Chopping Mall (1986)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Jim Wynorski

Writers:

Steve Mitchell (writer)
Jim Wynorski (writer)

Release Date:

21 March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Where shopping can cost you an arm and a leg.

Plot:

Eight teenagers are trapped after hours in a high tech shopping mall and pursued by three murderous security robots out of control.

Plot Keywords:

Mall | Shopping Mall | Blood | Splatter | Person On Fire

Cast

Kelli Maroney	...	Alison Parks
Tony O'Dell	...	Ferdy Meisel
Russell Todd	...	Rick Stanton
Karrie Emerson	...	Linda Stanton
Barbara Crampton	...	Suzie Lynn
Nick Segal	...	Greg Williams
John Terlesky	...	Mike Brennan
Suzee Slater	...	Leslie Todd
Paul Bartel	...	Paul Bland
Mary Woronov	...	Mary Bland
Dick Miller	...	Walter Paisley
Gerrit Graham	...	Technician Nessler
Mel Welles	...	Cook
Angela Aames	...	Miss Vanders
Paul Coufos	...	Dr. Simon

Also Known As:

Killbots (USA) (theatrical title)
R.O.B.O.T. (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

77 min | UK:73 min (DVD) | Belgium:81 min (video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Belgium:16 (video rating) | Italy:VM18 (VHS rating) | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Center - 8500 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Concorde Pictures

Trivia:

Cameo: [Paul Bartel]the same character he played in Eating Raoul (1982), another Roger Corman production.

Goofs:

Continuity: Suzie is killed when one of the robots blows up a gasoline can in her hand with a laser. Yet, when we see Suzie's burning body, the gasoline can is still intact.

Quotes:

Mike: Smoking's bad for your health.
Leslie: I have to have a cigarette, and I have to have one now!
Mike: [rubs her leg] Are you for real? Can't you think of anything you'd rather have.
Leslie: [shoves him away] No!

Movie Connections:

References The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Attention shoppers...run for your life!

The executives at a shopping mall unveil their new high-tech method of detaining burglars - three guard robots, which go berserk and decide killing people is better than detaining them, after an electrical storm has messed up the computer controlling the robots. The mechanical goons proceed to annihilate the four horny young couples holding an after-hours party in the furniture store.

Filmed in the Galleria in California, "Chopping Mall" (originally titled "Killbots") is not a particularly great film, but is actually fairly entertaining for a simple little low budget B picture. Overseen by Roger Corman's company Concorde, the picture sets up some amusing cameos by cult actors Dick Miller (re-using the name Walter Paisley once again) and Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel (they play the same couple that they did in "Eating Raoul"). There are also in-jokes and a good electronic music score. Effects are about as good as they could have been for a low budget.

One of the better things about "Chopping Mall" is a short running time (77 minutes). It doesn't waste time; it just keeps moving.

Although "Chopping Mall" does not exactly compare to "Dawn of the Dead" (the previous film that I reviewed at IMDb, incidentally) I can't ignore the similarities. "Chopping Mall" certainly isn't as smart, but it does seem to be taking its own jabs at American mall culture.

I suppose some people could see it as just another variation on a slasher movie formula, with the robots standing in for your standard-issue psychotic killer, but I got more enjoyment out of "Chopping Mall" than I've gotten out of some slasher films.

7/10