Night of the Comet
Encyclopedia
Night of the Comet is a 1984
film directed by Thom Eberhardt
and starring Catherine Mary Stewart
, Robert Beltran
, and Kelli Maroney
. It has elements of such diverse genres as science fiction
, horror
, zombie apocalypse
, comedy
, and romance
.
The film was voted number 10 in Bloody Disgusting
's Top 10 Doomsday Horror Films in 2009.
, an event which has not occurred in 65 million years, the last time coinciding with the extinction event
that wiped out the dinosaurs. On the night of the comet's passage, large crowds gather to watch and celebrate the event.
18 year old Regina "Reggie" Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart
) is an employee at a movie theater in southern California. Annoyed that her #6 high score on the arcade game Tempest was beaten by someone with the initials "DMK", she decides to have sex with her boyfriend, the theater projectionist, in the steel-lined projection booth. Meanwhile, Reggie's 16 year old sister Samantha "Sam" (Kelli Maroney
) argues with their stepmother, and she gets slapped in the face.
The next morning, a reddish haze covers everything. There is also not one sign of life, only small piles of red dust and empty clothes. Reggie and her boyfriend wake up, unaware that anything strange has happened. Her boyfriend steps outside behind the theater and is immediately killed by a zombie
. When Reggie comes looking for her boyfriend, she finds the zombie eating him. The zombie tries to attack, but she escapes. Finding herself in an empty world, Reggie goes home to find her sister. Sam had spent the night in a metal yard shed after the fight and is also all right.
After figuring out what has happened, they hear a radio disc jockey
and race to the station, only to find it is automated and just a recording. They do find another survivor there, Hector Gomez (Robert Beltran
), who spent the night in the back of his steel semi truck
. When Sam interrupts the recorded show and makes an announcement, the broadcast is heard by government researchers in an underground think tank
. They call the station, telling the survivors that a rescue team is on the way. The scientists note that the zombies, though less exposed to the comet, will soon disintegrate into dust themselves. Reggie tells Hector that, as military brat
s, she and Sam were taught how to use firearms by their father. Hector then leaves to see if any of his family survived, while Reggie and Sam go foraging at a local mall. After a surprise firefight with some zombie ex-stock boys, the girls are taken prisoner but are saved by the rescue team from the think tank.
Reggie is immediately taken back to their base. Audrey White (Mary Woronov
), a dying, disillusioned scientist, offers to remain behind with Sam to wait for Hector. Another scientist who stays with them believes Sam has been exposed and should be executed. However, Audrey realizes that Sam is actually healthy. After purportedly euthanizing
Sam, she then kills the other scientist. When Hector returns, Audrey provides enough information for him and Sam to try to rescue Reggie. Audrey then gives herself a lethal injection.
The researchers had suspected and prepared for the comet's effects, but inadvertently left their ventilation system open during the comet's passage allowing the comet's deadly dust to permeate their base. Meanwhile, Reggie has become suspicious, escapes, and discovers that the dying scientists have hunted down healthy survivors and rendered them brain-dead, so they can harvest their untainted blood to look for a cure.
Hector and Sam find Reggie, along with a young boy and a young girl Reggie has rescued. Some of the researchers are killed in the escape, while the rest presumably perish from the comet's after-effects.
Eventually, rain washes away the red dust and the world is left in a pristine condition. The group becomes a conventional family unit, except for Sam who feels left out. When she ignores Reggie's warning and crosses a deserted street against the still-operating signal light, she is almost run over by a sports car driven by Danny Mason Keener, a teenager her own age. After apologizing, he invites her to go for a ride. As they drive off, the car is shown sporting the initials "DMK" on the vanity plate
.
cassette on August 30, 1985, and distributed by CBS/FOX Video
. A second US VHS
printing, distributed by Goodtimes Video, was released on August 30, 1990. The film was officially released on Region 1 DVD on March 6, 2007, and on Region 2 DVD in the UK on January 18, 2010.
LP Record and Audio Cassette from Macola Records shortly after the movie was released. The soundtrack's "Learn to Love Again", a love duet performed by Amy Holland
and Chris Farren, played in the final scene in the movie and in the closing credits. Other songs include "The Whole World is Celebratin'" (also performed by Chris Farren), "Lady in Love" by Revolver, "Strong Heart" by John Townsend
, "Trouble" by Skip Adams, "Living on the Edge" by Jocko Marcellino, "Virgin in Love" by Thom Pace, and "Hard Act to Follow" by Diana DeWitt.
1984 in film
-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
film directed by Thom Eberhardt
Thom Eberhardt
Thom Eberhardt is an American film director, producer and writer. Eberhardt has won two awards and two nominations. He is most noted for his work on Captain Ron, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, and the cult classic Night of the Comet....
and starring Catherine Mary Stewart
Catherine Mary Stewart
Catherine Mary Stewart is a Canadian actress. Her first notable role was as Kayla Brady on the soap opera Days of our Lives from 1981 to 1983...
