ALL-AMERICAN MURDER (1991) d: Anson Williams. c: Christopher Walken, Charlie Schlatter, Joanna Cassidy, Josie Bissett, Richard Kind, Mitchell Anderson. The shocking, fiery murder of popular good girl, Tally (Bissett), ignites controversy in a small college town where all fingers point toward transfer student, Artie (Schlatter), who just happens to be a convicted arsonist. Artie pleads he’s being framed, but hard-boiled detective, Decker (Walken), isn’t convinced and gives Artie twenty-four hours to produce evidence of his innocence. Meanwhile, as more murders ensue, Artie discovers Tally may not have been as pure as she appeared. A disjoined slasher/mystery that doesn’t work as either, with an uneven screenplay (by Barry Sandler) drowning in silly, “crackerjack” dialogue that sounds more at home in a bad gangster movie from the ’40s. It’s hard to build much sympathy for Artie, who keeps placing himself in bad situations, and it doesn’t help that Schlatter plays the role as if he’s in a Michael J. Fox rom-com. Walken sleepwalks through his small part but undoubtably adds some professionalism to this otherwise low-rent melodrama. C–
THE AMERICAN SCREAM (1988) d: Mitchell Linden. c: Matt Borlenghi, Ponz Maar, Kevin Kaye, Jennifer Darling, Riley Weston, Jeane Sapienza, Blackie Dammett. An awkward but totally unique and enjoyable horror satire of the T&A comedies of the 1980s – especially the National Lampoon films – about a dopey family spending vacation at Wilson Creek, a small country town that seems to be filled with weirdos, hedonists, and killers. While the teens are constantly bombarded by crazy shenanigans, the bubbly parents are too busy wrapped in their own stupidity to notice any wrongdoings, especially Dad (Matt Frewer lookalike Maar), who’s a cross between Homer Simpson and Clark Griswald. The kids eventually discover the town is strangely lacking young people and go undercover as adults to find out what’s happening. There isn’t much of a plot – if you go into this film looking for logic you’ll be disappointed – but the film is more about the fundamentally whacky characters and insidiously oddball touches, including a John Waters-esque scene where a couple accidentally kill their baby and barbecue it. If that’s not your cup of tea, then The American Scream is definitely not for you. B