Night of the Comet is one of those films I heard of but was unable to see until it was released on DVD a few years back. Going into it I thought it was going to be more of a typical zombie flick, but what I got was a mixture of Night of the Living Dead,The Omega Man and Valley Girl. It also is more of a film that centers on the living characters more than those who were affected by the comet. To myself I do like to see that formula alot more than just a bunch of zombies tearing people apart. In this film what it does is gives the characters a little more depth than just being shallow and ignorant to what is going on and that really shows the further you get into the film.
This film follows two sisters who both ended up not being able to witness this rare comet. Luckily for them they didn't because it ended up turning those who did witness it into dust or zombie-like creatures. The two girls go on a quest to find others who are still alive and they end up running into a survivor at a radio station who joins up with them. From there they get into shoot outs with other survivors at a mall and also have a run in with some scientist in the search for a cure. Will these three survive or will they become just another victim of the comet or those around them!
Like I stated before I really like how this film was set up and the direction it goes with the characters and makes them more than you'd expect. Now of the two sisters there is the younger and ditsier Samantha (
Kelli Maroney) and the older Regina (
Catherine Mary Stewart). Like you would expect Regina is more of the one to lead the two as they start their search for others and her sister Samantha starts off by not believing her sister about what is going on. What I like is that they take the Samantha character and actually make her to be more wise than you'd expect, but that doesn't happen until later on. Both of those characters actually do progress and grow a bit which makes them way more likable. The other person they run into and team up with is Hector (Robert Beltran) and he is actually a fun character who helps the girls out alot. There is also the scientists who are great as well playing the villains.
There is some twists and turns that really helped to keep the film going and there is one that I particularly liked and that was when they showed Samantha as a little more than clueless or ditsy. All that does happen in this film leads up to a pretty cool ending that I would of liked to of seen go on to become a sequel that they could of called "Surviving the Comet" or something like that. There is so many ways they could of taken it from there, but I guess that will never become anything. I really do think that this film will finally get a bigger audience by this film being released in this awesome release from Scream Factory. If you like a mixture of sci-fi, horror, and comedy then I think you will enjoy this film!
The presentation on this release is great! The colors are bold and stand out well especially after the comet goes by and they show the reddish tinged sky the next morning. The picture is quite clear and free of damage and debris, but it is not scrubbed to death with DNR so it still has it's film grain. The detail is also excellent. This is a good upgrade from the older DVD release which worked perfectly for the time it was released and up until this blu-ray release. There is also some really cool special features that include commentary and interviews with cast and crew members, plus there is a ton more to make this a truly great release! Also for those who like the original artwork you can flip the cover to change the artwork! Overall if you like this film as much as I do or if you have always wanted to see this film I suggest you pick this release from Scream Factory up!
-Daniel "Damnation" Lee
Director: Thom Eberthardt
Lead Actor/Actress: Kelli Maroney, Catherine Mary Stewart, and Robert Beltran
Genre: Horror/Sci-fi/Comedy
Blu-ray Release Year: 2013
Theatrical Release Year: 1984
Time Length: 95 mins.
Rating: PG-13
Region Code: A/1
Release Company: Scream Factory
Website:
shoutfactory.com
Additional Screenshots:
Night of the Comet is one of those films I heard of but was unable to see until it was released on DVD a few years back. Going into it I thought it was going to be more of a typical zombie flick, but what I got was a mixture of Night of the Living Dead,The Omega Man and Valley Girl. It also is more of a film that centers on the living characters more than those who were affected by the comet. To myself I do like to see that formula alot more than just a bunch of zombies tearing people apart. In this film what it does is gives the characters a little more depth than just being shallow and ignorant to what is going on and that really shows the further you get into the film.
