Video Nasty #10: Strange Behaviour AKA Human Experiments AKA Dead Kids

Synopsis: When teenagers start dying Sheriff Brady suspects foul play at the college's psychological research department, who he also blames for his late wife's death. Little does he know that his son has enrolled in the college's medical research programme for some quick cash. Can the Sheriff solve the murders before his son becomes the next victim of the human experiments?

In 2010 i'm attempting to watch and review all of the films on the DPP Video Nasty list. Click here for an explanation.

Strange Behaviour is a solid piece of work, well directed, effectively soundtracked by Tangerine Dream and co-written by an oscar winner (how many other video nasties can claim that?). Although it's sold as a teen slasher, it mixes elements of horror and sci-fi, supported by mad scientists, exhumed bodies, remote controlled chickens and teenagers reprogrammed to kill. It's pretty funny in places too. After a victim identifies the killer as an overweight teenager, a policeman visits the college to retrieve all student records. When asked what he's doing with them the cop replies, completely dead plan, 'we're looking for the fat ones'.


The film is actually a slightly tongue-in-cheek homage to 50's Sci-fi, possibly set in the 80s. Whenever it's meant to be set it has a great look, a weird mash up of the two decades; wood panelled station wagons, spontaneous synchronised dancing at fancy dress parties, wood clad bedrooms and huge hair.

The mad scientist plot is particularly fun. We're introduced to the pyscology department's mind control experiments in a lecture by the late Doctor Le Sange, delivering a posthumous discourse via a huge black and white projection. He leads the lab hand to demonstrate what is essentially a remote controlled chicken, the animal lifting his legs at Le Sange's command. The blatantly evil Gwen Parkinson is continuing his work, and pays the local kids to take part in experiments in her cavernous Jame Bond-esque laboratory. The experiments have a few side effects - short periods of high intelligence, pissing blood and incontrollable killing sprees.


The film delivers on gore, but nothing to deem a banning. Arms are chopped off, knifes are jammed in achilles and, in a true hands-in-front-of-eyes moment a 6 inch needle is jammed into an eye socket.

Unfortunately the film runs out of steam towards the end, despite an unexpected smart twist. There's also a complete misfire of an epilogue, providing completely unnecessary emotional resolve to the underplayed father, son and step mother relationship issues. Regardless of this, I think Strange Behaviour is something of a hidden gem. If you can find it, it's well worth a watch. Even if just for the joke about the fatties.