Shopping Malls in All of Their Glory Are No Longer What They Used to Be
It’s such a shame but, malls are not what they used to be. The mall in the town in which I live is basically empty now. Literally, I think there are more empty stores than there are occupied ones. When I was a kid in the 80s and 90s, this wasn’t the case. People were everywhere and there were all kinds of stores and booths to look at. When we had the rare opportunity to go to the Greenville Mall, we were really impressed. It had two stories and twice the stores. Of course, the fact that they had two toy stories is what I appreciated. As in this movie, I remember the decorative flags hanging from the ceiling. Even better when we visited family in Alabama, we went to the Galleria which at the time was one of the largest malls in the world.
An Old Joke Comes to Life for Me in Chopping Mall
My friends and I always joked about was breaking into the mall after hours and riding our skateboards. We all thought it would be so fun to be in an abandoned mall after hours. I don’t remember the details but there as a fellow who was close to our age that did just that. He broke into the mall and stole some stuff which I think he caught some jail time for. Anyway, this was before everything was on camera and you could still do stuff like that. It’s this same idea that leads our friends in Chopping Mall to trouble. As mall employees, they stay after hours to have a party. The on-duty security robots though, have malfunctioned. These are not Paul Blart, but rather a lethal robot trinity. It sounds crazy and it is but, now factor in the classic 80s slasher formula and you’ve got Chopping Mall.
Chopping Mall Offers A Lot of Fun for Viewers
Chopping Mall offers a lot of fun stuff for viewers – especially those like me. It is a trip back to the 80s. You have the liveliness of the malls, the hair, the clothes, plenty of neon, and of course the vibe that comes with these things. As usual, there are exaggerated explosions and death scenes featuring a little bit of gore. This is standard with any 80s slasher movie, even if the “killer” is a robot security guard. The laser beams and electrocution effects are the best part of this story though. It looks like the effects people drew white lines around the victim somehow. You can see in one scene in a café several movie posters on the wall. This was fun because the titles are all sci-fi stuff. Some of the films I have watched, or I have on a watch list. Cameras allow the viewer to see the happening stores of the day too.
Questions Answered Through Great Trivia
A question I had about his movie was if the crew had filmed through the night. My research led me to some fun conclusions. The staff were allowed, and required, to film at night in the Sherman Oaks Galleria mall in California. They had to be finished and out by 9AM and not damage anything. This movie had a lot of broken glass so, I’m sure something got damaged. There were apparently a lot of damage claims. Good thing was that the mall manager supported the movie, so filming rolled on. I like this guy or gal whoever they are. I also learned that this is the same mall that was used in another thrilling movie to be blogged about, Commando from 1985 featuring Arnold. You can read more trivia about Chopping Mall here.
I'm Out! Gotta' Go Watch This One Again!
What are your thoughts on Chopping Mall? Any other fans out there? Let me know in the comments. There is so much to enjoy about this movie. In fact, I have nothing bad to say about it. I’ve watched it twice now and will certainly watch it again. It is entertaining from start to finish. The pace is consistent and good the entire time. Very little filler is in this one and the run time shows it. Chopping Mall is 1 hour and 17 minutes long but, it flies by. If you like 80s slasher movies or Sci-fi, this is a must see.
If there are other horror/sci-fi movies out there that I’m unaware of, please let me know in the comments. Have a movie you’d like me to watch and blog about, let me know that too. I don’t make promises but, I might do it. In the meantime, I’d love for you to link up with me on all social media platforms, read more of my blogs, check out my art, my photography and more. You can do all of this here.