, Robert Beltran
Robert Beltran
Robert Adame Beltran is an American actor, known for his role as Commander Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager.-Early life:...
, and Kelli Maroney
Kelli Maroney
Kelli Joan Maroney is an American actress who has starred in film and in television.-Biography:Maroney's most notable television roles were her first: Kimberly Harris Beaulac on the soap opera Ryan's Hope and Tina Lord on One Life to Live...
. It has elements of such diverse genres as science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, zombie apocalypse
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
, comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, and romance
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
.
The film was voted number 10 in Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is a website that covers horror movies with reviews, interviews and news. It is currently run by Brad Miska, and Tom Owen. According to one source, the site has 1.5 million unique visitors and 20 million page views each month. It is widely considered to be the "world's most...
's Top 10 Doomsday Horror Films in 2009.
Plot
The Earth is passing through the tail of a rogue cometComet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
, an event which has not occurred in 65 million years, the last time coinciding with the extinction event
Extinction event
An extinction event is a sharp decrease in the diversity and abundance of macroscopic life. They occur when the rate of extinction increases with respect to the rate of speciation...
that wiped out the dinosaurs. On the night of the comet's passage, large crowds gather to watch and celebrate the event.
18 year old Regina "Reggie" Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart
Catherine Mary Stewart
Catherine Mary Stewart is a Canadian actress. Her first notable role was as Kayla Brady on the soap opera Days of our Lives from 1981 to 1983...
) is an employee at a movie theater in southern California. Annoyed that her #6 high score on the arcade game Tempest was beaten by someone with the initials "DMK", she decides to have sex with her boyfriend, the theater projectionist, in the steel-lined projection booth. Meanwhile, Reggie's 16 year old sister Samantha "Sam" (Kelli Maroney
Kelli Maroney
Kelli Joan Maroney is an American actress who has starred in film and in television.-Biography:Maroney's most notable television roles were her first: Kimberly Harris Beaulac on the soap opera Ryan's Hope and Tina Lord on One Life to Live...
) argues with their stepmother, and she gets slapped in the face.
The next morning, a reddish haze covers everything. There is also not one sign of life, only small piles of red dust and empty clothes. Reggie and her boyfriend wake up, unaware that anything strange has happened. Her boyfriend steps outside behind the theater and is immediately killed by a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
. When Reggie comes looking for her boyfriend, she finds the zombie eating him. The zombie tries to attack, but she escapes. Finding herself in an empty world, Reggie goes home to find her sister. Sam had spent the night in a metal yard shed after the fight and is also all right.
After figuring out what has happened, they hear a radio disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and race to the station, only to find it is automated and just a recording. They do find another survivor there, Hector Gomez (Robert Beltran
Robert Beltran
Robert Adame Beltran is an American actor, known for his role as Commander Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager.-Early life:...
), who spent the night in the back of his steel semi truck
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...
. When Sam interrupts the recorded show and makes an announcement, the broadcast is heard by government researchers in an underground think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
. They call the station, telling the survivors that a rescue team is on the way. The scientists note that the zombies, though less exposed to the comet, will soon disintegrate into dust themselves. Reggie tells Hector that, as military brat
Military brat
A military brat describes people who spend their childhood or adolescence while a parent serve full-time in the armed forces, and can also refer to the unique subculture and lifestyle of American military brats, the term refers to both current and former children of such families.Lifestyle: The...
s, she and Sam were taught how to use firearms by their father. Hector then leaves to see if any of his family survived, while Reggie and Sam go foraging at a local mall. After a surprise firefight with some zombie ex-stock boys, the girls are taken prisoner but are saved by the rescue team from the think tank.
Reggie is immediately taken back to their base. Audrey White (Mary Woronov
Mary Woronov
Mary Woronov is an American actress and writer. She is primarily known for her roles in independent and cult films. Woronov has appeared in over 80 movies, as well as numerous appearances in mainstream television series, such as Charlie's Angels and Knight Rider.-Early life:Woronov was born in the...
), a dying, disillusioned scientist, offers to remain behind with Sam to wait for Hector. Another scientist who stays with them believes Sam has been exposed and should be executed. However, Audrey realizes that Sam is actually healthy. After purportedly euthanizing
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
Sam, she then kills the other scientist. When Hector returns, Audrey provides enough information for him and Sam to try to rescue Reggie. Audrey then gives herself a lethal injection.
The researchers had suspected and prepared for the comet's effects, but inadvertently left their ventilation system open during the comet's passage allowing the comet's deadly dust to permeate their base. Meanwhile, Reggie has become suspicious, escapes, and discovers that the dying scientists have hunted down healthy survivors and rendered them brain-dead, so they can harvest their untainted blood to look for a cure.
Hector and Sam find Reggie, along with a young boy and a young girl Reggie has rescued. Some of the researchers are killed in the escape, while the rest presumably perish from the comet's after-effects.
