get around to watching their infamous made for TV film debut.

The first 30 minutes or so play like an episode of 'The Hardy Boys' with higher production values. But once KISS show up it becomes a lactose tolerance challenging schlockfest with moments of Felliniesque surrealism thrown in for good measure. None more so than KISS' throwdown against a group of animatronic albino kung-fu cat-monkeys set to New York Groove.

There's some nostalgia to be mined here, and a few hearty unintentional laughs, but little else.

Though the members of the group despised being in this movie (produced by the same guys who did Yogi Bear, The Flintstones...and Scooby Doo !), forget the cheesiness, the some-what bad dialogue, this is a comic book movie here. And a way to see the band KISS in its heyday as a truly original rock band, complete with masks and apparel. And yes, even Gene throws its tongue out ! Shout it out loud, don't take this movie seriously. Light entertainment and rock music. This wasn't meant to be a masterpiece and this is a movie worth the curiosity. Watch it for KISS.

'Nuff said !

The band was right to not like this film. It's almost predominantly Anthony's film and even he won't list in on his resume of films.

Alcoholism aside, Ace and Peter were barely coherent in most of the film. It's no wonder they don't like talking about it.

I'm no KISS lover, nor am I a KISS hater; I suppose I'm a bit of a casual fan. I am however, a lover of movies of the genre that is sometimes called "Inexplicable." KISS Meets The Phantom (Of the Park) is such a movie. A real head-scratcher. You'll be scratching your head so damn much your scalp will start to flake. I think this movie keeps Head and Shoulders in business.

KISS star as themselves (Sort of, they are the band KISS, but they only refer to themselves as "The Demon" or "Space Ace" and so on), in a, well, really, a TV movie, but even then, that doesn't explain how poor the quality is. TV movies look better than this, heck, most after school specials have this beat. Anyway, KISS is playing 3 days of concerts at an unamed amusement park (In reality, Magic Mountain in California), and in between their 2-song concerts (That's as much as we see anyway), they fight the evil shenanigans of an evil inventor who works in a secret lab underneath the park.

Although I can't recall him ever being referred to in the film as "The Phantom" I have to assume he is the titular character. He certainly doesn't wear pink tights and fire pistols; though that probably would have pepped up the plot, which is droll and inane to say the least.

Here's the main problem. Amongst the opening credits you will prominently see displayed as Executive Producer one Joseph Barberra, famous for the Hanna Barberra cartoons. You will also notice a lot of musical cues and story elements that seem plucked right out of bad episodes of Scooby-Doo, Super Friends, Josie and the Pussycats and others. I'm not reaching here, a lot of sounds and music are exactly the same. Basically, the film is a live action Hanna Barberra cartoon, complete with terrible laser beam eye blasts and fire breath (One time you can see the physical edges of the effect, not a proud moment for Gene). This movie could have worked as a cartoon, or as a KISS movie about, I dunno, a concert. Instead its A Hard Days Scooby, and a poor one at that.

KISS certainly don't help their cause, Gene is really the only one who seems comfortable in his non-performance scenes, and he's hindered by a weird reverb effect on his voice that makes him almost impossible to understand. Ace and Paul are both more wooden than George Washington's teeth, and "The Cat" sounds an awful lot like Duke from GI Joe (His voice having been redubbed in post because, well, it was bad). In one scene, Ace is also clearly a stunt double, who's...well, black. In another, he's Asian. Oops.

I know I've made it sound awful but...well, okay so it's awful. But KISS Meets The Phantom often achieves that rare goofy quality of a movie that isn't so much bad, as it is completely insane and way off base. It's not as funny as a Plan 9, or a Gymkata, but it is worthy of at least one viewing with a big crowd of rowdy friends.