80's Teen Movies :: the classic, the obscure & everything in between: party

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The Midnight Hour [1985]

"They thought vampires were a joke!"

It's the final day of school before the big October 31st bash at the old Cavender house. Resident brain Phil Grenville (Lee Montgomery) - who is patently good-looking even while donning the geeky specs - is preparing his class report on, rather appropriately, Halloween. The ghoulish holiday of All Hallow's Eve holds more significance to the townsfolk of Pitchford - or Pitchfork - Cove than your usual sleepy American town, Phil explains. Three hundred years ago to the day, one of the most powerful witches who ever lived - Lucinda Cavender - brought a terrible curse upon the town, releasing "all of the legendary demons of hell" and bringing "the dead with unfinished business back from the grave". And it was Phil's very own great-great-great-great grandfather, known as the Witch Hunter General, who put a stop to the madness, hanging the witch in the town square just hours later. But it isn't only Phil with intriguing ancestors. Classmate Melissa (Shari Belfonte) happens to be the great-granddaughter of Lucinda herself. If that doesn't sound like trouble enough then just you wait..

When Melissa, Phil and their friends Mitch (Peter DeLuise), Mary (Dedee Pfieffer) and Vinnie (LeVar Burton) learn that the town's Witchcraft Museum houses the authentic period outfits that once belonged to Lucinda and the Witch Hunter, they set about making them theirs for the costume party. Grabbing handfuls of artifacts from the museum's dusty old basement, the teenagers head over to the local cemetery, where they try on their newly-stolen costumes and rummage through the old trunk they found. Inside, they discover an ancient scroll, and without thinking twice read aloud the three hundred-year old curse. "Life to the dead, Death to the living. Demons arise". As the wind howls through the graveyard, the kids make a run for it, oblivious to the trail of destruction they've left behind. The ground writhes, the tombstones shake.. and within minutes the dead have exploded (and I mean exploded) from their graves.

As the annual Cavender house party begins to liven up, zombies, werewolves, and witch-turned-vampire Lucinda undertake in turning the town upside down, transforming the residents of Pitchford Cove into an army of the undead. But as the rotting corpses arrive at the party, nobody bats an eyelid - except for those who compliment the zombies on their impressive costumes! Meanwhile Phil is busy feeling rejected by Mary, who doesn't seem to even know he's alive. It is when Lucinda arrives that events really take a turn for the worst, as Melissa falls foul of her great-grandmother's sinister intentions and has the blood drained from her neck down in the wine cellar in a very creepy slow-mo scene set to The Smith's How Soon Is Now. The downfall begins here for the party guests..

Elsewhere, Phil has left the Cavender house and it seems that he isn't the only one feeling down when he notices a sullen-faced cheerleader (who he had briefly met earlier that evening) named Sandy sitting alone in the town square. When he stops to ask what's wrong, the somewhat mysterious but pretty girl replies; "everything". She explains that nothing in the town is as it used to be and Phil - who seems even more confused than the troubled girl - tries his hand at comforting her. They go for a drive and Sandy suggests they stop by the malt shop for a chocolate ice-cream soda, again baffling poor Phil, who follows Sandy's directions which lead them not to a malt shop, but a movie theatre. "Who would've believed it", the cheerleader says. "Five movie theatres crammed into what used to be the malt shop". Further puzzled, Phil wonders when on earth the girl could have possibly lived in Pitchford Cove - for all he remembers there was never a malt shop in the town. They share a dance instead and Sandy proposes they drive to the supposedly "hoppin'" Lookout Point. The romantic interlude is interrupted when the car is attacked by a wolf.. a werewolf.

Being Halloween, the police are having none of it. Phil, whose suit was shredded in the attack, pleads with the cynical officers who discuss the night's reports of zombies; husbands transforming into bats; the museum break-in and the vandalism of the graveyard. "Werewolves, zombies, vampires and little green men add up to.. lets all have fun with the cops. I got your report. Happy Halloween". It is then up to Phil and Sandy to somehow reverse the ancient curse and send the roaming evil back to where they came from. But before the night is through Phil will finally discover what makes Sandy such a curious girl.