Eventually, rain washes away the red dust and the world is left in a pristine condition. The group becomes a conventional family unit, except for Sam who feels left out. When she ignores Reggie's warning and crosses a deserted street against the still-operating signal light, she is almost run over by a sports car driven by Danny Mason Keener, a teenager her own age. After apologizing, he invites her to go for a ride. As they drive off, the car is shown sporting the initials "DMK" on the vanity plate
Vanity plate
A vanity plate or personalized plate , prestige plate, private number plate, or personalised registration or custom plate or personalised plate is a special type of vehicle registration plate on an automobile or other vehicle...
.
Cast
- Catherine Mary StewartCatherine Mary StewartCatherine Mary Stewart is a Canadian actress. Her first notable role was as Kayla Brady on the soap opera Days of our Lives from 1981 to 1983...
as Regina "Reggie" Belmont - Kelli MaroneyKelli MaroneyKelli Joan Maroney is an American actress who has starred in film and in television.-Biography:Maroney's most notable television roles were her first: Kimberly Harris Beaulac on the soap opera Ryan's Hope and Tina Lord on One Life to Live...
as Samantha "Sam" Belmont - Robert BeltranRobert BeltranRobert Adame Beltran is an American actor, known for his role as Commander Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager.-Early life:...
as Hector Gomez - Sharon FarrellSharon FarrellSharon Farrell is an American television and film actress.-Career:Born as Sharon Forsmoe in Sioux City, Iowa, she made her acting debut in the 1959 film Kiss Her Goodbye...
as Doris, Reggie and Sam's stepmother - Mary WoronovMary WoronovMary Woronov is an American actress and writer. She is primarily known for her roles in independent and cult films. Woronov has appeared in over 80 movies, as well as numerous appearances in mainstream television series, such as Charlie's Angels and Knight Rider.-Early life:Woronov was born in the...
as Audrey White - Geoffrey Lewis as Dr. Carter, the leader of the think tank
- Peter Fox as Dr. Wilson, one of the researchers
- John Achorn as Oscar
- Michael BowenMichael Bowen (actor)Michael Bowen is an American actor. Films he has appeared in include Jackie Brown, Magnolia, and Less Than Zero. Bowen also had a recurring role as Danny Pickett on the ABC television series, Lost....
as Larry Dupree - Devon Ericson as Minder
- Lissa Layng as Davenport
- Janice KawayeJanice KawayeJanice Kawaye is a Japanese-American actress, notable for providing the voice of Jenny "XJ-9" Wakeman on My Life as a Teenage Robot, Ami on Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, Sarah on Invader Zim, Gi on Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Kioko and Julia on All Grown Up! and Yuzu Kurosaki on Bleach...
as Sarah, the young rescued girl - Chance Boyer as Sarah's brother, the young rescued boy
- Ivan E. Roth as Willy
- Dick RudeDick RudeDick Rude is a writer, director, and actor known for his appearance in and contributions to many Alex Cox films. He has directed the music videos "Catholic School Girls Rule" and "Universally Speaking" for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as their live concert DVD, Off the Map.His most recent...
as Stockboy - Chris PedersenChris Pedersen (actor)Chris Pedersen played the character "Jack Diddley" in the cult Penelope Spheeris produced film Suburbia about punk rockers in L.A. He also appeared in the Oliver Stone Oscar winning film Platoon, and in other cult films such as Night of the Comet and Point Break among others.Pedersen was never...
as Stockboy - John Stuart West as Monster Cop
- Alex BrownAlex BrownAlex Brown may refer to:*Sandy Brown *Alex Brown , Scottish footballer*Alex Brown , English rugby union player...
as Monster in Alley - Marc Poppel as Danny Mason Keener / DMK
Home video
Night of the Comet was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
cassette on August 30, 1985, and distributed by CBS/FOX Video
CBS/Fox Video
CBS/Fox Video was a home video company formed and established in 1982, as a merger between 20th Century Fox Video, formerly Magnetic Video Corporation, and CBS Video Enterprises....
. A second US VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
printing, distributed by Goodtimes Video, was released on August 30, 1990. The film was officially released on Region 1 DVD on March 6, 2007, and on Region 2 DVD in the UK on January 18, 2010.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack for the film was released on vinylGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
LP Record and Audio Cassette from Macola Records shortly after the movie was released. The soundtrack's "Learn to Love Again", a love duet performed by Amy Holland
Amy Holland
Amy Holland is a pop rock singer. She is of Dutch descent and changed her name from Boersma to Holland , because she thought it would make a better stage name. Her mother was country star Esmereldy and her father was opera singer Harry Boersma...
and Chris Farren, played in the final scene in the movie and in the closing credits. Other songs include "The Whole World is Celebratin'" (also performed by Chris Farren), "Lady in Love" by Revolver, "Strong Heart" by John Townsend
John Townsend
John Townsend may refer to:*John Townsend , American psychologist and author*John Townsend , American basketball player*John Townsend , Australian rules footballer...
, "Trouble" by Skip Adams, "Living on the Edge" by Jocko Marcellino, "Virgin in Love" by Thom Pace, and "Hard Act to Follow" by Diana DeWitt.
External links
- Night of the Comet at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...