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Bill Hudson, Mark Hudson, Brett Hudson, Cindy Pickett, Richard Kiel ... see more see more... , Julie Newmar , Bud Cort , Robert Donner , Murray Hamilton , Clint Walker , Franklyn Ajaye , Charlie Callas , Keenan Wynn , Gary Owens , Robert Alan Browne , Sue Casey , Gene Castle , Pat Colbert , Natalie Core , Bill Cort , John Larroquette , Maurice Sneed , Kathy Cherry , Dick Chudnow , Pamela Bowman

During the peak of the slasher-movie boom of the early '80s, there were numerous attempts at Airplane!-style horror parodies, all of which fell considerably short of their comic targets and vanished i... read more read more...nto cable-TV obscurity. Hysterical, an abortive vehicle for the questionable comic talents of the Hudson Brothers, is perhaps the weakest of the lot. Bill Hudson plays Fred Lansing, a writer vacationing at a rustic lighthouse in the deceptively idyllic Oregon fishing town of Hellview, where he is tormented by the apparition of Venecia (Julie Newmar), a local woman who killed herself one hundred years ago. The lovelorn Venecia wishes to use Fred's body as the vessel for the spirit of her dead husband, Captain Howdy (Richard Kiel, once again typecast as a great big guy), and isn't particularly interested in Fred's opinion on the matter. When Howdy apparently grumbles to life, several townspeople are subsequently murdered in ghastly ways, leading a pair of bumbling detectives (Mark Hudson and Brett Hudson) to investigate the horrific history of the Hellview lighthouse and generally make nuisances of themselves. Filled with insipid puns, tired sight gags, silly musical numbers, and unfunny cameo appearances from the likes of Bud Cort and Charlie Callas, this inept spoof has perhaps three genuine laughs scattered throughout its ninety-minute runtime, amounting to only one decent joke per half-hour of wasted film. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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52% liked it

2,333 ratings

PG, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Chris Bearde

Release Date: January 1, 1983

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DVD Release Date: January 30, 2001

Stats: 64 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (64)

  • YosemiteSamFan
    July 10, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    I loved it as a kid when they showed this movie every free Pay-TV weekend in the 80's. It had funny jokes about my favorite horror films. It was just as good as Airplane! I thought.

    Now it's a bit goofy, dated and cheesy. The Ralph character who rode the bike and kept saying "... read moreYou're all doomed!" got pretty annoying.

    The Hudson Brothers had lame jokes; where did they come from, and where did they go after this weird film? Boys, it just isn't funny anymore.

    I loved the Venecia ghost woman (Julie Newmar) in the lighthouse, and her freaky husband Captain Howdy (Richard Kiel).

    The intentionally-generic opening title song is still funny today.

    "What difference does it make?"
  • moviefan1725
    October 8, 2008
    moviefan1725
    Long before the Wayans brothers dragged the horror spoof genre through the gutter with their Scary Movie series, The Hudson Brothers wrote and starred in this little gem that spoofs every horror movie from Jaws to The Exorcist. When a novelist retreats to sleepy little Hellview t... read moreo recharge his writing batteries, he becomes immersed in a 100 year old mystery involving a haunted lighthouse, and the discovery of the long dead lighthouse keeper, Captain James Howdy. The townsfolk call in two inept...whoops, I mean intrepid adventurers, Dr. Paul Baton and Fritz, to investigate what it all means. When the corpse of Captain Howdy returns to life, he begins killing townspeople, turning them in to turtleneck wearing zombies who say only "What difference does it make?" It's all tied in to the spirit that inhabits the light in the lighthouse. Completely non-sensical, cheesy, and juevenille, it's also inexplicably entertaining. Set on the Oregon coast, the movie does contain a certain cool atmosphere that adds to the movies charm. A lot of well known character actors make the most of their small roles, including Murray Hamilton, spoofing his own role of the town mayor from Jaws. As usual, he refuses to close the beaches. Watch for John Larroquette in a small role as the worlds worst tour boat guide, Bob X. Cursion. Other genre character actors include Richard "Jaws" Kiel, Julie "Catwoman" Newmar, Franklyn Ajaye, and Cindy Pickett. Parodies of Dracula, Jaws, The Exorcist, Friday the 13th, Night Of The Living Dead, and countless others abound, culminating in a dancing zombie musical number. Not a gut busting laugh riot, but incredibly charming, and undeniably fun. I don't think the movie ever got a theatrical release. It's one of those movies I discovered long ago on cable, thinking I was the only one who ever saw it. Over the years I've met many others who have the same "Oh yeah, I remember that movie! I love that movie!" moment of recognition when I mention it. A cult movie if there ever was one.
  • cacutshaw
    March 23, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Remember the Hudson Brothers? That wacky comedy team that follows in the footsteps of the Marx Bros? Don't worry, no on does.
    Still, I loved it when I was a kid, especially "The Hop" scene. I would really love to see this one again.
  • chainmailgirl
    October 20, 2007
    chainmailgirl
    Silly Hudson Brothers spoof of horror movies. Rented it on a whim and have now seen it so many times that I can speak along with the movie. Sadly, I'm one of few, so mumbling: "What difference does it make?" rarely results in anyone understanding.
  • BassManNV
    July 24, 2007
    BassManNV
    I'm a little eh out of it. THe acting's just below par, and that's the best element, besides the dance numbers.

    It's just... out there. A Halloween-themed movie with klittle concrete plot, but at the same time I have this stuff to say:

    1) It's so gosh-effing terrible, th... read moreat it's kind of funny. IT dances (literally) over the line between serious comedy and we-kind-of-know-this-flop-is-a-joke, and that inconsistency is a little daunting.

    2) Very quotable.

    But oddly enough, "what difference does it make?"

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Critic Reviews

Scott Weinberg
July 25, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Tries real hard, but yields very little. Deservedly obscure early 80's horror spoof.

Emanuel Levy
August 11, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Michael Szymanski
November 7, 2002
Michael Szymanski, Zap2it.com

No review available.

Philip Martin
July 30, 2002
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Hysterical Trivia

  • In which movie can you find a hysterical banker and a granny-stooping producer?  Answer »
  • In what film does the hysterical line " Put a nother shrimp on the baaarbeey" (in a poor australian accent) come from?  Answer »
  • name the 1981 movie starring CHEVY CHASE & DABNEY COLEMAN in which there was an hysterical scene that CHEVY'S character makes the ballet a little more interesting!  Answer »
  • In what 1983 movie did Richard Kiel (Jaws, from the Bond films) play Captain Howdy?  Answer »
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