VERDICT: ★★★★

The Midnight Hour is one of the most enjoyable made-for-television movies of all time, not to mention one of the greatest films to watch during the Halloween season. It perfectly encapsulates everything that is brilliant about the time of year: fun, mystery and fright. It has a nice familiarity too - reminding you of when you were a kid and dreamed of having an awesome adventure with your friends - very similar to the feeling you get when watching The Goonies. The film rests on the very fine line of being suitable for both adults and children and this is a rare thing for Halloween-set movies. Nobody is sliced-and-diced and we aren't bombarded with boobs, and while there are mildly sexual situations and some genuinely frightening moments (which would decidedly scare the crap out of a younger child), the film expertly spans across the age groups. From the tongue-in-cheek and madly misplaced Thriller-like dance routine to the ghastly sight of unfortunate victims being pounded on the head with rocks(!), there is something to entertain everyone, and is anything but tame for a television movie. Not forgetting the romance between Phil and Sandy, doomed from the word go and enough to tug on even the least sentimental of heartstrings.

Phil is your classic antihero; the geek, the nerd, the nobody. It just seems typical for this poor lad - who has just fallen in love and saved the world in the process (WAY TO GO PHIL!) - to discover that this incredible girl is actually one of the undead. You can't help but feel sympathetic towards the guy as he watches Sandy and the rest of her kind disappear into thin air, leaving him with only a memory of the night's unbelievable events - a memory only he can argue ever happened.

The Midnight Hour is the crème de la crème of Halloween flicks and will make you love the season even more than you already do.

IMAGES/VIDEOS: [movie clip]

SOUNDTRACK:

01. Clap For The Wolfman - The Guess Who
02. The Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett
03. Sea of Love - Phil Phillips
04. How Soon Is Now - The Smiths
05. Devil or Angel - Bobby Vee
06. Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
07. Little Red Riding Hood - Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs
08. Get Dead - Shari Belafonte
09. Mama Told Me Not To Come - Three Dog Night
10. Sea Of Love - Del Shannon

Hot Resort [1985]

"Where anything you want is everything you get"

The fat kid, the nerd, the wannabe comedian and the cool kid who travels with only a suitcase full of rubber johnnies. For the next 90 minutes, the mayhem and mischief is on them, as they begin their summer jobs at a luxury Caribbean beach resort. Cut to the pudgy and dis-likable owner of Royal St. Kitts and his scary managerial sidekick, who are ready to enforce a "maximum discipline" regime upon the new staff. With only one thing on their minds, the lads are unimpressed when they are descended upon by the raging manager, Mr Martin, who orders them to put their little peckers on hold or face the consequences. The idea of not getting laid for the entire summer isn't well-received. "Weren't you in a movie with Fay Wray?!", the kids joke.

Among the first guests to arrive are a wacky elderly couple, a sex-crazed guy and gal who are busy bonking in every scene we see them in, a couple of good-looking broads, and lastly (and most ghastly!), a busload of preppies from Ramsey college rowing squad. Calling themselves "The Typhoons", the repulsively snooty team get a taste of their own medicine when the lads on staff are required to move their luggage upstairs.. And move it they do - right over the balcony! And so begins a long-running war between the Ramsey college rats and our four central characters.

Marty (Tom Parsekian), contraception king is thrilled when he delivers room service to the two lovelies he'd met earlier in the day, and straight away has eyes for Liza, the brunette, and leaves the suite betting 20 bucks with geek of the gang, Kenny, that he can score. He soon learns that he isn't the only one after Liza, and the competition for her heart is on between him and leader of the Ramsey preps. And Marty is off to a bad start when Lizas' best friend Franny is eager to hook up with the rowing team.

Much to his surprise, the first to get lucky is chubby, happy-go-lucky Chuck (Dan Schneider) who is pounced on by the hot-to-trot hotel cleaner. Meanwhile, Marty spots Liza and Franny by the pool and lays on the charm, and it seems to be working a treat, until two pompous Ramsey idiots crash the scene. Their ego-trip ends in defeat when they shove Marty into the water and in a quick-thinking act of revenge he grabs the college morons and yanks them in too! When news of the incident gets back to the wrathful Mr Martin, he has plenty to lecture Marty about - after all, the rowing squad are the most filthy-rich of all the guests at St. Kitts.. and you know.. "the guests are always right". Overworked and unhappy, wisecracking Brad (Bronson Pinchot) is sacked on the spot when arguing the innocence of his friend. Lead by Marty - who has had it up to here with the whole shebang - the entire summer staff throw two fingers up to Mr Martin and quit.

