BODY COUNT (1986)

BODY COUNT (1986)

Tagline: A Spring Break Vacation Turns into a Nightmare Come Alive! 

(Horror, Mystery, What Movie Is This Again?) [R]

Yeah, you know what I think about Democracy, let alone campers.

In this one, Robert and Julia watch over what is left of a dilapidated campsite shut down years earlier. As it turns out the campsite was once the location of some disturbing murders where the killer was never caught. Because of this Robert gets extra pissed when anyone shows up to the area because he has set a bunch of booby traps trying to capture or kill the killer. Meanwhile, a group of unsuspecting teenagers decided to camp at the site after Ben (Julia’s son) shows them where it is. Ben doesn’t even bother saying that his father Robert believes the suspected murderer, an old Indian shaman has returned to the area until it’s too late. It does not take long for the teens to start getting killed one by one.

First off, some consider this an Italian take on FRIDAY THE 13TH. While there are definitely setting similarities, it honestly seems to just be another formulaic ’80s slasher. If you were just going to say that teens going to the woods and getting killed made the movie “a take on FRIDAY THE 13TH” that would include maybe hundreds of horror flicks to this day. It’s supposed to take place in Colorado but was shot entirely in Italy. There is no official VHS, DVD, or Blu-Ray release of the film in the U.S., but 

Acting wise we get Andrew J. Lederer as “Sid”. He is probably best known for brief appearances on 80’s sitcoms like “Fact of Life” and “Family Ties”. In this, he’s essentially George Costanza from Seinfeld, only a different actor. He definitely provides all of the coming relief in this movie. Cynthia Thompson plays Cissy and does okay, but nothing really mind-blowing. She also shows up in the remake of NOT OF THIS EARTH. Stefano Madia is decent as Tony so I really can’t say he’s a problem in this. I have not seen any other films he’s been in. Charles Napier plays Charlie the Sheriff and does an outstanding job in spite of playing a terrible character. Napier has a really successful career that included MANIAC COP II and RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II. David Hess (ARMED AND DANGEROUS) plays Robert and does a pretty good job of portraying a jerk. Mimsy Farmer plays Julia, the chick that is cheating on her husband. I haven’t seen any of her films where she is acting but she did work in the art department for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. 

The soundtrack is very much 80’s awesomeness, but the one thing that is super close to FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III is the score. It definitely seems like it was borrowed from the opening of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART III. The ending really isn’t anything like the original FRIDAY THE 13TH. So outside of those two things, I really don’t get the comparisons. 

Every cabin in this movie is beat to heck. I get that it’s supposed to be a closed campground, but what the cow, it’s like New York City threw up in every building. I thought the script was a bit janky and there is a completely unnecessary love triangle between Robert, Julia, and Charlie the Sheriff. I think they would have been better off showing more interactions between the teens. As is, we are kind of just quickly introduced to a few, and the next thing you know the killer is pulling them through mirrors and faux walls. 

Overall this thing is not terribly produced and even though it’s not really offering anything new, I don’t mind watching films that use a formula that has stood the test of time. BODY COUNT gets a 5 out of 7. It does a lot more than a lot of other 80’s B-movie slashers to keep the audience engaged. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF OVERSEAS FILMGROUP AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.