Chopping Mall (Killbots) [VHS Retro Style DVD] 1986

The disc is a beautiful remastering of this low budget cult classic and not only does it look and sound great for a movie over 30 years old, there were some fun extras where original cast and crew members were interviewed. It was a hoot seeing so many of the cast all these years later and hear their stories of the making of this fun B- Movie. A really cool disc!And as for the movie itself...CHOPPING MALL (1986)Chopping Mall is a fun 80s guilty pleasure that works because it knows it’s a silly film and just goes with it and has a good time…and so do we. Goofy horror tells the story of four young couples, including 80s B-movie icons Kelli Maroney and Barbara Crampton, who decide to stay and party at one of the mall stores where a few of them work, after the mall has closed. But there are 3 new hi-tech security robots on patrol and when a freak lightening strike hits the building during a storm, it reboots their directives and now these 3 well armed machines are out to kill anything that moves…ID badge or not. Now with the mall in high security lock-down, the young intruders are trapped inside with the mechanical security drones and must fight for their very lives as these robots won’t stop until they are all dead.As directed by Jim Wynorski, Chopping Mall is a fun 80s movie that just has a plain old good time with it’s delightfully ridiculous story. The film plays itself just seriously enough so not to make an outright comedy out of it’s scenario, but has enough campy humor so that we know that at no time are the filmmakers trying to pass this off as a serious horror and we should just have a good time with it. The young cast serve their purpose playing the stereotypical characters that we expect to see in a film like this and that is intentional. They play their parts straight, but we can tell they they are having fun and that the tone of the material has not escaped them. The gore FX are fine though, except for an exploding head, are fairly limited and the robots built by Robert Short do the job as our villains and do have a bit of personality as well. There is a very 80s electronic score by Chuck Cirino and fun cameos by Dick Miller, Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel.Chopping Mall is filled with 80s nostalgia to go along with the fun with it’s very 80s hair and fashions, as well as, it’s poking fun at the mall culture of the time. A really enjoyable B-movie that has developed a bit of a well deserved cult following. Also stars, Tony O’Dell, John Terlesky, Russell Todd and Suzee Slater. Actually saw this in a theater back in 1986 and it was a lot of nostalgic fun revisiting it.

BOTTOM LINE: A fun old school slasher flick... without the slasher. The whole movie just screams 80's! And that's okay. The film moves along at a breakneck pace and the various kills are fun & pretty imaginative. The guys & gals are 1-dimensional stereotypes, but that's half the fun of these kinds of films. Fans of CHOPPING MALL are in for a treat because this Blu-ray release is fully loaded with TONS of great bonus content. Movie: 4 STARS; Blu-ray: 5 STARSTHE STORY (contains spoilers): Mega shopping mall is set to debut a high-tech security system in the form of three state-of-the-art robots designed to patrol the complex and quickly - but humanely - apprehend any intruders. Meanwhile, a handful of teens working at various stores throughout the mall have made plans to stay after hours and party it up. But soon after closing, a fierce electrical storm accidentally short-circuits the 'bots master control... and the gnarly party-hearty teens suddenly find themselves targeted by the trio of relentless, now-lethal automatons and hunted without mercy. Will any of them survive the night??THOUGHTS: Perhaps director Jim Wynorski's best film. The actors have good chemistry together, the setting inside the darkened sprawling mall works to create a familiar yet alien nightmare world, while some top notch F/X work on the part of robot designer & engineer Robert Short give us three automated villains that present a genuine, very believable threat. (The film also has the distinction of featuring one of the greatest exploding head gags in cinematic history, second only to the original SCANNERS.) CHOPPING MALL's deadly robots are a tribute to the classic 1954 3D film GOG, and they work beautifully, surprising for such a low budget film. CHOPPING MALL would make a perfect middle feature for a "killer robot" trilogy home video marathon; right after GOG, then finishing up with the excellent though obscure (and highly under-rated) rampaging robot flick, 1995's EVOLVER.THE BLU-RAY: Resurrecting the Vestron Video label was a brilliant idea. Many of us grew up scouring video store shelves for the latest VHS offering from this company, which usually promised, (and more often than not fully delivered), lots of gross-out gore, high speed car chases, sexy nude babes and plenty of bloody shoot 'em ups. Perfect viewing fare for those weekend parties at your friend's house. The picture & sound on this hi-def release of CHOPPING MALL are both quite solid. Despite the number of low light scenes in the film, it has a surprisingly good picture, with only minimal artifacting & pixelation. Soundmix is equally strong & level. The best part of this release, for fans of the film, is the wealth of excellent bonus features, including retrospective featurettes recount the making of the film, the F/X and other behind-the-scenes goodies, three (!) separate full-length audio commentary tracks to listen to, an isolated musical score option... and more! All in all, a first-rate release. Let's hope that more great old titles surface soon from the Vestron video library, and that they each receive the same level of loving care as CHOPPING MALL has.

Good 80s fun. Mayhem and bloodshed at the mall all presented by malfunctioning out of control robot sentries. I have to say though that there are a lot of varied types of stores at this high-rise upscale mall. Guns, compressed gas, paint supplies. I guess you couldn't fight rampant crazed robots with stuff you found at the Loft or American Eagle. Pretty nice BR considering the age of the film. Oh...and it has Barbara Crampton. Can't skip any movie with Barbara Crampton.

So glad to have a really great looking copy of this movie that doesn't have any cropping or format issues. The picture uses the entire tv screen without any black bars. The reason I gave it 4 stars wasn't for the movie but for the "audio".Movies has a MONO soundtrack and with a 5.1 home theater system sounds pretty bland.The movie looks fantastic, looks so much better than a dvd copy I had seen. There's also quite a few extras on the disc if you're into that.

I recently wrote the review for this film under the title for Summer of 84'.So this review is basically the same.A great notion many have most likely held,as a younger individual,of spending the night in the shopping mall after closing.These teens do just that,and fall prey to the malls new security sytem.They're gonna need their heads to get out of this one.Unfortunately some of them start losing theirs.Way back horror,way back fun.

I'm a weirdo who loves mall-centered horror films, so this was right up my alley. The hilariously clunky killer robots paired with the iconic 80s over-sexed teens (read: people in their mid-twenties) hit pitch perfect for an entertaining watch. I watch this one often, as I enjoy earnest but corny horror films.Like anything, it isn't for everyone. If you're looking for high-minded filmcraft or nuance, keep browsing.

This is my favourite movie in the Vestron Collectors Series. I love the transfer and it got me hooked on collecting the rest of these silly movies. This is one that I have been waiting for a good transfer for years though.

Their first release, and what a doozy! Great sleaze flick from the 80’s! Wicked looking transfer and a plethora of special features! A must have.

excellent

Perfect