Strange Behavior

Directed by Michael Laughlin
R
1981    1h 41mMystery, Horror
5.680%46%5.5
When the teenagers in a small Illinois town start getting murdered, the police chief makes a connection to the mysterious scientific experiments being done at the local university and must stop them before his own son is dragged into the deadly scheme.
  • Michael MurphyJohn Brady
  • Louise FletcherBarbara Moorehead
  • Dan ShorPete Brady
  • Fiona LewisGwen Parkinson
  • Arthur DignamDr. Le Sange / Nagel
  • Dey YoungCaroline
  • Marc McClureOliver Myerhoff
  • Scott BradyShea
  • Charles LaneDonovan
  • Elizabeth CheshireLucy Brown
  • Beryl Te WiataMrs. Haskell
  • Jim BoelsenWaldo
  • Billy Al BengstonFelix Rowe
  • Nicole MassieFlying Nun
  • Bill CondonBryan Morgan / Writer / Associate Producer
  • B. Courtenay LeighPaula
  • William HaywardRobinson
  • Jack HainesRandy Morgan
  • Cindy ArnoldGirl at Party
  • Howard CrothallBoy Selling Flowers
  • jackmeatJanuary 28, 2025
    My quick rating - 5,3/10. The 80s. When a Casio keyboard can be used to compose the entire musical score of any horror movie, and do so to create some actual atmosphere. This one is really more of a thriller but it really isn't too bad. If you are my age, the party scene will make you cringe lol. In this small town USA town (filmed wonderfully in New Zealand somehow) there are some local experiments being run on the kiddos from school. In a Twilight Zone kind of way, not some quick edited montage of what the kids are going through and how to rid their brains on the problem. The scale of these experiments is dragged until the end and throughout it does well making you wonder. But part of the downfall is that there just isn't enough going on to really keep your attention. As I stated, TZ and their episodes were 30 minutes. This would have been well suited to that, or close to it. If you take the time though, and appreciate it for what it was, you'll be mildly surprised. Glad it popped up and I'll be adding to the collection.
  • Kevin WardJuly 2, 2025
    “We’re going to find the fat ones.” …..is easily the most memorable quote of the whole film. Outside of that plus a few other moments, I was unfortunately a little bored by the rest of the film. Starting with the good, a needle in the eyball will never not make me wince. The Lou Christie’s Lightening Strikes needle drop is great. That whole party scene is actually really well conceived. I loved the camera framing of one of the early kills, the babysitter (I think). The mom comes home and starts searching the house for her son and finds his hand chopped off and laying in the tub. Then when she’s on the phone we see her door start to slowly open but the camera pans away. Absolutely heightened the tension in that scene. Aside from those great moments, most of the other kills, the limited gore, and the plot twists somewhat underwhelmed.
  • Paris PaulNovember 2, 2025
    Like watching someone slipping on top of a fence and landing on his balls: this enjoyable cringe straddles two eras. A local asylum takes volunteers for psychological experiments in the 1980s. An interesting mix of 60s and 80s horror with some 70s directing thrown in.

Watch Strange Behavior Videos

  • Dead Kids
    Dead KidsTrailer
  • Dead Kids (Trailer 1)
    Dead Kids (Trailer 1)Trailer

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