Wacko

During the early 80s the slasher film had already become a genre ripe for parody. "Student Bodies" and "Pandemonium" are two more of the well-known examples. This one wasn't always terribly funny, in this viewers' humble opinion. It tried so hard to be funny, but didn't always hit the mark. Still, there's an agreeable amount of goofiness and enough good laughs to make it tolerable for an admittedly well-paced 87 minutes.

Joe Don Baker is at his most slovenly as a dedicated police detective who's determined to prove that the dreaded Lawnmower Miller, who last terrorized his city 13 years earlier, is due to return. One of LMs' previous victims was the older sister of virginal Mary ('Newhart's' Julia Duffy), and since she witnessed it, she carries deep emotional scars that will haunt her for the rest of her life.

Among the four credited writers are Dana Olsen ("The 'Burbs") and Jim Kouf ("Stakeout"), and in the directors' chair is prolific B filmmaker Greydon Clark. They take aim at a variety of horror films, from "Psycho" to "The Omen" to "The Island of Dr. Moreau" to the run of slasher pictures of the period. Oddball characters include Mary's brother Damien (Michael Lee Gogin), and the obligatory Red Herring Gardener / Creep (the great character actor Anthony James).

Andrew "Dice" Clay makes his screen debut (without the "Dice" nickname), playing a somewhat Travolta-esque character, and he's reasonably amusing. But he's just one of a number of familiar faces that appear. George Kennedy plays Mary's dad, a voyeur who tries to explain away his creepiness with the repeated refrain of "just mowing the lawn". Stella Stevens, Scott McGinnis, Elizabeth Daily, Sonny Carl Davis, Jeff Altman, Charles Napier, Darby Hinton, and Jacqulin Cole (the directors' wife) are all present and accounted for. But it's Baker who comes off the best. A total slob, his is a character who REALLY can't live without his coffee. He even has a brief scene after the closing credits, if you wait for it.

Overall, a fairly funny comedy, but "Student Bodies" is the best of this genre at the time, at least according to this viewer.

Six out of 10.

I think it's funny that someone actually thought this was an inspiration for "The Lawnmower Man," which was actually loosely based on a story published by Stephen King five years before "Wacko" was made.

So...inspiration for "The Lawnmower Man"? No. Damn funny horror spoof? Yes. Check this out, along with "Student Bodies"...the only two good horror spoofs to date.

"Wacko" is one of those films that audiences will either love or hate. It is dated, it is un-PC, it is crass and cruel all at the same time, but in the same sense it is a precursor to the now-popular "Scary Movie" franchise. For a PG rated film it pushes the envelope, it creates a world where one would have to have seen the film that they are spoofing, or be left in the dark. Unlike the "Scary Movie" films, "Wacko" leans away from the bathroom humor (albeit there is plenty there), but actually parodies cult films from Hitchcock, John Carpenter, De Palma, and so forth. Joe Don Baker is phenomenal. I am surprised that he didn't redefine this genre. His mannerisms, his insanity, and his surprisingly fresh take on his determined detective out to discover the truth is laugh-out-loud funny. Couple this with a fresh-faced Andrew Dice Clay jumping excitedly into the shoes of the local hipster/jock, be prepared for a wild ride. "Wacko" is fast past, absurd, and confusing all at the same time (i.e. see the talking elephant), but it isn't perfect. While two viewings continued to bring a chuckle to the room, any further viewing may be disastrous. There are some great repeatable lines, some great references, but these are coupled with some slow scenes and staged dialogue. There are moments where "Wacko" has no direction, and director Greydon Clark obviously has no idea where he is headed either. While this adds to the enjoyment of "Wacko", there was a moment where a secure storyline would have been a powerful alley to this laserdisc. Anything to keep us grounded while Clark took us around the corner, under the bridge, and into that darkened alleyway known as horror parodies.

Overall, "Wacko" needs a DVD release. This is a film that could be watched on college campus', midnight Halloween night at your local independent theater, or with a group of friends with drinks. It is one of those 80s campy horror comedies that were afraid to take chances, and I respect "Wacko" for that. Obviously, it will not win awards, but I see that it make it into the "cult cannon" any day of the week. I would not suggest repeat viewings, but at least two for the detailed humor of Joe Don Baker and Andrew Dice Clay (in this film, merely known as Andrew Clay). The humor is sharp, the dialogue less friendly, and the in today's modern world, it would not be PG rated, but thanks to the 80s – it is mediocrity to its perfection.

Grade: *** out of *****

Joe Don Baker cracked me up in this comedy about an inept cop who is the only one convinced there is a Pumpkin-Headed Lawn Mower Killer on the loose. I first saw this movie in the earlier 1980's, but unfortunately, it looks like it's not available anymore. All I can say is that the images I saw then inflicted emotional scars that took years to heal.....

Parody of the first generation of US splatter pics works on about the level of a Mad Magazine parody, but one of the FUNNY ones. (You may have to be kind of old like me to remember those.)

Some veteran hams give it a kick along. Julia Duffy, (who was the snooty chambermaid who never did any work in the "Newhart" TV series set in an inn in Vermont)has exactly the right aloof/just don't care/not all there presence for the heroine here. Andrew Dice Clay has a great bit as the Vinnie Barbarino parody "Tony Schlongini". His theme-song/entrance is a case of 'once fingerpopped, never forgotten'.

Proudly unsophisticated comedy has the dual charm of complete conviction in its silly gags, and not pretending it's anything other than what it is. Very easy watch, with more than enough laughs to get you through.