Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge
Encyclopedia
Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge is a 1989
horror film
about a young man who apparently dies in a suspicious house fire after saving his girlfriend, Melody; a year later, at the new mall built over the site of the burned-out house, thefts and murders begin to occur as a mysterious figure secretly prowls around the shopping center and takes a keen interest in watching over and protecting Melody. The film was directed by Richard Friedman, and stars Derek Rydall
, Jonathan Goldsmith
, Rob Estes
, Pauly Shore
, Kari Whitman, and Morgan Fairchild
.
Mall guard Christopher Volker attacks Melody and Peter at gunpoint as they talk, in a car, about the fire; he boasts that he is the arsonist. As they escape and Volker chases them with his car, Eric leaps onto the roof, distracting him and causing a crash. Later, Volker attacks Melody again, knocking her unconscious. Eric fights him, then kills him using the automatic box crusher, and carries Melody to his lair.
Buzz (in Pauly Shore's first on-screen full moon
) tricks a guard away from the video surveillance booth so he and Susie can search for Melody. Melody awakens, and talks with Eric. She is glad he is alive, but confesses she does not love him anymore; he angrily declares that he has planted the bomb, so she will die and be with him forever anyways.
As Peter searches for Melody in the tunnels, Eric deploys the snake to kill him, for being interested in Melody. When Peter retreats, then later finds them anyways, Eric tries to fight and kill him, but Eric is stunned by Melody's shout that she loves Peter. Peter takes the chance to knock Eric out, so the pair escape and are able to warn Buzz and Susie of the bomb. Eric revives and kills those involved in the arson, the coverup, and the construction of the mall: mall owner Harv Posner and the complicit Mayor Karen Wilton. Melody, Peter, Buzz and Susie, and all of the mall patrons escape, as Eric's subterranean bomb explodes, destroying the mall.
, Promenade Mall (now Westfield Promenade
) and Valencia Studios, "an old warehouse converted for the film."
was bluntly negative in its assessment of the film, comparing it with other Phantom of the Opera film adaptations: "this schlock-slasher version of Leroux's shocker--with the Phantom turned into a burned, vengeful teen prowling the air-tunnels of a posh suburban shopping mall--is, hands down, the most inept, pointless, puerile and inane." The review continued: "scarcely a scene isn't gross or ridiculous, scarcely a performance isn't forced or shallow, scarcely a line of dialogue isn't a burbling, awkward cliche. There's a perfection of awfulness here that almost commands respect; it can't have been easy to keep going on this picture after a look or two at the rushes."
Charles Tatum of Australian review site EFilmCritic.com gave the film one star (of four), "Worse than Montezuma's Revenge", writing "you probably did not need a plot sketch since the entire story is in the title. Someone named Eric is taking revenge against people as a phantom of a mall. This also means there is no suspense. We know Eric is behind this, but we still have to see Estes and Cute Girl go through the motions of a silly investigation."
In his "Final Verdict," Andrew Smith of UK review site PopcornPictures.co.uk gave the film one star, stating "You should know the 80s slasher drill by now. No scares, suspense, story, acting or characters - just novelty death scenes and a psychotic villain. When a film fails to deliver on the latter two AND the rest, then it's really bottom of the barrel stuff."
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
horror film
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...
about a young man who apparently dies in a suspicious house fire after saving his girlfriend, Melody; a year later, at the new mall built over the site of the burned-out house, thefts and murders begin to occur as a mysterious figure secretly prowls around the shopping center and takes a keen interest in watching over and protecting Melody. The film was directed by Richard Friedman, and stars Derek Rydall
Derek Rydall
Derek Rydall is an American screenwriter, screenplay consultant, script doctor, stuntman and author. -Acting career:He has also worked as an actor, starring in several films & television shows with Tom Skerritt, Charles Bronson, Elliot Gould, Tony Roberts , Paulie Shore, director John Turtletaub,...
, Jonathan Goldsmith
Jonathan Goldsmith
Jonathan Goldsmith is an American actor. He began his career on the New York stage, then started a career in film and television. He appeared in several TV shows in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s...
, Rob Estes
Rob Estes
Robert Estes is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Harry Wilson on the Teen drama 90210, as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the Crime drama Silk Stalkings, and as Kyle McBride on the Primetime Soap opera Melrose Place.-Career:Estes first became interested in an acting career while training...
, Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore
Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, Kari Whitman, and Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild
Morgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
.
Synopsis
In an unlit store, a shadowy figure steals clothes and a crossbow; when a mall guard approaches, the figure stabs him to death. Melody and her friend Susie get jobs at the new mall, just before its scheduled grand opening. The shadowy Eric, his face half scarred, excitedly sees Melody, his former girlfriend, from hidden vantage points around the mall, and leaves flowers and gifts for her. He breaks open a mannequin head to fashion a half-mask. When a mall maintenance worker spots Eric in the ventilation ducts, Eric kills him by forcing his head into a running fan. Eric attacks anyone who threatens Melody; he kills a guard, who spies on women in the dressing room via mall security video, by crushing him into an electrical panel using a forklift. A masked mugger attacks Melody in the parking lot, but Eric shoots him with the crossbow. Later the mugger is revealed to be the mall pianist; Eric kills him on the toilet with a poisonous snake. The mall owner's son, Justin, harasses Melody's friend Susie; Eric kills him with a lasso pulled into the mall escalator. Reporter Peter Baldwin becomes interested in Melody, investigates the suspicious fire, and with Melody, Susie and pal Buzz, tries to learn if Eric is still alive. A year earlier, Eric Matthews' house was destroyed in a suspicious fire which apparently trapped and killed him, just after he saved his girlfriend Melody. Now, a year later, in the mall built over the site of his home, Eric plants a time-delay bomb beneath the mall, timed to coincide with the mall's grand opening.Mall guard Christopher Volker attacks Melody and Peter at gunpoint as they talk, in a car, about the fire; he boasts that he is the arsonist. As they escape and Volker chases them with his car, Eric leaps onto the roof, distracting him and causing a crash. Later, Volker attacks Melody again, knocking her unconscious. Eric fights him, then kills him using the automatic box crusher, and carries Melody to his lair.