Before long the hotel is overrun. With no other option, the guys are all given their jobs back.. But the terms are different this time around. A film crew who have chosen the resort as the setting for their tacky soup commercial are in need of a rival team to race the Typhoons, offering the summer staff a whopping 200 bucks a pop for rowing. That leaves Mr Martin to whip the guys into shape - and he's about to make it his personal goal to kick the asses of each and every upper class Ramsey bonehead. Marty has other ideas.. and they're unfolding well as he and Liza finally get closer.

Before the race gets underway, there is one final crazy escapade in store for Marty, Chuck, Brad and Kenny, as they're sent off on a "babysitting" mission.. Although it isn't kids they're looking after - but a dirty old pensioner, who sends them cruising for chicks in his classy automobile! Naturally, they succeed in scooping four sunbathing beauties, ditch the old man, and drop in at the hottest party on the island.

Can they make it back in one piece and smash the over-inflated egos of the Ramsey Typhoons? Will Marty and Liza hook up? And will that randy couple puh-lease put some clothes on?!

VERDICT: ★★

Hot Resort! Finally Cannon churn out a movie - albeit a bad one - that isn't entirely nonsensical! The subject is well-worn, the gags are few and far between, and all the sun in the Caribbean couldn't make the movie any less dull.. That said, it could be much worse. It also teaches you how to smuggle through customs a "grass skirt" made of joints. Ingenious huh? So we've got to give it at least a little bit of credit.

The movie never reaches the same level of zany crudeness as, say, Summer Job, but follows the same basic set up. If it was somehow pulled off in a less drab of a manner - take out the god damn soup commercial subplot and the bizarre, unnecessary appearance by Frank Gorshin, you'd be left with a good old fashioned tale of good guys beating the bad guys and the guy getting the girl. It could be better, it could be worse, but memorable? No dice!

IMAGES/VIDEOS: [trailer]

SOUNDTRACK:

Nothing joyous to speak of, and we all know how essential it is for beach movies to have rockin' soundtracks! Another aspect that unfortunately lets this flick down.

1. Obsession - Dave Powell
2. Body Shop - Dave Powell
3. Love Bites - Dave Powell
4. Welcome to the Party - Dave Powell
5. Get Me to the Show on Time - Dave Powell
6. She Don't Know Me - Ken Brown

Senior Week [1987]

"The best week of your life."

Everett (Michael St. Gerard) has a problem: Senior Week. The seven days of carefree capers and non-stop party madness before graduation. To all the other kids at school, this is the event of the year. But Everett is in trouble, in debt. Not money, but a term paper. And without it, grizzly Miss Bagley is on a mission to bring his graduation to a grinding halt. Things are so bad that Everett is even having nightmares about naked chicks laughing at his misfortune. So much for wet dreams! As little as he wants to fail school, the week of debauchery is calling his name. But, being the sensible student that he is, makes the decision to get himself out of the doghouse and complete the term paper.. So, he kidnaps the school nerd and holds him hostage!

Persuading geeky Jody to write the paper in return for a week of partying with him and his two best buds Jamie and Kevin, Everett and the guys pile into the car and spend the night road trippin' to the Sunshine State. Meanwhile, upon hearing of their departure, a fuming Miss Bagley as well as Jamies' jealous girlfriend Tracy hatch plans to locate the guys and give them a piece of their mind.

Checking into the only available ten dollar sleazeball motel, order of business for Everett and the boys is to first hit the sands and hunt for as many scantily clad beach babes as they can lay their hands on. A night of strip poker, arcades and nightclubs await, followed by a true genre staple: the dirty dream sequence! A dozen topless imaginary bimbos later and it is back to reality for our protagonists, one of which is astonished to find his ill-tempered girlfriend on the doorstep, bitter from his club antics involving another broad. Meanwhile, Everett and Kevin have a comical run-in with the owners of a local grease joint, with bloodcurdling Miss Bagley hot on their tail.

