Night of the Comet (1984)

For the first time in over 65 million years, the Earth is passing through the tail of a comet, resulting in a mass-extinction-level event with most of the world’s population either completely disintegrated or turned into “freaked out zombies”.

Cheerful teenage valley girl sisters Regina (Catherine Mary Stewart) and Samantha (Kelli Maroney) Belmont inadvertently survive the apocalypse and are forced to defend themselves against cannibal monsters.

Fortunately, they are daughters of a special forces military officer who taught them how to use assault weapons (which comes in handy) and trained them in martial arts (this too).

Hector Gomez (Robert Beltran) is the confident young truck driver from the barrio who joins them in their resourceful battle.

It turns out that there is another band of survivors – a subterranean think tank of medicos and scientists who forgot to seal the air vents of their desert bunker and so find themselves alive but contaminated.

These space-suited braniacs – led by the calculating Dr Carter (Geoffrey Lewis) and Audrey White (Mary Woronov) – have to find uncontaminated survivors (watch out Reggie and Sam!) and hook them up to gizmos that suck their blood.

Thom Eberhardt’s fun, low-budget sci-fi comedy wasn’t a huge hit in 1984, but thanks to its unique blend of sci-fi and teen-comedy elements, as well as an infectious 80s soundtrack, the movie slowly found a passionate audience in the decades after its release.

Regina “Reggie” Belmont
Catherine Mary Stewart
Samantha “Sam” Belmont
Kelli Maroney
Hector Gomez
Robert Beltran
Doris Belmont
Sharon Farrell
Audrey White
Mary Woronov
Dr Carter
Geoffrey Lewis
Dr Wilson
Peter Fox
Oscar
John Achorn
Larry Dupree
Michael Bowen
Minder
Devon Ericson
Davenport
Lissa Layng
Willy
Ivan E. Roth
Sarah
Janice Kawaye
Brian
Chance Boyer
Rogers
Andrew Boyer
Mel
Stanley Brock
Chuck
Raymond Lynch
Danny Mason Keener (DMK)
Marc Poppel
Narrator
Michael Hanks

Director
Thom Eberhardt