Buzz (in Pauly Shore's first on-screen full moon
Mooning
Mooning is the act of displaying one's bare buttocks by removing clothing, e.g., by lowering the backside of one's trousers and underpants, usually bending over, whether also exposing the genitals or not...
) tricks a guard away from the video surveillance booth so he and Susie can search for Melody. Melody awakens, and talks with Eric. She is glad he is alive, but confesses she does not love him anymore; he angrily declares that he has planted the bomb, so she will die and be with him forever anyways.
As Peter searches for Melody in the tunnels, Eric deploys the snake to kill him, for being interested in Melody. When Peter retreats, then later finds them anyways, Eric tries to fight and kill him, but Eric is stunned by Melody's shout that she loves Peter. Peter takes the chance to knock Eric out, so the pair escape and are able to warn Buzz and Susie of the bomb. Eric revives and kills those involved in the arson, the coverup, and the construction of the mall: mall owner Harv Posner and the complicit Mayor Karen Wilton. Melody, Peter, Buzz and Susie, and all of the mall patrons escape, as Eric's subterranean bomb explodes, destroying the mall.
Cast
- Derek RydallDerek RydallDerek Rydall is an American screenwriter, screenplay consultant, script doctor, stuntman and author. -Acting career:He has also worked as an actor, starring in several films & television shows with Tom Skerritt, Charles Bronson, Elliot Gould, Tony Roberts , Paulie Shore, director John Turtletaub,...
as Eric Matthews, The Phantom of the Mall - Jonathan GoldsmithJonathan GoldsmithJonathan Goldsmith is an American actor. He began his career on the New York stage, then started a career in film and television. He appeared in several TV shows in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s...
as Harv Posner, Mall Owner - Rob EstesRob EstesRobert Estes is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Harry Wilson on the Teen drama 90210, as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the Crime drama Silk Stalkings, and as Kyle McBride on the Primetime Soap opera Melrose Place.-Career:Estes first became interested in an acting career while training...
as Peter Baldwin, Reporter - Pauly ShorePauly ShorePaul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor who starred in several comedy films in the 1990s and hosted a video show on MTV in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
as Buzz, Yogurt Clerk - Kimber Sissons as Susie, Fashion Clerk
- Gregory Scott Cummins as Christopher Volker, Security Guard
- Tom FridleyTom FridleyTom Fridley is an American film and television actor.The son of Ellen Travolta, stepson of Jack Bannon, nephew of John Travolta and Joey Travolta, cousin of Jonathan Rau, and half-brother of Molly Allen, Fridley has played supporting roles in television and film.His film credits include The Karate...
as Justin, Posner's Son - Kari Whitman as Melody Austin
- Morgan FairchildMorgan FairchildMorgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
as Mayor Karen Wilton - Dante D'Andre as Piano man
Production
The film was shot in southern California at Sherman Oaks GalleriaSherman Oaks Galleria
Sherman Oaks Galleria is a shopping mall and business center located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States, at the corner of Ventura and Sepulveda Boulevards in the San Fernando Valley....
, Promenade Mall (now Westfield Promenade
Westfield Promenade
The Westfield Promenade is a large shopping mall owned by Westfield Group and located on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in the Woodland Hills district of Los Angeles...
) and Valencia Studios, "an old warehouse converted for the film."
Release
The film was released December 1, 1989. It was made available on video by Fries Entertainment in February 1990. A DVD was released by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment in 2006.Reception
The Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
was bluntly negative in its assessment of the film, comparing it with other Phantom of the Opera film adaptations: "this schlock-slasher version of Leroux's shocker--with the Phantom turned into a burned, vengeful teen prowling the air-tunnels of a posh suburban shopping mall--is, hands down, the most inept, pointless, puerile and inane." The review continued: "scarcely a scene isn't gross or ridiculous, scarcely a performance isn't forced or shallow, scarcely a line of dialogue isn't a burbling, awkward cliche. There's a perfection of awfulness here that almost commands respect; it can't have been easy to keep going on this picture after a look or two at the rushes."
Charles Tatum of Australian review site EFilmCritic.com gave the film one star (of four), "Worse than Montezuma's Revenge", writing "you probably did not need a plot sketch since the entire story is in the title. Someone named Eric is taking revenge against people as a phantom of a mall. This also means there is no suspense. We know Eric is behind this, but we still have to see Estes and Cute Girl go through the motions of a silly investigation."
In his "Final Verdict," Andrew Smith of UK review site PopcornPictures.co.uk gave the film one star, stating "You should know the 80s slasher drill by now. No scares, suspense, story, acting or characters - just novelty death scenes and a psychotic villain. When a film fails to deliver on the latter two AND the rest, then it's really bottom of the barrel stuff."
External links
- Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge review. Ross Horsley, Anchorwoman In Peril blog, January 26, 2008.
- Short-n-tasty Rev-yooo Round-up reviews. Finalgirl blog, August 18, 2008.