Strange Behavior
Encyclopedia
Strange Behavior is a 1981 mystery horror film directed by Michael Laughlin
, written by Bill Condon
, and starring Michael Murphy
. It is a homage to the pulp horror films of the 1950s. The film was intended as the first installment of the Strange Trilogy which was cancelled after the second installment, Strange Invaders
, failed to attract a large enough audience.
are murdered, each apparently by a different killer. Local policeman John Brady (Murphy) investigates. The victims are sons of men who previously collaborated with John to investigate the unethical experiments of Galesburg University professor Dr Le Sange (Dignam), who was reportedly killed years previously but still gives lectures via old films. Le Sange's research is being continued by Gwen Parkinson (Lewis). Unbeknownst to John, Gwen has enlisted his son Pete (Shor) as a research subject. Gwen's "experiments" involve mind control
, turning the subject into a programmed killer. John, whose late wife had worked for Le Sange, becomes convinced that Le Sange is still alive and is waging a vendetta against those who wronged him.
, Marc McClure
, Scott Brady
, Charles Lane
, Beryl Te Wiata, Elizabeth Cheshire and Alma Woods. Screenwriter Bill Condon has a brief cameo as a teenager killed at the film's opening.
Though set in Illinois
, the film was shot in Auckland
, New Zealand
.
The Encyclopedia of Horror designates the film as a New Zealand film. It lists several of the similar productions of its Australia
n producer Antony I Ginnane and frequent collaborator David Hemmings
, who is Executive Producer of this film through the Hemdale Film Corporation
. The book opines that "Dead Kids must count as one of their most professional efforts."
theatrically in the United States
by World Northal in June 1981. The film was released on VHS
by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video.
The film was released twice on DVD
in the United States
. First by Elite Entertainment in 2003 and then by Synapse Films
in 2008.
. Also included are songs "The Ritz" and "Jumping Out a Window" by Pop Mechanix
, "Shivers" by The Birthday Party
, and "Lightnin' Strikes
" by Lou Christie
. "The Ritz" and "Lightnin' Strikes" are heard at a teenage costume party
during which characters (one of whom is enacted by Ngila Dickson
) spontaneously perform a synchronised dance routine to "Lightnin' Strikes".
Michael Laughlin
-Filmography:*The Whisperers *Joanna *Two-Lane Blacktop *Strange Behavior *Strange Invaders *Mesmerized...
, written by Bill Condon
Bill Condon
William "Bill" Condon is an American screenwriter and director. Condon is best known for directing and writing the critically acclaimed films Gods and Monsters, Chicago, Kinsey, and Dreamgirls. In 1998, Condon debuted as a screenwriter in Gods and Monsters, which won him his first Academy Award....
, and starring Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy (actor)
Michael George Murphy is an American film and television actor.-Career:Murphy played Woody Allen's duplicitous friend Yale in the film Manhattan...
. It is a homage to the pulp horror films of the 1950s. The film was intended as the first installment of the Strange Trilogy which was cancelled after the second installment, Strange Invaders
Strange Invaders
Strange Invaders is a spoof science-fiction film made in 1983, as a tribute to the 1950s films, but most notably The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It stars Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen and Diana Scarwid...
, failed to attract a large enough audience.
Plot
Several teenage boys in Galesburg, IllinoisGalesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
are murdered, each apparently by a different killer. Local policeman John Brady (Murphy) investigates. The victims are sons of men who previously collaborated with John to investigate the unethical experiments of Galesburg University professor Dr Le Sange (Dignam), who was reportedly killed years previously but still gives lectures via old films. Le Sange's research is being continued by Gwen Parkinson (Lewis). Unbeknownst to John, Gwen has enlisted his son Pete (Shor) as a research subject. Gwen's "experiments" involve mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
, turning the subject into a programmed killer. John, whose late wife had worked for Le Sange, becomes convinced that Le Sange is still alive and is waging a vendetta against those who wronged him.
Production
The supporting cast includes Dey YoungDey Young
Dey Young is an American actress and sculptor.Young was born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, the daughter of Pauline, a sociologist, and Donald E. Young. Her older sister is actress Leigh Taylor-Young; her brother Lance is a writer/director. She attended Kingswood School...
, Marc McClure
Marc McClure
Marc A. McClure is an American actor. McClure was born in San Mateo, California. He is not, despite a popular misconception, related to the late Doug McClure.-Superman film series:...
, Scott Brady
Scott Brady
Scott Brady was an American film and television actor.Born as Gerard Kenneth Tierney, he was the younger brother of fellow actor Lawrence Tierney. Brady served in the Navy during World War II, where he was a boxing champ...
, Charles Lane
Charles Lane (actor)
Charles Gerstle Levison , better known as Charles Lane, was an American character actor seen in many movies and TV shows, and at the time of his death may have been the oldest living professional American actor. Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including You Can't Take It With You , Mr...
, Beryl Te Wiata, Elizabeth Cheshire and Alma Woods. Screenwriter Bill Condon has a brief cameo as a teenager killed at the film's opening.
Though set in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, the film was shot in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
The Encyclopedia of Horror designates the film as a New Zealand film. It lists several of the similar productions of its Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n producer Antony I Ginnane and frequent collaborator David Hemmings
David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
, who is Executive Producer of this film through the Hemdale Film Corporation
Hemdale Film Corporation
Hemdale Film Corporation, known as Hemdale Communications after 1993, was an independent film production company and distributor founded in London in 1967 as the Hemdale Company by actor David Hemmings and his manager, John Daly. Hemdale was initially founded as a talent agency that helped launch...
. The book opines that "Dead Kids must count as one of their most professional efforts."
Release
The film was given a limited releaseLimited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
theatrically in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by World Northal in June 1981. The film was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
by RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video.
The film was released twice on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. First by Elite Entertainment in 2003 and then by Synapse Films
Synapse Films
Synapse Films is a DVD/Blu-ray label owned and operated by Don May, Jr. and his business partners Jerry Chandler and Charles Fiedler. The company specializes in cult horror, science fiction, and exploitation films....
in 2008.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features electronic music by Tangerine DreamTangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
. Also included are songs "The Ritz" and "Jumping Out a Window" by Pop Mechanix
Pop Mechanix
Pop Mechanix were a New Zealand pop band that played from 1979 - 1988.They had a number of high profile fans during the course of their career, notable championed by fellow NZ band Split Enz...
, "Shivers" by The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
, and "Lightnin' Strikes
Lightnin' Strikes
"Lightnin' Strikes" is a song written by Lou Christie and Twyla Herbert, and recorded by Christie on the MGM label. The song was arranged, conducted, and produced by Charles Calello and was recorded on September 3, 1965. The backup singers on the recording were Peggy Santiglia, Bernadette Carroll...
" by Lou Christie
Lou Christie
Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco , known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American singer-songwriter best known for three separate strings of pop hits in the 1960s , including his 1966 smash, "Lightnin' Strikes" and his incredible 3 octave vocal range.-Biography:Sacco was born in Glenwillard,...
. "The Ritz" and "Lightnin' Strikes" are heard at a teenage costume party
Costume party
A fancy dress party or a costume party , mainly in contemporary Western culture, is a type of party where guests dress up in a costume.-Fancy dress parties in Britain:...
during which characters (one of whom is enacted by Ngila Dickson
Ngila Dickson
Ngila Dickson, ONZM is a New Zealand film costume designer.Her most notable work is in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - both of which were filmed in New Zealand, as well as her years of work on Xena: Warrior Princess.She and...
) spontaneously perform a synchronised dance routine to "Lightnin' Strikes".