Night of the Comet

Night of the Comet
Original 1984 theatrical poster
Directed by	Thom Eberhardt
Written by	Thom Eberhardt
Produced by	Andrew Lane Wayne Crawford
Starring	Catherine Mary Stewart Kelli Maroney Robert Beltran
Cinematography	Arthur Albert
Edited by	Fred Stafford
Music by	David Richard Campbell
Distributed by	Atlantic Releasing Corporation
Release date	November 16, 1984 (USA)
Running time	95 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3,000,000 (estimated) (Director has stated $700,000)
Box office	$14,418,922 (USA) (sub-total)

Night of the Comet is a 1984 film directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran, and Kelli Maroney. It has elements of such diverse genres as science fiction, horror, zombie apocalypse, comedy, and romance. The film was voted number 10 in Bloody Disgusting's Top 10 Doomsday Horror Films in 2009.

Plot

The Earth is expected to pass through the tail of a rogue comet—an event which has not occurred in 65 million years, the last time coinciding with the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs. On the night of the comet's impending mid-December passage, large crowds gather to celebrate the event.

Eighteen-year-old Regina "Reggie" Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart) is an employee at a movie theater in southern California. Annoyed to find her high score on the arcade game Tempest has been beaten by someone with the initials "DMK", she then sleeps with her boyfriend, the movie theater projectionist, in the steel lined projection booth at the theater. Meanwhile, back at Reggie's house, her sixteen-year-old sister Samantha "Sam" (Kelli Maroney) argues with their stepmother, and Sam is punched in the face.

The next morning, a reddish haze covers everything, and there are no people, animals or other signs of life, only small piles of red dust and empty clothes where people stood and watched the comet's passage. Reggie and her boyfriend wake up, unaware that anything strange has happened. The boyfriend steps out into the alley behind the theater and is immediately killed by a zombie-like creature. When Reggie comes looking for her missing boyfriend, she encounters the zombie in the act of eating something. The zombie tries to attack her, but she escapes. Finding herself in the newly-empty world, she goes home and finds her sister. Sam had spent the night in a metal yard shed after the fight with her stepmother.

After figuring out what has happened, they hear a disc jockey on the radio and head to the station, only to find that it is just a recording. However, they do meet another survivor there, Hector Gomez (Robert Beltran), who spent the night in the back of his steel semi truck. When Sam speaks on air, the broadcast is heard by government researchers in an underground think tank. They call and notify her that a rescue team is on its way. The scientists note that the zombies, though less exposed to the comet, will soon disintegrate into dust themselves. Reggie tells Hector that, as military brats, she and Sam were taught self-defense techniques and how to use firearms by their father. Hector then leaves to see if any of his family survived. In true Valley Girl fashion, Reggie and Sam go shopping at a local mall. After a surprise firefight with some zombie ex-stock boys, the girls are taken prisoner, but are saved by the rescue team from the think tank.

Reggie is immediately taken back to their base. Audrey White (Mary Woronov), a dying, disillusioned scientist, offers to remain behind with Sam to wait for Hector. Another scientist who stays with them believes Sam has been exposed, and should be executed; however, Audrey realizes that Sam is actually healthy. After purportedly euthanizing Sam, she then kills the other scientist. When Hector returns, Audrey provides enough information for him and Sam to try to rescue Reggie. Audrey then gives herself a lethal injection.

The researchers had suspected and prepared for the comet's effects, but inadvertently left their ventilation system open during the comet's passage. Meanwhile, Reggie has become suspicious, escapes, and discovers that the dying scientists have hunted down healthy survivors and rendered them brain-dead, so they can harvest their untainted blood to look for a cure.

Hector and Sam free Reggie, along with a young boy and a girl Reggie has rescued from being the next victims. Some of the researchers are killed in the escape, while the rest presumably perish from the comet's after-effects.

Eventually, rain washes away the red dust and the world is left in a pristine condition. The group becomes a conventional family unit, except for Sam, who feels left out. When she ignores Reggie's warning and crosses a deserted street against the still-operating signal light, she is almost run over by a sports car driven by one Danny Mason Keener, a teenager her own age. After apologizing, he invites her to go for a ride. As they drive off, the car is shown sporting the initials "DMK" on the vanity plate, possibly implying that he is the one who beat Reggie's video game score.

Cast

• Catherine Mary Stewart as Regina Belmont
• Kelli Maroney as Samantha Belmont
• Robert Beltran as Hector Gomez
• Sharon Farrell as Doris, Reggie and Sam's stepmother
• Mary Woronov as Audrey White
• Geoffrey Lewis as Dr. Carter, the leader of the think tank
• Peter Fox as Dr. Wilson, one of the researchers
• John Achorn as Oscar
• Michael Bowen as Larry Dupree
• Devon Ericson as Minder
• Lissa Layng as Davenport
• Janice Kawaye as Sarah, the young rescued girl

Home video

Night of the Comet was released on VHS cassette on August 30, 1985, and distributed by CBS/FOX Video. A second US VHS printing, distributed by Goodtimes Video, was released on August 30, 1990. The film was officially released on Region 1 DVD on March 6, 2007, and on Region 2 DVD in the UK on January 18, 2010.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack for the film was released on vinyl LP Record and Audio Cassette from Macola Records shortly after the movie was released. One notable song on the soundtrack was "Learn to Love Again" a love duet performed by Amy Holland and Chris Farren. The song was heard in the final scene in the movie and in the closing credits, as well. Some other songs include "The Whole World is Celebratin'" (also performed by Chris Farren), "Lady in Love" by Revolver, who had recorded two other songs for the film "Unbelievable" and "Tell Me Yourself". The rest of the songs on the soundtrack include "Strong Heart" by John Townsend, "Trouble" by Skip Adams, "Living on the Edge" by Jocko Marcellino, "Virgin in Love" by Thom Pace, and "Hard Act to Follow" by Diana DeWitt.

See also

• List of American films of 1984

External links

• Night of the Comet at IMDb
• Night of the Comet at AllMovie
• Night of the Comet at Rotten Tomatoes