Conspiração Atômica

Nevada desert, 1955. Peggy and Brian Bell, are being experimented on by the US Army to test the effects of exposure to atomic energy whilst testing a nuclear bomb. The test seems to go well, and the Bells are located in a picturesque suburbia. However, after giving birth to their son, the couple suddenly spontaneously combusted, a clear effect of the nuclear fallout. The baby boy survives them, and grows up to be Sam (Brad Dourif).

So we flash forward to the present day, where Sam's freakish ability to combust becomes increasingly dangerous to both himself and others around him. In one scene (with a cameo from John Landis), Sam has called into a radio psychic DJ - who has now gone off the air - and gets through to the Landis' radio technician who refuses to pass him onto the DJ (Dr Persons - played by Joe Mays). This increases Sam's anger (which as we have seen previously, makes Sam burnier), and he projects fire through the phone (in a pseudo-telekinetic flash), which results in fire streaming from the knee-caps of poor Landis. Sam's main goal is to find out about his parents and to determine why these phenomena keep occurring.

Tobe Hooper has not had it easy since the release of exceptionally brilliant debut The Texas Chain-Saw Massacre (1974). All of his subsequent films have either fallen foul of studio intervention (Death Trap (1977), The Funhouse (1981)), executive producer Steven Spielberg's ultimate overbearing on-set presence (Poltergeist (1982), or just poorly conceived ideas (Lifeforce (1985), Invaders from Mars (1986) and Texas Chain-Saw Massacre 2 (1986). He seems only in the latter part of the '80's produce Stephen King-like projects, either directly adapting a King novel (Salem's Lot (1979 -TV mini-series), or lifting pseudo-King story devices, much like Spontaneous Combustion. The use of fire as a telekinetic ability had been previously 'explored' in Kings Firestarter.

This is not a great film. The production values are akin to the TV movies/series' that were being broadcast at the time. this was seen throughout the genre in the early years of the decade. This period is almost a vacuum of popular visual culture, with the exception of one horror, the TV series Twin Peaks (1990-1991). The camera movements and compositions are standard television production. Aside from the lack of visual flare, there is one element that never really fails to please. That is of course Brad Dourif. I find everything that Dourif is in to be thoroughly fun to watch. Even, as in this performance, when he is wildly over-the-top. His eyes intense, and his vociferousness projected directly into you brain, sharp and direct. No one does sweaty anger like Dourif does. So, in conclusion. S**t film, but it is totally be forgiven cause Brad Dourif is in it.

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God i love those transparent, glowing phones and radios that chick has.

Anyway, not as bad as many people say it is. I'm actually a fan of Tobe Hooper's later work (well, some of it). I think people expect far too much of him based on the cultural impact of TCM and its just not fair. Tobe Hooper's films have always been rather fun and campy, while simultaneously making (sometimes rather heavy handed) sociocultural critiques. As others have noted, Spontaneous Combustion has underlying themes relating to the way that the 50's atomic bomb influenced and informed the culture of the 80's. A lot of biting references to the 'nuclear family' and its place in society as well as how both the presence and absence can affect us as we grow up and become adults. I honestly have no idea why most people say this started his downward slide cause its actually pretty good- a lot better than his remake of Invaders, that's for sure.

Righty right. Here's a bit about SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION: the government is trying to engineer the perfect weapon for war. It fails, and the project is supposedly buried. Years later, however, a young college student by the name of David (Sam), is finding out slowly that he is something more than human. So, he intends to find out just what he is, and a path of destruction and fire is left in his wake. Now, I can see why this has been called Tobe Hooper's only failure at a movie, but it is a gem. But, the only reason why this is a good flick is because of the presence of Brad Dourif. As always, he's excellent. Rent this flick, that is if you can find it. The beginning is slow, but it is very entertaining.

The picture based allegedly in a reality, concerns about a young man(Brad Dourif) aware his parents(Stacy Edwards and Brian Bremer)had been used in a nuclear experiment. Them, he inherits the power to inflict the title phenomenon on other people . He's recently separated his spouse(Blain)and again appear his ability -called pyrokinesis, though sometimes is incontrollable- to ignite objects and people around him. Then, blazing deaths occur, the result of another evil government experiment.

This is a suspenseful and frightening movie , though regularly paced. The movie contains some flaws and sometimes is silly and ludicrous, furthermore wasting the acting talent. Casting is quite well, Brad Dourif is nice, as usual, in one of his habitual roles as hapless. Magnificent plethora secondaries as Melinda Dillon, John Cypher , William Prince and Dale Dye. Special appearance of Hollywood directors as John Landis and Andre De Toth . The film is in the ink of¨ Firestarter¨(directed by Mark L Lester with Drew Barrymore and George C Scott) and ¨Firestarter 2¨(Robert Iscove with Marguerite Moreau and Malcolm McDowell). The motion picture is regularly directed by Tobe Hooper, who previously acquired success with ¨Texas chainsaw massacre, Salem's Lot,Funhouse,Invaders from Mars and Poltergeist¨, however with 'Spontaneous Combustion' got a failure. Rating : Mediocre though some moments is entertaining.

Spontaneous Combustion is a very sad horror effort from legendary director Tobe Hooper. I was hoping this was before Hooper's downward spiral of Night Terrors, The Mangler, and Crocodile, but I think this is the film that started that spiral. I'm still finding it hard to believe it was as bad as it was. Tobe Hooper directing, Brad Dourif starring...that's horror royalty right there. I found Dourif to be disappointing in this one as well. That was hard to type because he's so good in everything else he does (if you want to challenge that statement check out One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). I think he should have just said no to this role. I was expecting a very dark film with a brooding anti-hero. What I got was a comical bore, and you can bet that's not on purpose. You reach a point in the film where you ask yourself "What in the f*ck is going on?" And the ending is pathetic at best. Not even a fiery John Landis cameo nor a radio voice-over by Buck Flower could save this one. Go watch Firestarter instead.