USA, 1978
76m
35mm film, colour, 1.85:1
mono, English
An American comedy horror film directed by Wayne Berwick. Production began on 2 October 1978.
Plot Summary
Hen-pecked husband Donald finally tires of his wife’s terrible microwave cooking, murders her and serves up her microwaved body to his fellow construction workers. When his supply of meat runs out, he turns to murder.
Credits
Crew
Directed by: Wayne Berwick
© 1983 Reel Life Productions
Reel Life Productions presents. A Chez Reel Life creation (condemned by Good Housekeeping)
Produced by: Thomas Singer and Craig Muckler
Screenplay by: Thomas Singer
Based on an Original Story by: Craig Muckler
Director of Photography: Karen Grossman
Editor: Steve Nielson
Music: Leif Horvath
Sound Mixer: Susumo Takumo (le bartender)
Makeup: Christy Newquist (l’hostess)
Art Director: Robert Burns
Cast
Jackie Vernon (Donald (le chef))
Loren Schein (Roosevelt (the cook))
Al Troupe (Philip (the cook))
Claire Ginsberg as May (la specialite de la maison)
John Harmon (Dr Gestalp (le shrink))
Cindy Gant (Susie Grubb (la dessert))
Lou Ann Webber (Dee Dee Dee (l’hors d’oeuvre))
Norman Friedman (Mr Goodbite (le buffet)
Phil De Carlo (Sam (le chaser))
Aaron Koslow (salesman (le weirdo))
Anna Marlowe (chick (la poultry))
Ed Thomas (Dr Von der Fool (le house doctor))
Marla Simon (knothole girl (l’aperatif))
Sarah Alt (Evelyn (la pain))
Karen Marshall (neighbour (la cocktail))
Debra Draper Berwick (la nurse (les condiments))
Malvina Ackerman (la waitress (les condiments))
Al Mannino (le fruit (les condiments))
Elaine Barker (la greasy delight (les condiments))
Brad Ford (le drunk (les condiments))
Alternative Titles
Gevmata frikis – Greece (video)
La masacre del microondas – Spain
Mikrofalowe morderstwo – Poland
Links
Extracts included in
My Microwave Massacre Memoirs (2016)
Press
1983
Variety 31 August 1983 p.20
[A]n amateurish comedy dwelling on cannibalism in its lampooning of gory horror films. […] Filmmakers Wayne Berwick, Thomas Singer and Craig Muckler overplay this material for cheap laughs, with mugging actors including the usually deadpan Vernon. Gore is very fake-looking, aiming at viewers laughing at the production rather than being outraged by realism. Emphasizing vulgar gags and slowing down the dialog delivery results in an embarrassing, generally unfunny exercise, punctuated by the usual quota of female nude shots. Budget is microscopic, with passable technical credits. In explaining Donald’s final comeuppance (yes, even in amoral farragoes such as this there lurks some form of retribution), picture briefly intimates a supernatural element, but this is not enough to attract the interest of traditional horror film fans. – from a review by Lor
References
Periodicals
- Variety 31 August 1983 p.20 (USA) – credits, review (by Lor)
- Videomania! no.4 p.1 – note
Books
- The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror by Phil Hardy (ed.) p.338
- The Films of the Eighties by Robert A. Nowlan and Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan p.359
- Horror and Science Fiction Films II by Donald C. Willis p.254
- The Mammoth Book of Slasher Movies: An A-Z Guide to Over Sixty Years of Blood and Guts by Peter Normanton pp.310-312
- Serial Killer Cinema: An Analytical Filmography by Robert Cetti p.285
