Saturday the 14th

Director - Howard R. Cohen (Saturday the 14th Strikes Back)

Starring - Richard Benjamin (Westworld), Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), and Severn Darden (Werewolves on Wheels)

Release Date - 1981
Genre - Horror/Comedy/Childrens

Tagline - "Just when you thought it was safe to look at the calender again" and "It gets bad on Friday the 13 but it gets worse on Saturday the 14th"

Rating:

     I ran across this movie a few years ago when I was checking out the rentals for sale at Movie Gallery when they were going out of business.  I didn't pick it up because I had never heard about it before.  After seeing a few things online about it I found out it was a comedy focused towards children as a Halloween flick.  I tend to like those kind of films if they are done well.  Movies like Ernest Scared Stupid and Mr. Boogedy are flicks I watch every October because they remind me of my childhood and love of Halloween.  A[ny movie that can give me that same feeling are surely welcomed in my collection.

     This film follows a Dracula inspired vampire named Waldemar (Tambor) as he tries to purchase the home of a recently deceased man.  However, he is unable to do so because the deceased left the home and all the belongings to his nephew and his picture perfect family.  Unfortunately for them the house is home to a special book that has the power to release various monsters into this world, as well as, bring about the end of the world.  The married couple's son mistakenly unleashes the creatures from the book and they have free roam of the house.  After a bat attacks the mother, the father calls an exterminator to get rid of the flying pests.  The exterminator just happens to be Van Helsing and he too wants to find the evil book.  While this is taking place the kids are being harassed by the monsters while the parents are unaware of their existence.  Once Van Helsing arrives he tells the parents he knows how to kill Waldemar and the evil monsters.  However, this is a trick and Van Helsing wants the book to control the monsters and it turns out that Waldemar is actually a good vampire with infidelity problems.

     This movie could have been better.  The acting is very good and the monsters look awesome, however, it just seemed to be lacking something more.  The monsters do not really have a solid spot in the film and are just there as filler which is a shame because they really do look cool for an 80's kid's movie.  Also, the character of Waldemar is not seen much in the film until it is absolutely necessary for the plot which is, once again, a shame because, as always, Tambor is spot on with his acting.  The story is pretty good for a children's flick and even surprised me with the twist at the end with Van Helsing being evil.  Something completely opposite of the Van Helsing character in every movie featuring him.  Overall the movie is painfully mediocre and does not offer anything special.  To be completely honest with you this is just one of those movies that you just watch to kill time instead of throwing in your favorite movie because you want something different.  Eh watch it if you want or don't.