Lunatic (1991)

If "Lunatic" has a plot, it is this: Male serial killer meets female serial killer who is copying his "style" -- and they don't live happily ever after.

"Lunatic" is not really a horror movie - more of a gore flick. There isn't really much suspense or many (if any) scary moments in the film, but there is plenty of bloody stabbings, dismemberments, and female bodies in various stages of undress. If that sounds interesting, read on.

A New Jersey serial killer, known as "Big Al" (because he carves that name into his victims after killing them) is played by Michael Boland, an actor who apparently never did another project after this one. Judging by IMDB data, that appears to be the fate of most of the cast of this ultra low budget film. However, the director, Mark Alfrey made a decent career for himself doing makeup and special effects for TV shows and films like "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back", and "Men in Black". That probably explains why the special effects here do stand out.

Speaking of IMDB, they list the date of this film as 1999, but that can't be right. The copyright date during the ending credits says 1991, and even that seems too recent. The dated hairstyles in this film look like early to mid 1980's. Also, there is a kid in the movie playing with a Simon. Don't remember Simon? It was an electronic memory toy released in the late 70's, which got big in the 80's. The slogan on the TV commercials was the memorable, "Simon's a computer, Simon has a brain, you either do what Simon says or else go down the drain." Someone should make a movie about an evil Simon game killing people!

Hair and fashion are truly two of the high points of "Lunatic" - that and the New Jersey accents. If you want to see what real 1980's fashion looked like, skip "The Wedding Singer" or any of those other retro-glamorizing kiddy fantasies and take a long hard look at the characters in "Lunatic".

Some of the dialogue in this movie is so brilliant that it's hard to explain. There is a scene in a car where the two main characters (the serial killer couple) are having a discussion about music. He doesn't care about it, she does. I hate to spoil the scene, but by the end of the car ride, she's singing Eagles songs to him acapella. It's even better than you imagine it.

Here is a sample of "Lunatic" dialogue from the early climactic scene where the two serial killers first meet. He (Big Al) walks in on her (Bunny) carving up a corpse in a bathtub:

Big Al: What's your name?
Bunny: Bunny.
Big Al: Bunny?
Bunny: Yeah. Wow, this is amazing. Like, what a coincidence.
Big Al: Yeah, it really is.
Bunny: Let's go get a drink.
Big Al: Us, together?
Bunny: Sure, let's go.
Big Al: Go where, a bar?
Bunny: Yeah.
Big Al: Alright let's go.
Bunny: Ok man, let's go.
Big Al: Let's go.

Seeing it in print doesn't really do justice to the lines. The delivery by the actors (in their New Jersey street accents) is much of the fun of this film.

Besides all of the great fashion and dialogue, there is some pretty decent gore in the film. It's not really believable gore, but they put some work into the numerous killings. Various body parts are removed from people, both living and dead, hatchets and knives are used, and blood flows freely. While most of the violence seems directed at mostly attractive (for the time) undressed women (full frontal), there are a few guys killed. In one memorable scene, the female killer graphically removes one of the male victim's organs and then puts it in a bag to take home. The male organ in question shall remain unnamed, as not to spoil the surprise.

The thin plot of "Lunatic" suffers from the lack of opposition to the main characters. Had they added a police detective on the killers trail or, as a Giallo writer might have done, a relative of one of the victims seeking revenge, it could have added some suspense to the story. Without anyone chasing them, and with incredibly pathetic victims who seem unwilling to fight back, the movie mostly just moves from one killing to the next to the next.

If you like fake blood, 80's hairstyles, crazy dialogue, and cute-enough girls, "Lunatic" is ok. But there are plenty of other movies out there than can give you all of that and a bit of suspense thrown in as well. This movie is recommended for fans of cheesy low budget gore. If you know what you're getting into, this is an enjoyable movie for genre fans. If you're looking for a film with Hollywood production values, a solid plot, or believable characters brought to life by top actors working with a good script, you should probably look elsewhere.