Strange Behavior

Directed by Michael Laughlin
Written by

Bill Condon
Michael Laughlin

Produced by

Antony I. Ginnane
John Barnett

Starring

Michael Murphy
Louise Fletcher
Dan Shor
Fiona Lewis
Arthur Dignam

Cinematography Louis Horvath
Edited by Petra von Oelffen
Music by Tangerine Dream
Production
companies


Hemdale
Fay Richwhite
South Street Films
Gupta Film Services
Flavius Films
Endeavour Productions
Bannon Glen

Distributed by

GUO Film Distributors (Australia)
Endeavour Productions (New Zealand)
World Northal (US)

Release dates


16 October 1981 (U.S.)
17 June 1982 (Australia)

Running time
94 minutes
Countries

Australia
New Zealand
United States

Language English
Budget $1 million[1]

Strange Behavior (also known as Dead Kids) is a 1981 slasher film written and directed by Michael Laughlin, co-written with Bill Condon, and starring Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, and Dan Shor. Its plot follows a series of bizarre murders being perpetrated against teenagers in a small Midwestern town, at the same time that the local university is engaging in covert mind control experiments on the youth.

An international co-production between the United States, New Zealand, and Australia, the film was intended as the first installment of the Strange Trilogy which was cancelled after the second installment, Strange Invaders, failed to attract a large enough audience. It is a homage to the pulp horror films of the 1950s. The film is considered a seminal work of New Zealand cinema, being the first horror film produced in the country. It has since attracted a large cult following.

While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 during the video nasty panic.

Cast

Michael Murphy as John Brady
Louise Fletcher as Barbara Moorehead
Dan Shor as Pete Brady
Fiona Lewis as Gwen Parkinson
Arthur Dignam as Dr. Le Sange
Dey Young as Caroline
Marc McClure as Oliver Myerhoff
Charles Lane as Donovan
Scott Brady as Detective Shea
Beryl Te Wiata as Mrs. Haskell
Elizabeth Cheshire as Lucy Brown
Jim Boelsen as Waldo
Bill Condon as Bryan Morgan
William Hayward as Mr. Robinson
Alma Woods as Mildred

Production

In the 70s, Bill Condon was living in Los Angeles while attending UCLA film school.[1] Before qualification for his residency elapsed, he took a job at Avco Embassy Pictures working for then head Robert Rehme.[1] Condon continued to write articles for film magazines while working at his full time position.[1] One of Condon's articles penned for Millimeter in 1978 was read by Michael Laughlin who then called Condon and offered him a job which lead to their teaming on Dead Kids.[1]

Though set in Galesburg, Illinois, USA, the film was shot in Auckland, New Zealand, and filmed under the title Dead Kids.[2]

The Encyclopedia of Horror designates the film as a New Zealand film. It lists several of the similar productions of its Australian producer Antony I Ginnane and frequent collaborator David Hemmings, who is Executive Producer of this film through the Hemdale Film Corporation. The book opines that "Dead Kids must count as one of their most professional efforts."[3]

Strange Behavior received largely favorable reviews upon its release.[2] Janet Maslin of The New York Times noted that the pacing was at times slow, but praised the performances of Michael Murphy as the small-town police chief and impelled-into hero, stating "Mr. Murphy displays both the banality and the stalwart courage of which all such movie characters were once made," and as the female mad scientist, the role was "played marvelously by Fiona Lewis," and concluded that the film "belongs to two movie species, both of them nearly extinct. It's a 1950s mad-scientist movie, or at least a very fond and painstaking reincarnation of same. And it's a small, original, offbeat film of the sort that is out of fashion."[4]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features electronic music by Tangerine Dream. Also included are songs "The Ritz" and "Jumping Out a Window" by Pop Mechanix, "Shivers" by The Birthday Party, and "Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie. "The Ritz" and "Lightnin' Strikes" are heard at a teenage costume party during which characters (including two enacted by Ngila Dickson and Peta Rutter) spontaneously perform a synchronised dance routine to "Lightnin' Strikes". The soundtrack has never been officially released until April 1, 2022 on CD by the label Buy Soundtrack and on LP for the Record Store Day by the label Terrorvision; Some of the Tangerine Dream tracks are available on the fan release Tangerine Tree 50: Assorted Secrets 2 and another bootleg CD with the complete score was released by Film Music Treasury.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1G6LwletX0