Spontaneous Combustion

 

Spontaneous Combustion 1989

• Director: Tobe Hooper
• Based on the book: no
• Cast: Brad Dourif, Cynthia Bain
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Brad Dourif – Fringe, Lord of the Rings, Alien Resurrection, Jungle Fever, Mississippi Burning
• Why? I can’t remember
• Seen: 17 August 2023      

       What a bizarre film. Sam (Dourif) self-combusts and learns that his parents had taken part in a nuclear experiment and died from self-combustion when he was a baby.

       If this is an anti-nuclear power, the message is far from clear. I have rarely, if ever, seen such a collection of bad acting, but it almost seems to be deliberate, like it’s a parody of a 50s horror film. Maybe it is. IMDb informs me that it’s by the same director who made The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which I have never seen and never will. This is so bad that it might be good. Or maybe it’s just bad. I can’t decide. 1* for my indecision, and 1* for the red Studebaker. We had a Studebaker when I was a kid, but it was green. 

2* of 5