Disturbing Behavior (1998)

Director:

David Nutter

Writer (WGA):

Scott Rosenberg (written by)

Release Date:

24 July 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Perfection is every teenage student's co-pilot.

Plot:

The new kid in town stumbles across something sinister about the town's method of transforming its unruly teens into upstanding citizens.

Plot Keywords:

High School | Jock | Jacket | Albino | Teen

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

James Marsden	...	Steve Clark
Katie Holmes	...	Rachel Wagner
Tobias Mehler	...	Andy Effkin
Nick Stahl	...	Gavin Strick
Steve Railsback	...	Officer Cox
Bruce Greenwood	...	Dr. Edgar Caldicott
Katharine Isabelle	...	Lindsay Clark
William Sadler	...	Dorian Newberry
Ethan Embry	...	Allen Clark
Terry David Mulligan	...	Nathan Clark
Susan Hogan	...	Cynthia Clark
A.J. Buckley	...	Charles 'Chug' Roman
Robert Moloney	...	Ferry Guy
Derek Hamilton	...	Trent Whalen
Dan Zukovic	...	Mr. Rooney

Also Known As:

Disturbing Behaviour (UK)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, sexuality, language, and drug content.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:R (No. 35786) | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (cut) | Germany:18 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Australia:M | Belgium:KNT | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | France:U | Norway:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The personifications of good and evil in the town are named Newberry and Caldicott, which happen to be the names of the two prestigious book prizes awarded by the American Library Association for Excellence in Children's Books (one for novels and one for picture books).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Gavin leaves the building after seeing his parents want him go join the club. He is walking on a log and talking but his mouth does not move.

Quotes:

Dorian Newberry: Hey, teacher, leave them kids alone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Frightening (2002)

Soundtrack:

Hello

It's not disturbing

After his family moves into town, Steve starts to notice that there are some bizarre kids at school - pretty much always friendly and smiling... unless they are in a blind fit of blood thirsty rage... When one of his stoner friends, who said that the group is evil, joins it seemingly out of the blue, Steve suspects foul play. Soon, a secret that is only mildly disturbing is uncovered.

This film would have fared much better if it were a TV episode and seeing that a TV director is responsible for this film we can see it is so mediocre. The decent premise, perfect for an X-Files episode, is stretched out over an hour and twenty minutes (pretty short for a movie) and the good moments are far in between if apparent at all. The highlight of the film would have to be the admittedly intriguing premise, but the way it is presented is just poor. The DVD has 11 deleted scenes and the director could really have cut more off to make a tighter and story, which like mentioned before, could have fared well on the X-Files. Even the atmosphere and cinematography resembles the hit show.

Also the film lacks the element of visceral metaphor (thriller director David Croneberg's specialty) and the conclusion to it all is just laughable and contrived. 2/10

Rated R for grim and violent content