Back at the motel, frustrated Jody - who is still caught up writing the English paper - blows his top and confronts Everett. "You said you'd bring me back a girl. You told me that yesterday before you went to the beach, you told me that last night before you went out, and you told me that again today. What about our deal, huh? Look, you brought me down here, and all I do is sit at that table and write YOUR term paper!.. That's it! I've had enough!". And with that, he abandons both the paper and the lads and before long happens upon a girl of his own, who is none other than Tracys' goofy cousin; Debbie Sue. To Everett, Kevin and Jamies' surprise, they later find the two in a bath full of whipped cream!

In the shadow of being "cheated on", Tracy sets out to boost her self esteem and bag a new guy, only making things worse when the one who shows an interest in her is unveiled as a complete douche. Luckily, Everett and the guys come to her rescue and realizing how she still has eyes for Jamie, they get back together. But there are further complications to come! Chaos ensues as the gang are at long last pounced on by ferocious Miss Bagley, who demands the overdue term paper there and then. As the essay is about to be turned over, Everett runs into trouble with the douchebag who had earlier tried it on with Tracy. The paper is stolen, and it is a race to the finish as the bad guys are chased across the beach in dune buggies. Of course, the movie doesn't end without Everett bagging a gorgeous babe and making it to graduation in the nick of time. Go to hell Miss beastly Bagley!

VERDICT: ★★

There are some movies that sink below the bottom of the barrel, and intended to from the word go. Such is the case with Senior Week - the embodiment of "USA Up All Night" in the eighties. As for the tag line "the best week of your life" - well, that's exactly how long it felt watching this movie. Calling it "the best" is another matter entirely.

Slating Senior Week for what it is is impossible. The reason being that it never did anything wrong (or should that be right?!) in the first place. It was meant to be a no-brainer movie, full of gratuitous boobies, atrociously acted characters and bad dialogue. It was supposed to fall at the wayside. And, well. It ticks all of those boxes. And for that, ladies and gentlemen, Senior Week deserves an A+. Back in the real world it deserves burning. But here, in the kingdom of the substandard, we'll soak up the Florida sunshine, laugh at the mediocrity, and throw it a couple of stars.

PICTURES/VIDEOS: [movie clip]

SOUNDTRACK:

1. Your Picture - Buzzy King
2. Baby Talk - The Laurels
3. Feel Like Jumping - William Orbit
4. Tears in My Beer - Brent Maglia
5. Bustin ' Surfboards - The Bongo Teens
6. Anxious Moments - Merlin Moran
7. Made in America - French Lick
8. I Got The Feelin' - The Walters
9. Without You - Nocera
10. Big Band B-Boy - Mantronix
11. Dance With Me - Lords of the New Church
12. Surfin' Bongos - The Bongo Teens
13. Beautiful Women - Albatross
14. Back To Burn - T. La Rock
15. White Night - Torch Song featuring William Orbit
16. Hard Core Hip-Hop - Mantronix
17. A Night Out - Urban Blight
18. All My Love - Nocera
19. In The Summertime - Beat Rodeo
20. She's The Girl That I Love - Goldmania
21. Ju Ju Hand - Sam The Sham and The Pharoahs
22. Bongo Bongo Bongo - Preston Epps

Party Camp [1987]

"Party Camp.. the best thing about summer since the bikini."

Jerry Riviera has it all; the looks, the perfect job and the perfect girl - or so he wishes. He spends his days drooling over camp girl Heather Morris, and decides to take up a job as a counsellor at Camp Chipmunk in an attempt to have a summer of fun with her.

It's on the bus ride to camp that Jerry meets D.A. (Billy Jacoby - Terry's sex obsessed brother from Just One of the Guys) and the two decide to hang out. We're then introduced to Jewel Shepard's character, brainless Dyanne Stein, who Jerry tries - and fails - to chat up.

It's less than fun and games when the kids arrive and find that it isn't much more than a strict military training camp - with no alcohol, cigarettes, partying or fun allowed. However, Jerry is determined to transform the camp into one wild party and doesn't take no for an answer.

The camp is then divided into groups, and Jerry is lumbered with the so-called nerds - which include D.A. and a computer geek. Leader of the Falcons, Tad Whitneyworth - total jock and boyfriend of Dyanne - laughs as he assigns Jerry's group as the "Squirrels" and sends them off to their dilapidated cabin. The guys are less than pleased at their new home, but the miserable atmosphere is soon replaced as wiseguy Jerry ignores every possible authority and constantly bends camp rules.

