The 1991 meta-cult classic Popcorn is finally making its way to Blu-ray thanks to Synapse Films. The film received a barebones DVD release from Elite Entertainment in 2001 that has been out of print for some time, making this a sought-after title that some purists will still prefer on the original VHS. Featuring a cohort of dorky film students hosting an all night horror marathon, Popcorn is a fun, ’80s-style slasher as well as a valentine to schlocky sci-fi of the ’50s and ’60s, featuring thematic elements that sit squarely between Friday The 13th, Part 6: Jason Lives and Wes Craven’s Scream.
Mark Herrier—arguably best known for his role as Billy in the Porky’s Saga—is credited with directing the film, but another Bob Clark protégé. Alan Ormsby, helmed the three films within the film: Mosquito, a riff on Them!; The Amazing Colossal Man-influenced The Attack Of The Amazing Electrified Man; and the badly dubbed, Japanese-inspired The Stench. Each film featured a William Castle-style gimmick that, as happens in these sorts of films, ends up being used to off the students by a real killer that’s loose in the theater.
The film features a cadre of genre favorites, including Dee Wallace Stone, Tony Roberts, Kelly Jo Minter, Malcolm Danare (who famously shit on the dashboard of a 1958 Plymouth Fury in Christine), and the Jennifer Connelly-esque Jill Schoelen, who also appeared in 1987’s The Stepfather and 1989’s Phantom Of The Opera reboot. While not a box office success, the film developed a following thanks to home video as well as perpetual airings on late-night cable. Popcorn also features what Hunter Stair of the Beyond Yacht Rock podcast might refer to as a “Horror Rap Up”: “Scary, Scary Movies” by Ossie D and Stevie G.
The new edition of Popcorn will feature steelbook packaging, a brand new 2k scan of a 35mm interpositive vault element, audio commentary with Herrier, Danare, Schoelen, and SFX artist Mat Falls as well as the standard trailers and TV spots.
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Popcorn comes home in a box on March 7.