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With: Jill Schoelen, Tom Villard, Dee Wallace Stone, Derek Rydall, Elliot Hurst, Kelly Jo Minter, Malcolm Danare, Ray Walston, Tony Roberts
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Written by: "Tod Hackett" (a.k.a. Alan Ormsby), based on a story by Mitchell Smith
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Directed by: Mark Herrier
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MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, and some language
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Running Time: 91
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Date: 02/01/1991
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Kernel of an Idea
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
An early example of meta-horror, Popcorn (1991) isn't exactly perfect, but it's clever enough and with enough adoration for genre that's very much worth a look. Screenwriting student Maggie (Jill Schoelen) is suffering from nightmares, but journals everything she can remember in the hopes of writing a screenplay. A classmate gets the idea to raise money for the film department by putting on a triple-feature of old sci-fi and horror films, complete with William Castle-style gadgets. A film memorabilia man, Dr. Mnesyne (Ray Walston), is called in to provide things like a giant mosquito. At the dilapidated theater, Maggie finds a reel of film called Possessor that somehow resembles her nightmares. Additionally, a masked serial killer is (of course) on the loose! Dee Wallace co-stars as Maggie's mother, and Tony Roberts plays a film professor. Director Mark Herrier started as an actor, playing "Billy" in all three Porky's movies.
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