Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988)

Director:

John De Bello

Writers:

Stephen F. Andrich (writer)
John De Bello (writer)

Release Date:

13 October 1988 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It'll leave a bad paste in your mouth.

Plot:

Crazy old Professor Gangreen has developed a way to make tomatoes look human for a second invasion.

Plot Keywords:

Mad Scientist | Pizza | Tomato | The End? Title Card | Laboratory

Cast

Michael Villani	...	Bob Downs (as Mike Villani)
Harvey Weber	...	Sid
John Astin	...	Prof. Gangreen
Karen M. Waldron	...	Tara Boumdeay (as Karen Mistal)
J. Stephen Peace	...	Wilbur Finletter (as Rock Peace)
Anthony Starke	...	Chad Finletter
John De Bello	...	Charles White
George Clooney	...	Matt Stevens
Gordon Howard	...	Pizza customer
Rick Rockwell	...	Jim Richardson / Tomato dealer
Costa Dillon	...	Prison guard / Man in parking lot / SAG representative / Product placement customer / Reporter (as C.J. 'Clark' Dillon)
Steve Lundquist	...	Igor
Mark Wenzel	...	Mime
Spike Sorrentino	...	Store owner
Devlin	...	Shopper

Also Known As:

Return of the Killer Tomatoes: The Sequel (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

98 min | UK:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Chula Vista, California, USA

Company:

Four Square Productions

Trivia:

At the end of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! (1978), the beginnings of a carrot uprising are seen. At the end of this film, two carrots with machine guns grace the final scene of the film. This continued through the rest of the series.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Chad is talking to the tomato, the clock reads 1:52 am. The scene cuts to a close up of the Fuzzy Tomato and the clock reads 2:10 am. Then, it goes back to a shot of Chad talking to the tomato and the clock is at 1:53 am. The very end of the scene, the clock now reads 2:13 am.

Quotes:

Shopper: Valerian root powder!

Movie Connections:

References Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)

Cult Classic Continues...

...excuse the excessive alliteration. A sequel (of sorts, though they change the entire plot) to the original "Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes," this film absolutely screams "80's"...the music especially. That said, sure, it's silly, it's plot-deficient, it's over-acted...but it's SUPPOSED to be! The movie constantly makes fun of itself as it runs. ("Hey, has there been a chase scene in this movie yet?")

A young, big-haired George Clooney delivers dozens of one-liners perfectly [this is not a big surprise, actually], the visual jokes are a riot (the overdone "product placement" is brilliant, especially considering its juxtaposition with the completely silly "fight scene" featuring cowboys, ninjas, bikers, and a really bad impersonation of Muamar Ghadafi), John Astin's totally-over-the-top "evil doctor" character is so deliberately bad it's good, the little sideline parodies are excellent (Oliver North Federal Prison? Full Contact America's Cup Yachting?)...good stuff all around.

Oh yes, and it's also one of the very few films to feature the gorgeous Karen Mistal. (I've spent some time trying to figure out what she supposedly did with a lawnchair, six milk bottles, and a tuning fork...)

It also features a quick cameo by lingerie-clad Teri Weigel, who went on to star in quite a few other movies...though most of them aren't exactly rated "PG," if you catch my drift.