In Night of the Comet, everyone sisters Reggie and Sam know is turned to dust overnight, and they face a fight for survival against the zombie-like cannibals now stalking the streets.
But their real problem? Finding dates.
A science fiction, comedy, and horror film that ticks all three genre boxes, Night of the Comet was a hit on release and has endured as a cult favorite.
The movie is the vision of writer/director Thom Eberhardt (Captain Ron), who wanted to merge strong female leads with post-apocalyptic films.
When Eberhardt asked young girls how they would react to a world-changing catastrophe, they saw it as an adventure, only discouraged by the lack of dating options.
Carrying this buoyant spirit into the script, Eberhardt’s film breezes on with a lighthearted, fun-at-the-end-of-the-world mood.
But vibes can only take you so far in the sweepstakes of movies that get remembered.
While the film was a creative effort for Eberhardt, you can argue that it was a cash-in by the Studio, Atlantic Releasing Corporation — not always a mark of quality.
The Studio invested a low budget (around $700,000) to capitalize on the recent success of last year’s Valley Girl and oddball sci-fi romps like Repo Man.
So cash-in or writer/director’s passion project, is Night of the Comet a good movie?
The Plot of Night of the Comet:
When a comet passes Earth, it turns everyone to dust.
Well, almost everyone.
Sister survivors Regina “Reggie” Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart) and Samantha “Sam” Belmont (Kelli Maroney) manage to escape the comet’s effects.
Soon, they’re joined by fellow survivor Hector Gomez (Robert Beltran).
Can the trio survive the cannibal zombie people lurking outside?
Meanwhile, a team of researchers, led by Dr. Carter (Geoffrey Lewis) and including Audrey White (Mary Woronov), is searching for a cure for the comet’s effects.
The Rest of the Main Cast Includes:
- Sharon Farrell as Doris
- Peter Fox as Dr. Wilson
- John Achorn as Oscar
- Michael Bowen as Larry Dupree
- Devon Ericson as Minder
- Lissa Layng as Davenport
- Janice Kawaye as Sarah
- Chance Boyer as Brian
- Ivan E. Roth as Willy
- Dick Rude and Chris Pedersen as Stockboys
- Marc Poppel as Danny Mason Keener / DMK
- Stanley Brock as Mel, the movie theater manager
You can watch the trailer on ScreamFactoryTV Below
The Good Things:
This Party Time Introduction is Getting a Little Heavy, +1 Point
As crowds gather in the streets and neighborhood block parties rage, the film gets off to a hopping start. You know bad tidings are due; but, damn, these film extras do not.
The jubilation helps start the feel-good apocalypse tone.
Yet unlike the extras, the film is getting down to business, getting some solid character work done.
Reggie’s a babe, but you were expecting a bimbo.
And perhaps playing on those expectations, we’re introduced to Reggie with a long, sweeping take of the camera rising up her (very much clothed) legs. Instead of tangling or chewing her hair, we watch her obsessively try and wipe out whoever the hell “DMK” is from her stranglehold on the top ten scores of the movie theater’s arcade machine.
Then the movie does some dark shit. There’s little sister Sam, trading slaps to the face with her stepmother and then taking a straight right in the mouth.
This dysfunctional family breakdown could be the entire focus of another vehicle. Here, the abuse floats by as something to tell Daddy about when he gets back from his tour of duty – just like the affair evil step-mom is having with the neighbor.
Establishing the tone and the challenges of Reggie and Sam, it’s a breezy, well-written opening act.
Soundtrack, +1 Point
It seems a default praise to love a quirky 80s movie’s tunes. But unlike many cult favorites from the era, this soundtrack keeps the period’s authentic synthesizer/electronic noises but isn’t afraid of lyrics.
Chris Farren’s Whole World is Celebratin’ kicks us off, with tracks like Thom Pace’s Virgin in Love or John Townsend’s Strong Heart keeping us feeling good rather than dismaying about the breakdown of pretty much everything.
And there is, of course, Tami Holbrook’s rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” for a trip to the mall.
It’s a party, not a pity party, over what the girls have lost.
Performances, +3 Points
Catherine Mary Stewart combines beauty with determination as Reggie. She’s a soldier’s daughter with that hint of vulnerability around love interests – a restless rebel, perhaps unsure of the direction to rebel in.
Kelli Maroney crafts a little sister, Sam, who is much more to the valley girl stereotype, complete with a cheerleader’s uniform. But Sam is enjoyable because Maroney (and the writing) takes her into the whimsical over the ditzy, girlie but playfully witty.
