Munchies (film)
Munchies is a 1987 comedy horror film starring Harvey Korman, Charlie Stratton, and Nadine Van der Velde. Directed by Tina Hirsch, the film editor for Gremlins, the film features a remarkably similar plotline. It spawned two sequels, Munchie and Munchie Strikes Back, which possess no relation to the original film save the titles. These two films dealt with an impish, wish-granting creature named Munchie.
| Munchies | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Bettina Hirsch |
| Produced by | Roger Corman |
| Written by | Lance Smith |
| Starring | Harvey Korman Charlie Stratton Nadine Van der Velde |
| Music by | Ernest Troost |
| Distributed by | New Concorde |
Release date | March 1987 |
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Language | English |
Plot summary
The protagonist, space archaeologist Simon Watterman, discovers a fossilized "Munchie" in a cave in Peru and accidentally reanimates it. Bringing the specimen back to the United States, Watterman's son and girlfriend name it Arnold. Cecil Watterman, Simon's evil twin brother and snack food entrepreneur, kidnaps Arnold while Cindy and Paul are making out.
When Arnold is hurt by his kidnappers, it becomes aggressive and attacks Cecil's adopted son. Attempting to kill Arnold, they chop him into quarters, but instead of dying, Arnold multiplies into four new Munchies. The quartet of creatures develop a love of women, beer, attacking people, and junk food in the process.
Cast
- Charlie Stratton (Charles Stratton) as Paul Watterman
- Nadine Van der Velde as Cindy
- Harvey Korman as Cecil Watterman and Simon Watterman
- Alix Elias as Melvis
- Hardy Rawls as Big Ed
- Robert Picardo as Bob Marvalle
- Wendy Schaal as Marge Marvalle
- Paul Bartel as Dr. Crowder
- Ellen Albertini Dow as Little Old Lady
- Steven Bernstein as Dean
- Frank Welker as the voice of Munchie
- Fred Newman as the voice of Munchie[1]
Production
Tina Hirsch had edited three films for Corman in the 1970s. In the mid 80s she wanted to direct and told him. Corman wanted to make a Gremlins knock off, which were profitable at the time, and since Hirsch had edited that film it seemed a good fit. Munchies was shot over 12 days, followed by three days of filming puppets and inserts.[2]
References
- "Munchies (1987) - Full cast and crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
- Borseti, Francesco (12 August 2016). It Came from the 80s!: Interviews with 124 Cult Filmmakers. McFarland. p. 163. ISBN 9781476625638.
