Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! is typically considered a candidate for Worst Movie of All Time and I’ll concur. However, though it does bear upon the viewer in the second half, due to not being able to maintain the steam established early on, the movie is still fun and worth at least one viewing in order to say you’ve been there.
The easiest way to describe the film, aside from its plot which hides little outside its title, is that it is a lesser Airplane!, The Kentucky Fried Movie, and Naked Gun, and is closer to Dumb and Dumber and Scary Movie 2 without the budget and subsequent production.
By in large, the scenarios and jokes contained within the film are not funny in themselves but humorous in retrospect at the thought that the director, John De Bello, and writer, Costa Dillon, thought they might be comical. For example, Sam Smith (Gary Smith) is a black undercover agent who specializes in disguise. At one point, he appears as Hitler and prattles off a number of nonsense German phrases. Yet, on a handful of occasions I caught myself laughing, such as when a news anchor (Jim Hess) is reporting on the nationwide chaos which is occurring as a result of the killer tomatoes. The television screen depicts scenes from various cities within the U.S. where people are running in mortal fear. With the announcement of each metropolis, the same people are seen pummeling forward, hurrying in the opposite direction than those in the prior city.
However, this does not mean to imply that the film maintains its comedic potency. It is considered one of the worst because for every one good joke or gag, there are five putrid attempts at comedy which directly follow. This, atop poor production, cinematography, and special effects, bogs the film down throughout its running time.
At best, it is a parody of horror movies, at worst, it is one of the worst movies ever made. Truthfully, that is all there is to say about the flick. Either you like poorly made B-movies (as opposed to clever B-productions) or you don’t. If you are in the former, you have already seen this movie and probably own it, if you’re in the latter, you needn’t bother.
An interesting side note: Matt Cameron, drummer for the rock group Soundgarden, performed the song “Puberty Love” heard numerous times during the film.
-Egregious Gurnow
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
