Chopping Mall

A group of teens(among them lovely Barbara Crampton from "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond")are terrorized in a shopping mall by a bunch of killer security robots."Chopping Mall" is a highly energetic horror film that is perfect for younger horror fans.The film is well-made,delightfully cheesy and it offers some memorable set-pieces(check out a head explosion scene!).The characters are likeable and there are some great one liners.Highly recommended.Director Jim Wynorski made also "Sorority House Massacre 2","976 Evil 2:The Astral Factor" and "Hard to Die".

I have watched the 1986 movie "Chopping Mall" once before, but must admit that I only vaguely remember it. And thus, as I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it again here in 2024, of course I did so, with no persuasion needed.

The storyline in "Chopping Mall" is unique, to say the least. Writers Jim Wynorski and Steve Mitchell, with the former writer also directing the movie, put together a rather distinctive and unique script, which included elements of many different types of movies, such as teen romance, teen comedy, sci-fi and horror. The end result is a little bit over the place, but that is sort of the charm of the movie that is "Chopping Mall".

There are some familiar faces on the cast list, with the likes of Barbara Crampton, Mary Woronov, Dick Miller, Angus Scrimm, Rodney Eastman and Gerrit Graham. It should be noted that the acting performances in "Chopping Mall" are good, especially if you enjoy the cheese of the 1980s.

The music in the movie is wonderful, especially if you enjoy the unique 1980s sound of synthesizers.

"Chopping Mall" actually has pretty good effects. The robotics were, and are still, actually not too shabby, whereas the laser effects are a bit dubious. But it all worked well in favor of the movie, adding a good layer of 1980s cheese to the entire package.

Keep in mind that before Robocop and ED-209 there were the Park Plaza Protectors 1, 2 and 3 in "Chopping Mall".

It is a campy movie, no doubt about it. And yeah, there is some guilty pleasure in viewing it, given the level of cheese the movie has to it.

My rating of director Jim Wynorski's 1986 movie "Chopping Mall" lands on a five out of ten stars.

Had all the boxes checked: cheesy dialogue, campy feel, bad acting, silly villain(s), gratuitous boob shot. It was just an entertaining 80 minutes. Please don't expect more out of that and I don't think you will.

Well, there is a whole lot of cheese in Chopping Mall. Remembering this movie from my childhood, I was compelled to rent it last night. Well, I am glad I did! Yeah, there isn't anything spectacular about the movie...There is a lot of Cheese (Automatic Rifles in a Mall?), but it still stands out as one of the better B-movies of the 80's.

The Robots are pretty decent looking. The acting is typical for the genre and timeframe. The head explosion scene is just classic.

I now feel compelled to track this down on Ebay, since I don't see an American DVD release anytime soon...

Rent it and just enjoy the actual quality to this b-movie. I don't mean the acting, but the scenery and the robots. The CGI is laughable...but, that is another topic...

7 out of 10

Security robots at a Los Angeles mall malfunction after a lightning strike and become a deadly threat to a group of youths partying at a furniture store after hours.

"Chopping Mall" (1986) takes the malevolent robot idea of "Westworld" (1973) and places it in the mall setting of "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) with robots that look like malicious versions of "Short Circuit" (1986) and R2D2. "RoboCop" didn't debut until the next year.

Winsome girl-next-door Kelli Maroney is a highlight as protagonist Alison while Russell Todd from "Friday the 13th Part 2" (1981) is stalwart as Rick. Suzee Slater as Leslie is a'right. This is a spirited Grade B flick but at the end of the day it's a throwaway; it's fun and well-executed, but somehow hollow and forgettable.

The movie runs 1 hour, 17 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles at the Sherman Oaks Galleria, which was also used in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991).

GRADE: B-/C+