Saturday, February 26, 2022

freakboy on film: PANDEMONIUM (1982)

 

The Fourth So Bad It's Good Blogathon, hosted by Rebecca of TAKING UP ROOM.  , February 26-28, 2022

This post is part of The Fourth So Bad It's Good Blogathon, hosted by Rebecca of TAKING UP ROOM.  Be sure to check out the other wonderfully wacky and weird posts! 🤓 


Pandemonium blu-ray

Welcome to Bambi’s Summer Cheerleading Camp! 


A building with a lopsided sign reading, Bambi’s Summer Cheerleading Camp!

FACILITIES

You will be trained to be a leader who cheers on the same field where local football hero Blue Grange (Tab Hunter) won the big game and where a group of snotty cheerleaders were skewered to death.  You will also have access to a state of the art gymnasium where exploding pom-poms and other unusual accidents have claimed the lives of numerous cheerleaders over the years.  Yes, the campus, with its endless opportunities and colorful history, will be your ideal home away from home.


Several cheerleaders and vegetable props on a skewer

FACULTY

You will train alongside Bambi (Candice Azzara), a professional cheerleader who refuses to close the camp despite its history of death and dismemberment.  


Bambi showing off her cheerleading skills

The inside of your megaphone will be cleaned and your body parts will be swept up by Pepe (David L. Lander), the maintenance man.  If you need to place a curse, shatter a mirror or simply require some extra fog, call upon Pepe’s spooky mother Salt (Izabella Telezynska).  


Pepe and Salt

As a bonus, prepare yourself for culinary delights from a world-renowned French chef.  


STUDENTS

Once you’ve settled in and have changed into your sharp outfit, you will meet your fellow cheerleaders-in-training.  There’s Carrie, uh, that should be…Candy (Carol Kane), an innocent girl with a fanatical mother  (Eileen Brennan) and the power of telekinesis.  There’s Mandy (Teri Landrum), the perfect, dental-obsessed blond from a ready-for-television family.  There’s Sandy (Debralee Scott), a vainglorious young woman whose superficiality is matched only by her sarcasm.  There’s Andy (Miles Chapin) and Randy (Marc McClure), a couple of oversexed young men so prevalent in the 1980’s.  Oh, there’s also Glenn…Glenn Dandy (Judge Reinhold), who may be one of the only examples of a dumb male blond you will ever meet. 


The students relaxing after cheerleading practice

FREE TIME

After a hard day of training to become a cheerleader and not being murdered, you may visit nearby attractions.  Warden June (Eve Arden) will happily give you a tour of the local prison and introduce you to new and interesting friends to become pen-pals with once the summer is over.  


Warden June is all tied up

Dr, Fuller (Gary Allen) offers shock and other cutting edge treatments at the asylum if the stress of becoming a cheerleader proves too much for you.


However you choose to spend your free time, remember curfew is at 10 p.m. sharp. 


SECURITY

If you’re worried a convict from the prison or an asylum inmate has escaped, just call the local law enforcement.  Sgt. Reginald Cooper (Tom Smothers), a Canadian Mountie transplanted to the U.S. is here to serve and protect with the help of his steady steed Bob and a somewhat unhinged sidekick Johnson (Paul Reubens). 


Sgt. Cooper watches as Johnson and Bob the horse yell at each other.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Writers Jaime Barton Klein & Richard Whitley and Director Alfred Sole will keep your time at Bambi’s Summer Cheerleading Camp moving at a steady pace.  They provide visual and very quotable verbal humor to entertain and amuse.  Not a single drop of blood is seen but they make sure a couple of deaths will somewhat disturb you even as you laugh. 


The cast really throw themselves into their roles, especially the women.  Candice Azzara, Carol Kane, Debralee Scott and Teri Landrum create fun and memorable characters.  Even in smaller roles, Eve Arden and Eileen Brennan really shine hilariously bright.  Though I must add that Paul Reubens steals every scene, especially when dealing with Johnson’s contentious relationship with Bob the horse.    


Candy’s mom tries to convince her daughter to come home
I didn’t raise you to be a cheerleader.

IN CONCLUSION

Deep down, I know this horror spoof is not a good movie.  The script is ridiculous.  The budget is low.  The acting probably didn’t win any awards.  However, I love PANDEMONIUM!  I watched it a lot on HBO when I was a kid and its delusional mayhem may have seriously influenced my sense of humor.  So, much like MYRA BRECKINRIDGE, my previous So Bad It’s Good contribution, I hesitate to call PANDEMONIUM bad.  


Pandemonium, alternate blu-ray cover

So, grab what dandy candy that’s handy and sit back for a nutty film that is definitely not for everyone.  


SIDE NOTE…

You can  find PANDEMONIUM on You Tube (which is where I got most of the low quality screenshots) and on  Vinegar Syndrome blu-ray.


Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 


Freak Out, 

JLH 


P.S. my blog serial is coming to an end in a few days, so now is a good time to catch-up or to see what you’ve been missing…


https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2021/08/haunting-sturgeons-prologue.html


Haunting sturgeons, by john L. Harmon


14 comments:

  1. This sounds too goofy to pass up. As Gill already stated, what a cast - all this, and Paul Reubens too! Fun review, John!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm honestly surprised that you haven't already seen this one, barry!

      Delete
  2. This sounds like a very early forerunner of the Scary Movie franchise, especially the send-up of Carrie with Carol Kane and Eileen Brennan -- I'm imagining that alone is worth the price of admission (which I guess is your time, since it's free on Youtube...) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suppose there's similarities between pandemonium and the scary movie franchise.

      Oh, and you're right, Carol Kane and Eileen Brennan are totally worth it. So is Paul reubens too🤓

      Delete
  3. Fun article, John. I've never even heard of this one. It sounds....well, bizarre. Eileen Brennan is one of those actresses that turned up from time to time and always gave funny performances. I don't feel like she ever received the credit she deserved.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, michael!
      I'm glad I could put pandemonium on your radar because it's worth watching!

      Eileen Brennan is tragically not in it much, but she is perfection anyway! I agree, she never got the credit she deserved for her performances.

      Delete
  4. Wow...Eve Arden as a prison warden? Yipe. I like that you presented this like a commercial--it's very entertaining. Thanks again for joining the blogathon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!
      Eve Arden is one of many reasons to watch this crazy film!

      Delete
  5. Uhhh...that cast is amazing!

    ReplyDelete