Review of Cardiac Arrest (1980) by Jason D — 27 Nov 2009

Don't let Cardiac Arrest's cool looking cover fool you, this film is pretty far from being a "horror film". The story concerns a murderer on the loose in San Francisco who is systematically picking off people by surgically removing their hearts and selling it to the highest bidders through the black market.

A couple of wise-cracking detectives are on the case, but there are a lot of suspects and un-answered questions all throughout. Overall, Cardiac Arrest is actually a real bore and makes every effort to be more like a comedic crime drama rather than resembling anything horror.

At only 85 minutes, this film lasts forever. As far as recognizable faces, Max Gail shows up in a role I cannot even remember (and I JUST watched this film, as well as DC Cab, another popular Gail vehicle), Fred Ward (Tremors 1 & 2) as part of a duo of suspicious ambulance drivers, and Nancy Fish (Cutting Class, Exorcist 3, Dr.

Giggles) as the lead guy's love interest. Even though this is an 80's film, it's got a real early 70's look, feel, and vibe; basically...heavily dated. Lifeless, boring film.