Monster in the Closet (1987)
After several people and a dog are found dead in their closets a "mild-mannered" reporter, a college professor, her son and a befuddled professor band together to uncover the mystery but not without involving the U.S. Army and mass panic.
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That was an excellent one.
Just what I expected
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
A hideous creature (played by Predator performer Kevin Peter Hall) emerges from closets to kill innocent people; aspiring reporter Clark (Donald Grant), scientist Dr. Pennyworth (Henry Gibson), youngster 'Professor' Bennett (Fast and Furious star-to-be Paul Walker) and his mother Diane (Denise DuBarry) attempt to try and work out what drives the monster and how to stop it.Given its suggestive title and San Francisco setting, I thought that Monster in the Closet would have some kind of gay agenda, but apart from the fact that the (presumably male) creature carries off handsome reporter Clark at the end, instead of the girl, the film doesn't really explore any potential homosexual subtext. Instead, this silly Troma film concentrates on what the studio specialises in: dumb comedy and even dumber horror, with a smattering of topless female nudity (courtesy of middle-aged MILF Stella Stevens). It's all extremely daft, the gags weak and the monster a hilarious z-grade rubber creation with an Alien-like extendable mandible, but it's reasonably undemanding fun for those who enjoy schlock.From a technical standpoint, the film does rise above the usual Troma output, with smart editing and plenty of impressive fluid camera movement (including what I believe to be Louma crane shots), so much so that I was surprised to see that director Bob Dahlin didn't go onto bigger and better things (on the contrary, this was his only ever movie as director). The film also benefits from a cast of familiar faces that includes Donald Moffat, Claude Akins, John Carradine, and Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas in her movie debut.4.5, rounded up to 5 for managing to show Stella Stevens in the shower, not once, but three times!
...i saw "MONSTER IN MY CLOSET" one day, back in the 90's, when i stayed home sick from school. It has always stuck with me as one of the more well-done tributes to 50's style scifi, while also being a very clever spoof of the genre.The performances are all grade-8 cheese, but highly entertaining.I've always been surprised by how much emotion i felt for the monster, in the final reel. Even as a 12 year old kid i really felt the monster's love for the reporter. When he chooses death over not being able to fit in the closet with the guy, it almost brings a tear to my eye.Of course, all these years later the entire concept of the closet and it's representation of repressed homosexuality just adds another wonderful layer to the satire.This one really deserves more kudos!
If you know any Troma movie -- an example is "The Toxic Avenger" -- then you should have an idea of what to expect in "Monster in the Closet". This is a very tongue-in-cheek flick. After three people get killed in their closets, a San Francisco reporter goes to the town to investigate, and discovers that there's literally a monster appearing in people's closets! Nothing can stop this beast! One of the interesting things is the mixture of characters. There's the nerdy reporter (Donald Grant), a teacher whom he loves (Denise DuBarry), her hyper-intellectual son (Paul Walker of "The Fast and the Furious"), a scientist (Henry Gibson) who resembles Einstein and wants to communicate with the monster, a nervous priest (Howard Duff), a general (Donald Moffat) who knows nothing except brute force, and a number of other people. Watch for John Carradine and Stella Stevens in small roles.As I was saying, this movie is not meant to be taken seriously. The whole thing is pretty much a joke. I wonder if the title subtly implies that the monster is gay or something. Whether or not it does, this movie is just plain funny. And Stella Stevens sure is a fox!
This funny and sometimes charming slapstick parody of monster films and mockery of the old "monster in the closet" children's bedtime phobia features some interesting debut performances including, 6'5" Pittsburgh native, Kevin Peter Hall who starred as the original 'Predator', and pop singer, Stacey Ferguson (Fergie) as a child actor. Released by Troma Pictures, this little exercise in satirical humor never takes itself seriously even at its most violent (which isn't very intense anyway given its PG rating). A superman alter-ego-type named Clark is a journalist trying to uncover the mysterious "closet murders" in a small city by what appears to be a random rampaging beast of some sort that travels from closet to closet. Police and citizens are baffled until the monster shows itself, and that's when things really get silly. Clark teams up with a cute, conservative teacher (Denise DuBarry) and Sheriff (Claude Akins) to find a way to stop the snarling monstrosity (Kevin Peter Hall in a rubber suit). This also has some zany performances by Donald Moffet , John Carradine as a blind old man and Henry Gibson as an eccentric scientist. The final solution for this absurdity is a real hoot! "Destroy all closets!" Shot in 1983, but not released until 1987, anyone with even the slightest sense of humor will chuckle at this overlooked little flick.