Review of Night of the Comet (1984) by Laurence H — 05 Apr 2011

OK. Night of the Comet has a solid core group of diehard fans. Well, I guess I'm one of them. It's one of my top ten favourites, and represents Thom Eberhardt's work at its peak. Thom has done some uneven, if usually witty and offbeat, and famously low-budget, work.

This is the best of his that I have seen. I guess everybody was on a roll when they put this together, because it doesn't skip a beat from start to finish. Unusual twists on a cliched theme - and then twists on the twists.

Great writing, great acting, clever candid moments, from prelude - stepmom conflict and video arcade playing, to the coincidence of missing out on the comet that ends all life on earth (almost) or creates zombies.

.. or whatever... Does it matter? And strange little twists of hope and promise with an upbeat conclusion. Hey! It's our world now, so we can make it what we want! A very clever allegory of empowerment, if you want to look at it that way.

And of course, the two young heroines are just right for the job, with special acknowledgement of the role of Kelli Maroney. This is casting at its best, and she totally understood her character. Believe me, this one will never be replicated!