And Robert Beltran (who Trekies will remember for his time on Star Trek: Voyager as Commander Chakotay) understatedly wields humor, grit, and gentlemanly vibes as Hector.
Capable Brats vs. the Defunct World, +2 Points
Reggie’s heroic female character is said to be an influence on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
And though ladies like Ripley (Aliens) are icons of the decade, the film belongs to a time when you would have expected a strong man like Hector to step in and save the women while they screamed in the corner.
Instead, they can bring a brand of valley girl one-liners to the action.
In the film’s best line, when her Mac-10 jams, Sam laments that “Daddy would have gotten us Uzis.”
And the girls have a winning sisters-like dynamic – bickering at times but having one another’s back.
(Clip Below on YouTube by ScreamFactoryTV)
Retro Effects, +1 Point
The film’s special effects are far from special by today’s standards.
But now that the film is viewed through the lens of a low-budget 80’s romp, the B-movie red tinge in the skyline and brick dust for the dead works.
Some makeup gives us the cannibals, and it’s all we need.
Sans the Template, +1 Point
Though this is a “light zombie movie,” as some reviewers put it, it doesn’t include the dead-has-risen, few-against-the-horde tropes.
For example, It’s not about walling yourself off. There’s a shopping mall but no glorified castle defense like 2004’s Dawn of the Dead remake (or 1978 original).
The girls stay in the city rather than try to cross a zombie-infested dystopia in search of safe ground.
There isn’t that one objector who you know will be a liability in this game of survival, putting the rest of the group at risk.
And it’s not about how societies break under stress.
Leaving behind these classic but overfished waters for drama benefits the film.
And though the movie has a few scary bits, it’s largely non-horrific, making it accessible to the non-horror fans.
The Not-as-Good Things:
Hello Out There? -4 Points
It seems odd to criticize a low-budget movie about an apocalyptic event where most everyone turns to dust as empty.
Still, at times, the film is aimless, without tension or direction.
We have a small group of survivors who have to dodge zombies, but we rarely encounter any trouble with those. For all we know, only about ten or twelve of them exist. The characters freely hang out during the day, not exactly looking over their shoulder.
Instead, the film relies on a dream sequence or two and a character’s side mission to add scares and immediate problems.
There’s also the girls’ shopping trip, which seems to bow to its premise rather than being a dramatic necessity of the movie. That event does help kick the movie into the third act, but it is out of happenstance.
While I understand the film is more of an apocalyptic hangout than a survival horror, it’s too content to meander. Until the final act, the girls lack a dramatic, immediate need or challenge propelling them forward.
Lackluster Action, -2 Points
Okay, okay – it doesn’t say “action” in the film’s genres I mentioned, does it? But If you’re going to write yourself a shootout and have a few action set pieces, I’d like a better delivery.
Reggie’s fight against a street crawler takes some POV cam to go scare-inducing but backs off quick. A gang of gun-wielding thugs aims to take the girls hostage, but it’s essentially two sides firing from behind cover and missing the target.
And the climax of the film is the characters wandering around a mazy, dimly lit compound.
The picture could have been more clever in these regards.
(Clip by ScreamFactoryTV)
Should I Watch Night of the Comet?
Total Arbitrary Points Score: 3 Points
Night of the Comet invites you to kick back and smile at the end of the world.
Its cast treats the material with earnest care, charming you into a niche science fiction/horror/comedy that gives out more joy than nightmares.
And with its likable, able female leads, the movie quietly stands out as a small piece of empowerment in an era where it was less common in leading roles.
Yet while the film has its following…I can’t say I’m gung-ho on the bandwagon.
The movie’s intriguing setup isn’t realized into a captivating story, and dramatic tension goes missing.
You remember those chocolate bunny rabbits you got as a kid at Easter? The film is like that: you bite into it, only to realize it’s hollow instead of satisfyingly thick with cocoa and sugar.
Still, many audiences have found delight here. So if you like the premise and enjoy films like Trancers, give it a shot.
And before we go: With its excellent setup and, for me, somewhat flawed execution, I had a thought that Night of the Comet would be ripe for a remake. And lo and behold, one may just be coming.
I look forward to seeing if it can up the polish while harnessing the spirit of the original.
Night of the Comet was directed by Thom Eberhardt.
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Disclaimer:
This review’s factual information was gathered through online sources, like Wikipedia, IMDB, or interviews. Misrepresentations and errors are possible but unintentional.
Making art is hard. This is a fan’s blog. Any criticisms are meant to be constructive.
