Chopping Mall

"Where shopping costs you an arm and a leg!"

1986 1h 17m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 421

HorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

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High-tech robots equipped with state-of-the-art security devices have been recruited as the new mechanical "night watchmen" for the Park Plaza Mall. When a jolting bolt of lightning short-circuits the main computer control, the robots turn into "killbots" on the loose after unsuspecting shoppers!

“Where shopping costs you an arm and a leg!”

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Cast

Kelli Maroney
Alison Parks
Tony O'Dell
Ferdy Meisel
Russell Todd
Rick Stanton
Karrie Emerson
Linda Stanton
Barbara Crampton
Suzie Lynn
Nick Segal
Greg Williams
John Terlesky
Mike Brennan
Suzee Slater
Leslie Todd

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jim Wynorski
Writers: Jim Wynorski, Steve Mitchell
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jim Wynorski, shot by Tom Richmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chuck Cirino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Leslie Rosenthal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kelli Maroney and Tony O'Dell and Russell Todd carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jim Wynorski directs. Tom Richmond behind the camera. Chuck Cirino scores. Leslie Rosenthal cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
340 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
5Directed by Jim Wynorski, shot by Tom Richmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Chuck Cirino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Leslie Rosenthal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Kelli Maroney and Tony O'Dell and Russell Todd carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Where shopping costs you an arm and a leg!".
10IMDB entry: tt0090837 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "laser", "shopping mall", "remote control", "cyberpunk".
12Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tom Richmond
Original score: Chuck Cirino
Editing: Leslie Rosenthal
Makeup / hair: Blake Shepard
Stunt coordinator: Paul Shaver
Runtime: 77 min · 1h 17m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $800,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Chopping Mall (1986)

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Jim Wynorski

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-07-29
★ 6/10
Killer security robots at a Southern Cal mall Security robots at a Los Angeles mall malfunction after a lightning strike and become a deadly threat to a group of youths partying at a furniture store after hours. “Chopping Mall” (1986) takes the malevolent robot idea of “Westworld” (1973) and places it in the mall setting of “Dawn of the Dead” (1978) with robots that look like malicious versions of “Short Circuit” (1986) and R2D2. “RoboCop” didn’t debut until the next year. Winsome girl-next-door Kelli Maroney is a highlight as protagonist Alison while Russell Todd from “Friday the 13th Part 2” (1981) is stalwart as Rick. Suzee Slater as Leslie is a’right. This is a spirited Grade B flick but at the end of the day it’s a throwaway; it’s fun and well-executed, but somehow hollow and forgettable. The movie runs 1 hour, 17 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles at the Sherman Oaks Galleria, which was also used in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982) and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991). GRADE: B-/C+

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