Spookies (1986)

What "Spookies" was - based on my non-extensive, post-viewing research - initially, a completely different movie that I guess got scrapped along the way after some financiers backed out. So a new director was brought in to finish the production by coming up with a whole new premise and just cobbled the shit together based on the footage they had. So what it ended up being was basically three or so different stories clumsily mashed together. And it definitely shows...

It starts off with a 13-year old boy running away from home because his parents forgot his birthday. He comes across some shady adult man in the woods, whom he exchanges brief dialog with before leaving the man to be killed by some kind of cat-man creature wearing a pirate shirt. The kid shows up at secluded mansion where he finds a birthday party set-up (cake, presents, etc...) but no people. After opening a present to find a talking human head inside, he runs from the house where he is chased and killed by cat-pirate. The movie then shifts to a group of people who show up at the mansion to party. However, things go awry when the house's primary inhabitant (whose head was in the box...) starts playing a deadly game of 'chess', using his new visitors as the pawns... Oh, and he has some chick he loves preserved in a coffin...

So, of course, the direction and editing are beyond horrible and nonsensical. What "Spookies" is more or less known for is its multitude of make-up and creature FX - the vivacity of which is actually pretty spotty. Some of the FX are decent while others look like dollar store Halloween costumes. I think the effects work was suppose to act as the redeeming factor of this flick, but, in the end that really couldn't save it. In all, "Spookies" is just a slapped together mess that should have just been aborted the first time production funds were pulled. This outcome just doesn't work...