Made just before horror movie spoofs became almost as clichรฉ as actual horror movies, 1978ยs Attack of the Killer Tomatoes shows the human race plagued by man-eating fruit. Tomatoes ย which for some reason have grown huge, developed teeth and started moving around ย gobble up several humans in scenes reminiscent of the big-mutated-monster movies of the ย50s, and of anticommunist propaganda. (Get it? Theyยre both a red menace.) The government assembles a crack team of special agents to combat the threat, including a Russian Olympic swimmer, a guy who inexplicably carries around a parachute and a black disguise expert who imitates historical figures who were white.
Does the tomato gag get old through repeated ketchup jokes? Apparently not; the film spawned three sequels, two video games and an animated series, and will be back again for an upcoming remake. 8:30 p.m. Domy Books, 1709 Westheimer. For information, call 713-523-3669 or visit www.domystore.com. Free.
Mon., June 23, 8:30 p.m., 2008
This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2008.