A quintessential horror-comedy from the ’80s, Night of the Comet stars Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney as sisters Reggie and Sam Belmont, two Valley Girls who must unleash their inner action heroine when they’re pursued by zombies and evil scientists after a comet vaporizes much of Los Angeles. Since its release, the film has become beloved for its lighthearted tone, pure ’80s style, and the pair of badass women at the heart of it all, Reggie and Sam, who would later influence the creation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s titular character. (When Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney revisited the movie in 2013 for its Blu-ray release, Stewart remarked, “Who gets to do this kind of stuff? Shop in a store in the middle of the night, try on a bunch of clothes, and get in a firefight with a bunch of zombies? It’s the best!”)
Deemed a forgotten gem by PopMatters and “a successful pastiche of numerous science fiction films, executed with an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek flair” by Variety, you don’t want to miss the subversive, funny, and ultimately bitchin’ Night of the Comet at IU Cinema this Friday!
“I think it’s the film’s ability to embrace its own zaniness that has cemented Night of the Comet‘s legacy in modern horror as by far one of the most inventive cult classics to have been spawned during the ’80s.” — Heather Wixson, Daily Dead
Night of the Comet will be screened at IU Cinema on February 3 at 10 pm as part of this semester’s Not-Quite Midnights series.