By YASMINA KETITA
Planet Earth: 1988, when you thought pressing “play” on your VCR was safe… REMOTE CONTROL is here to prove that hitting play, leads to murder! Who would’ve thought 1950s science fiction movies would be the ultimate demise of your brain cells? View-O-Vision presents Remote Control, a program that intends to take over the planet and everyone living on it who tunes in.
Jeff Lieberman, whose other works include Squirm, Blue Sunshine and Just Before Dawn, wrote and directed REMOTE CONTROL. He even put his very first VCR in the film, aww! Kevin Dillon plays the main protagonist, Cosmo, and he works at Village Video {which happens to be the video rental store of my ’80s dreams). While Cosmo is helping his friend and manager, Georgie, build the display for a new video called Remote Control, he suddenly meets the beautiful Belinda, played by Deborah Goodrich, best known for the 1986 horror flick April Fool’s Day.
Returning customer Allegra, whose hair never left the 1950s, fights with another customer over the last copy of Remote Control, proving the effects of the display and rousing much curiosity from the store’s other patrons. I love knowing about A-list actors’ early careers working in ’80s B-movies because it leads me to wonder how often people approach Jennifer Tilly to ask about REMOTE CONTROL. Probably not very much!
When you insert Remote Control into your VCR, it plays what seems to be a bad 1950s sci-fi movie. As you watch the movie, eventually, a spooky woman begins staring directly at you through the TV screen. This haunting glare induces a kind of hypnosis in the viewer. Then, all of a sudden, the woman’s face turns into your own, and see yourself committing a murder. But it doesn’t stop there, Remote Control brainwashes its viewers. The tape commands you to kill!
Cosmo and Georgie witness a murder, but because Georgie dropped his wallet while being a peeping tom, the cops arrest them, believing they’re the main suspects. Cosmo has a weird feeling about the Remote Control tapes, so he urges the police to check inside the victim’s VCR. As the police officer hits play, he’s sucked into the ’50s sci-fi terror. Madness ensues! Cosmo and Georgie bring Belinda to the video store, and while Cosmo attempts to prove he’s not the murderer (by playing the tape), Remote Control causes even more brainwashing. However, this time, Cosmo figures out who’s behind these murderous VHS tapes – ALIENS!
The trio vows to find the tape’s source and destroy them all before they spread to the entire planet. They go to the secret laboratory where the tapes are constructed (and also where Bio-Dome was filmed I might add). This is where the film starts to feel like a Godzilla movie.
Remote Control is a fun flick that contains murder by automatic sewing needles, death by whipping, the use of the word “crapola” and an appearance by Dick Warlock. The outfits are truly futuristic and the hairstyles are quite wacky – and I believe every ’80s movie must contain at least one aerobics scene. I also can’t help but love any movie that takes place in a video rental store. Another notable entry for this category is Michael Krueger’s Night Vision.
Will Cosmo and his shiny silver jacket be able to destroy the hundreds of boxes filled with VHS copies of Remote Control or will aliens win control over planet Earth? Who can he trust when more and more are being brainwashed into a funky dancing frenzy? The only way to find out is by popping in REMOTE CONTROL and pressing play… If you dare!
