Wacko (1982)

"Lawnmowers don't kill people, people kill people." - George

A serial killer spoof that probably made me a bit more wacko.
Starring: Joe Don Baker, Julia Duffy, Scot McGinnis, and George Kennedy

Link to IMDB

Mary

Mary is a typical highschool girl, except that it's been 13 years since her sister was chopped-up by a deranged murderer know as The Lawnmower Killer and the event still haunts her. It's prom day though, and Mary's determined to have a good time with her boyfriend Norman.

Across town there has been a murder at the insane asylum and one of the patients has escaped. Detective Dick Harbinger is on the case and he quickly surmises that his old nemesis, The Lawnmower Killer, has returned to continue murdering the teenagers of the town!
Dick has been obsessed with the killer for years but no one else in town believes he has returned, so Dick's working the case on his own as he follows the clues, fueled by determination and coffee.

Det. Dick

A lot of the movie is spent at the highschool as the kids get ready for the prom and a big football game. Teenage antics and random bat-shit insanity ensues, and it seems that all the characters are at least half crazy. There are many scenes spoofing the horror genre, with the plot occasionally making an appearance.

There is someone creeping around Mary though, using her phobia of lawnmowers against her. Lots of red herrings are established, so pretty much anyone could be the jerk terrorizing her.
Finally, the prom dance begins and The Lawnmower Killer appears! He attacks a few people, but his main target is Mary. She's not going down without a fight, and things remain incredibly silly right to the very end.

"You can't go into a tizzy every time someone throws a lawnmower though the window." - Doc

The Killer

This is one of those movies that makes so little sense that you forget pieces of it as you're watching it. Basically, the memory gremlins in my head started pulling out wires, demanding that I form no new memories related to the movie in hopes of preventing insanity.
The best part of the movie is definitely Joe Don Baker's performance. He plays a spoof of his infamous role in Mitchell, as a sloppy and grim detective that survives on nothing but coffee, beer and cigarettes.
There are some amazing and memorable moments, but the chaos of stupidity gets a bit tiresome at times. But I was laughing quite a bit, because fighting against the trashy humour defeats the purpose of enjoying cinema trash.


Be sure not to miss:
- You'll randomly hear an elephant throughout the movie. It eventually gets explained.
- Notable cameos: Charles Napier, and a young Andrew Dice Clay.
- Dick's suitcase of coffee.
- Where baby lawnmowers come from.

Internet review:
"Move over Star Wars, Wacko is the greatest movie of all time." - mcauz

Should I watch it?
It's worth it for Joe Don Baker... Just turn off your brain first.

Where can I find it?
One of the gorilla links here.

Wacko gets...