“It's not you, Ferdy. I'm just not used to being chased around a mall in the middle of the night by killer robots.” Don’t worry. It won’t last long. Join your faithful Grue-Crew - Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, Crystal Cleveland, and Jeff Mohr - as they head right back to a very familiar mall in Chopping Mall (1986).
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 201 – Chopping Mall (1986)
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A group of young shopping mall employees stays behind for a late-night party in one of the stores. When the mall goes on lock-down before they can get out, the robot security system malfunctions, and goes on a killing spree.
IMDb
Director: Jim Wynorski Writer: Jim Wynorski, Steve Mitchell Special Effects: Robert Short (creator: Killbots) Selected Cast Kelli Maroney as Allison Parks Tony O'Dell as Ferdy Meisel Barbara Crampton as Suzie Lynn Nick Segal as Greg Williams Karrie Emerson as Linda Stanton Russell Todd as Rick Stanton Suzee Slater as Leslie Todd John Terlesky as Mike Brennan Paul Bartel as Paul Bland Mary Woronov as Mary Bland Angela Aames as Miss Vanders Dick Miller as Walter Paisley Angus Scrimm as Dr. Carrington (as Lawrence Guy) Gerrit Graham as Nessler, The Technician Mel Welles as Cook Jim Wynorski as Killbots (voice)
Jeff chose Chopping Mall based on connections to the 80s Grue-Crew’s last two episodes, namely Barbara Crampton, Kelli Maroney, Mary Woronov, and the Sherman Oaks Galleria. For him, the cast and the shout-outs to other horror movies are the best parts of Chopping Mall. Even though there’s no “chopping” taking place, it’s a fun flick.
Androids are more Crystal’s thing than killbots, but she still enjoys this entertaining movie. Does it go without saying that Barbara Crampton and Kelli Maroney are really cute in Chopping Mall? Yes, but it needs saying anyway and Crystal obliges. Chad likes the references and nods to other movies and the exploding head kill. In the end, he calls Chopping Mall pure Jim Wynorski cheese. Limburger cheese. After pausing for a discussion about Limburger cheese, Bill reveals that he doesn’t find the kind of robots found in Chopping Mall to be very scary. That being said, the film has a following and a lot of people have a kind of nostalgic fondness for it. And he loves the cameos by folks like Mary Woronov, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Mel Welles, and Gerrit Graham.
If you haven’t seen Chopping Mall for a while or you’re a big Chopping Mall fan, now might be a good time to make another trip to the mall. As of this writing, Chopping Mall is available to stream on Shudder and a variety of other subscription services or free streaming services with ads. It’s also available on physical media as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Vestron/Lionsgate.
Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Bill, will be Dreamscape (1984). Welcome to their nightmare!
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