A scientist is carrying out experiments on young people and through a kind of ‘Pavlov’s Dogs’- style conditioning, making them into murderers.

Strange Behavior was billed as a 1981 slasher movie when I looked into it. It’s so much more than that.

The movie has a 50’s Americana vibe to it, both visually and thematically and acts as a great homage to the horror movies of that era. It also has David Lynch vibes to it, particularly Blue Velvet- the sinister goings-on behind the white picket fences. There’s also an distinctive air to proceedings as if everyone is heavily medicated on tranquillisers (to a lesser extent, John Carpenter’s Halloween also shares this).

There’s also a kind of meta-quality to the narrative as if the filmmakers know the genre rules they’re working with and want to subvert them for a modern audience. But, this never feels geeky, cringy or awkward because of this (Hello, Wes Craven’s Scream!)

Strange Behavior changes direction very abruptly before it’s final act with the idiosyncratic riff on a teen horror movie giving way to something much darker. This would land the film on the Video Nasties list. Interestingly, the film would then be reissued uncut in 1986 but would then be cut of a particular scene on the DVD releases to follow. If you know the scene I’m referring to, then, you know what I’m referring to. The BBFC stipulated that such a graphic depiction of a certain act would lead to audience members imitating it.

Strange Behavior has a lot going on in it, a feel all of it’s own and is intelligent filmmaking that works really well. Oh, and if this wasn’t enough, it also has a Tangerine Dream soundtrack. Bonus!

3.5 out of 5 stars