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Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, Dan Shor, Fiona Lewis, Arthur Dignam ... see more see more... , Scott Brady , Dey Young , Marc McClure , Charles Lane , Elizabeth Cheshire , Beryl TeWiata , Jim Boelsen , John Clarke , Sue Moore , Lulu Sylbert , William Hayward , Richard Moore , Terry Donovan , Andrew Glover

Dead Kids, aka Strange Behavior, is a creepy exercise from director Michael Laughlin--who conceived this as part one of an abortive "Strange Trilogy" which also included 1983's Strange Invaders. Altho... read more read more...ugh lensed in New Zealand, the film is set in a sleepy American town, in which a series of gory murders committed by local teenagers are linked to a twisted brainwashing scheme by a deranged behavioral psychologist (note irony please). Despite some humorous details (e.g. one killer dons a Tor Johnson mask) and a nostalgia for '50s pulp horrors (not to mention a fondness for splattery death scenes), the disparate plot elements don't come together as well as they should, failing to live up to the premise's potential for guilty chuckles or gasps of horror. Fiona Lewis is sexually menacing as the mad doc's assistant, but Louise Fletcher's wasted role may make viewers pine for Nurse Ratched. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Flixster Users

36% liked it

442 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

6 critics

R, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Michael Laughlin

Release Date: October 16, 1981

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DVD Release Date: December 9, 2003

Stats: 39 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (39)


  • January 30, 2011
    an interestingly quirky teen slasher, a bit less generic than your usual slasher flick from the 80s. The plot is decent but quite slow-paced, and there's the occasional brutal stabbing murder, even though they're not very graphic they're nasty enough. It's got a cool musical scor... read moree by Tangerine Dream too. Overall it's not a brilliant film but worth a look if you like slow-building atmospheric slashers.
  • January 10, 2011
    This horror movie has a silly plot, but it's so bad, I loved it, it's unintentionally funny and enjoyable because of that.
  • May 15, 2010
    I was really impressed by this horror movie. It has parts that are so bad, they're funny, but it is also exciting and surprising at other times. I really enjoyed it.
  • September 6, 2009
    Louise Fletcher is a ray of sunshine in this ineptly storied, early 80's teen tale of college horror.

Critic Reviews


Dennis Schwartz
February 6, 2011
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Both grisly and absurd. Full Review

Cole Smithey
August 27, 2009
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

...a campy B-horror movie with some very funny moments. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
April 9, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

Director Michael Laughlin knows how to set up good, pleasant scares, and the acting is solid. Full Review

Andreas Samuelson
November 27, 2006
Andreas Samuelson, Slasherpool

Oddball, well-made and original take on the 80s teen-slasher genre

Christopher Null
May 13, 2003
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

We need more dance numbers. We need more Tangerine Dream. Full Review

Janet Maslin
August 30, 2004
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 18, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Jeffrey M. Anderson
April 19, 2004
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

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