War is declared between the Squirrels and the Falcons, with pranks and stunts being pulled by both groups. The Squirrels always come out on top - planting cameras in the girls' changing room, playing strip poker with airhead Dyanne, blowing up the Falcons' cabin, kidnapping Tad and Dyanne and not to mention exposing camp leaders' weird bug fetishes.

Meanwhile, dreamgirl Heather is beginning to fall for Jerry thanks to his smart-guy antics and agrees to go with him to the camp dance.

Camp Chipmunk then holds a games championship. All the groups enter, with the Falcons eager to beat the Squirrels and the Squirrels determined to thrash the Falcons. But only one can win..

VERDICT: ★★★

You will laugh your ass off at this movie. Jerry Riviera is the most awesome summer camp counsellor you will ever come across - what happened to Andrew Ross anyways? Billy Jacoby is - as he was in Just One of the Guys - a complete dude.

I'd pack my suitcase and be hauled off to Camp Chipmunk any day of the week. Why? 'Cause Party Camp is a RIOT!

IMAGES/VIDEOS:

SOUNDTRACK:

1. Party Camp - Mark Carpenter
2. Hunger - Paulette K. Brown
3. Drugs, Sex & Rock 'n' Roll - Valley Heat
4. Real Man - Adie Grey
5. Boys in Rock & Roll - T. Odd
6. She's Got to Party - Valley Heat

Secret Admirer [1985]

"Sometimes what you're looking for.. Is right beside you."

It's the last day of school and Michael Ryan (C. Thomas Howell) is in a rush to get out of school. Why? To walk home with his best girl-friend Toni, (Lori Loughlin) but - more importantly - her blonde and beautiful "best" friend Deborah Anne (Kelly Preston). When Deborah's older boyfriend turns up at the roadside to pick her up in his flashy car, she jumps in, blanking Michael and waving goodbye to Toni. Michael's guy mates then turn up in their van and drive off to his house, leaving Toni to walk home alone. Once at his house, Michael's buddies discover a steamy but anonymous love letter that he had found posted in his locker and hastily stuffed in his playboy magazine before running to meet the two girls. After Michael is convinced by his pals that the letter was written by none other than the girl of his dreams - Deborah Anne - he sets out to find her.

He confronts her at a party, blurting out lines of the letter until being chased by her boyfriend. Later that evening, Michael confides in Toni about the letter and the embarrassing confrontation. They both agree that Michael should write Deborah a letter or two in return, and much to Michael's delight Toni agrees to pass them on.

Craftily tearing open the written letters, Toni gags at what Michael has written and decides to re-write them herself. What follows is a story of confusion, as the original anonymous love-letter received by Michael falls into the wrong hands, and after finding their way through Michael's little brother, his mum, his dad's teacher and her husband, creates complete chaos.

Meanwhile, Deborah believes that the poetic and romantic letters re-written by Toni are coming from Michael, and Michael believes that Deborah is absolutely smitten by the letters which he had been writing. They go on a couple of dates, and on Michael's seventeenth birthday, Deborah throws him a party at Toni's house. Everyone invited is aware of Deborah Anne's present to Michael, apart from Toni, who - when finds out - is disgusted.

Eventually the truth and the who's-who is revealed, making an smileworthy ending.

VERDICT: ★★★ ½

Secret Admirer is full of '80s faces - C. Thomas Howell, Kelly Preston, Lori Loughlin, and finally a stupidly young Corey Haim playings C. Thomas Howell's little brother. That alone is good enough reason to check out the movie, though be warned guys - this total cornball romance at its most romantic.

There is no denying that this movie has a very cute ending. It'll make you smile, and although it is very predictable it has some laugh out loud moments. Like the writer of the love-letter, this movie is a well kept secret.

IMAGES/VIDEOS: [trailer]

SOUNDTRACK:

1. No Secrets - Van Stephenson

2. The First Day of Summer - Tony Carey
3. The Touch - Kim Wilde
4. She's Got a Part of Me - Don Felder
5. You've Been Lied To Before - Van Stephenson
6. Meeting in the Ladies Room - Klymaxx
7. You Might - Nik Kershaw
8. Just Dream Away - Rosemary Butler & Arnold McCuller
9. Leaving It Up To You - Timothy B. Schmit
10. Finale - Jan Hammer