Chopping Mall

With Chopping Mall we get characters who are breaking all the rules (drinking and sex) and killer robots. Who wouldn’t like that? Then you throw in that it’s an 80’s horror movie, and of course I’m going to watch it. I have a soft spot for 80’s horror movies. 

<img src="choppingmall.jpg" alt="Chopping Mall.">

Photo Credit: Concorde Pictures

Released: Mar 21, 1986

Runtime: 77 mins

Director: Jim Wynorski

Writer: Jim Wynorski, Steve Mitchell

Actors: Kelli Maroney, Tony O'Dell, Russell Todd

PLOT

A shopping mall implements a new security system using robots to patrol and take over the security. Meanwhile a group of young mall employees plan a party after hours, who end up getting trapped when the security system malfunctions, turning the robots into killing machines.

MY THOUGHTS

There are 9 human kills and of course the 3 robots are taken down. We get a variety of electrocutions, laser kills, and throat punctures/slashes. I think Leslie’s (Suzee Slater) death (head blown up by laser) is the most interesting. Poor Suzie (Barbara Crampton) gets set on fire and laser’s hitting her.

Just be aware we have partial nudity from Suzee Slater and Barbara Crampton. (I.E. Topless). Plus a couple of sex scenes as well as one of the technician’s is looking at partially nude magazine pictures.

For acting, decent and typical 80’s. We have Kelli Maroney as Alison, our final girl. I recognized her from Night of the Comet. I think she plays a decent character, one that plays the typical final girl. No sex or really making out. She plays the shy girl at first but seems to like Ferdy. When people start dying, a switch seems to flip in her and she goes into smart, survival mode. Of course, later we find out she’s from a military family, who taught her some survival skills.

Barbara Crampton, beloved scream queen, plays Suzie, who introduces Alison to the group. She plays the typical young person. Though a bit annoying at one point. If they would have followed the plan, the remaining girls may have survived but Suzie freaks out and gets herself killed. Crampton is known for quite a few movies. Some examples are Re-Animator, From Beyond, several Full Moon Features, You’re Next, and the recent Jakob’s Wife.

There’s also a few smaller roles with familiar horror faces: Paul Bartel (seen in 1978 Piranha, 1982 Trick or Treats, and Killer Party), Mary Woronov (seen in Night of the Comet, TerrorVision, and The Devil’s Rejects), Dick Miller (seen in 1959 A Bucket of Blood, Piranha, Night of the Creeps, and Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight. As a side note, Dick Miller has been in a ton of movies. I was shocked at how many. He started in the 50’s and last noted acting job was in 2019.) and Gerrit Graham (seen in Demon Seed, TerrorVision, C.H.U.D. 2, and Child’s Play 2).

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We start the movie with a company giving a presentation to several employees of a mall. They are showing the new security system which consists of steel doors that will lock down at a certain time and can’t be opened until the next morning. But the main new security item is the three new robots. They will basically be the security guards. They have the ability to taze people who are acting suspicious or don’t belong there. They are not supposed to be able to use deadly force. 

Meanwhile, several young employers are planning an after work party in one of the stores. One of the friends has the keys to the store so they just want to have fun. It should be no surprise that something bad happens. A freak electrical storm happens and hits the store. It causes the robots to malfunction and go on a killing spree (after hours of course.) The two technicians, the janitor, and the 8 friends are all in danger.

Overall, it is an 80’s horror movie so keep realistic expectations. You will get cheese. For me, I love 80’s horror so I’m all in. We get cheesy dialogue, typical topless girls, dumb decisions, but it works for me. Though the name doesn’t really fit the movie, if you like cheesy 80’s horror and early Barbara Crampton, then watch this movie. 

And now for your Forever Final Girl Exclusive…Did you know?:

  • The film was allowed to shoot at a real California mall as long as they did not damage any facilities and had removed any traces of their presence before the mall opening time of 9AM. While the mall's head of security didn't like the filmmakers and was constantly accusing them of causing disrepair, the mall's owner was supportive of the film and made sure the production was able to complete its work on schedule.

  • When the stunt crew was setting up where Greg is thrown to his death from the third level of the mall, director Jim Wynorski volunteered to try the stunt himself as long as they set him up from the second level. He completed it successfully but found out he'd broken a rib in the process. Wynorski did not tell anyone he had gotten hurt and no one found out about it during the remaining production time.

  • Jim Wynorski says Roger Corman took him out to lunch before making the film. He brought a yellow pad, "and after lunch he said this is what you gotta do and he gave me film school in an hour. Everything I learned in film school didn't count, but what he said made a lot of sense and I still have that yellow pad and I live by it. I now have it memorized, many dos and don'ts."

  • The script was full of in-jokes, writing in characters from A Bucket of Blood (1959) and Eating Raoul (1982). The writers got the actors from the respective films: Dick Miller, Mary Woronov, and Paul Bartel.

  • Jim Wynorski admitted that Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel ad-libbed the bulk of their parts.

  • Director Jim Wynorski provided the voices of the three Protector robots.

  • At least two different versions of the film exist. The TV cut has some extra footage, such as a small homage to Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957), extended scenes of Ferdy and Allison watching TV, some aerial shots, and an extension of one of the Ferdy/Allison scenes. No official source offers this version.

  • In the closing credits, the name of each actor appears over their photo. However, the name of the person whose character is decapitated appears over a photo of their headless shoulders.

Check out my other reviews here: Forever Final Girl

Let’s get into the rankings:

Kills/Blood/Gore: 3/5

Sex/Nudity: 3/5

Scare factor: 2.5/5

Enjoyment factor: 4/5

My Rank: 3.1/5

IMDB: 5.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes: critics:  5/10  audience:  3.9/10

Letterboxd: 2.9/5