Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988)

Directed by: John De Bello | 94 minutes | comedy, horror, science fiction | Actors: Anthony Starke, George Clooney, Karen M. Waldron, Steve Lundquist, John Astin, Charlie Jones, J. Stephen Peace, Michael Villani, Frank Davis, Harvey Weber, John De Bello, Ian Hutton, Rick Rockwell, Costa Dillon, Alice Easy Squeezin’, DJ Sullivan

In this sequel to the cult film ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’, insane Professor Mortimer Gangrene once again plans to take over the world with an army of mutated killer tomatoes. A special transformation room allows the villain to turn ordinary tomatoes into violent replicas (for example, the theme song from “Miami Vice” turns tomatoes into spitting images of Don Johnson, while rock music creates soldiers) of men and women. It’s up to wimpy pizza delivery boy Chad Finletter and his best friend Matt to stop Professor Gangrene and stop the red menace.

Anyone who reads the above and is somewhat familiar with the franchise (which has even delivered four films in total) knows what to expect in ‘Return of the Killer Tomatoes’: premises (murderous tomatoes revolting against humanity) and storylines that defy convention, accompanied by a shipload of satirical references and parodies of other films or popular culture of the late 1980s. A good example of the latter is the focus on product placement. This phenomenon, which became common in the United States in the period that the film was released, is not very subtle in ‘Return of the Killer Tomatoes’, but at times brilliantly ridiculed. Whether that’s fun or not depends a bit on your taste and mindset. There is so much corniness fired at the viewer that you have to be in the mood for it. Is that the case? Then viewing this print is a solid training for the laughing muscles.

‘Return of the Killer Tomatoes’ is at the same time a textbook example of, but also a sincere ode to the B-movie. A heavily exaggerated camp atmosphere, dazzling actors and plenty of hilarious moments are the main ingredients of this cinematic dish about murderous vegetables. ‘Return of the Killer Tomatoes’ is also the kind of film that is hardly made anymore in the twenty-first century. Political correctness has clearly not been high on the agenda of the makers, resulting in a film that, certainly measured by more modern standards, at times comes across as rough, slightly sexist and dated. At the same time, this old-fashioned appearance and the non-conformism on display give the work much of its charm as an eighties film that mocks genre conventions and all the laws of good taste.

Although ‘Return of the Killer Tomatoes’ is ostentatiously aimed at fans of absurdist B-movies, the sets and ‘props’ look quite professional. Also the script and the actors (a young George Clooney even makes his appearance) are better than average for a film of this type. Is ‘Return of the Killer Tomatoes’ therefore a world film that serves a wide film audience? No doubt not. But for viewers who like absurdist horror comedies from a bygone movie era, watching this well-thought-out nonsense is a pleasant respite.