Night of the Comet (1984), starring Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney
Synopsis of Night of the Comet
It’ s the first comet to buzz the planet in 65 million years. And everyone seems to be celebrating its imminent arrival. Everyone, that is, except Regina Belmont (Catherine Mary Stewart, The Last Starfighter) and her younger sister Samantha (Kelli Maroney, Chopping Mall). These sisters are two Valley Girls who care more about fashion trends than astronomy. But at daybreak, the girls discover that they’re the only residents of Los Angeles whom the comet hasn’t vaporized …. Or turned into a zombie. So, they do what all good Valley Girls do…they go shopping! But these gals flee with killer zombies and blood-seeking scientists in hot pursuit!
Review of Night of the Comet
Okay, this isn’t “Valley girls save civilization after the apocalypse”. It’s a light-hearted comedy that’s more like “Valley girls survive the apocalypse”. Passing through the tail of unspecified comet, for some reason, kills most of the people who aren’t safe inside steel buildings. The few that aren’t killed outright are turned into zombie-like creatures. And, to add insult to injuries, a small group of scientists have survived. But they want to draw the blood of the survivors to make an antidote. All of their blood …
Night of the Comet is a comedy, with serious stretches of drama and danger. If you’re a fan of the “valley girls” from the 1980’s, or enjoy “apocalypse” comedies, you’ll enjoy it.
Cast of characters
- Robert Beltran (Star Trek: Voyager) … Hector Gomez
- Catherine Mary Stewart (The Last Starfighter) … Regina Belmont
- Kelli Maroney … Samantha Belmont
- Sharon Farrell (Lone Wolf McQuade) … Doris Belmont
- Mary Woronov (Here Come the Munsters) … Audrey White
- Geoffrey Lewis (Moon of the Wolf) … Dr. Carter
- Peter Fox (Airport 77) … Dr. Wilson
Editorial review of Night of the Comet courtesy of Amazon.com
A sleeper at the time of its release in 1984, Thom Eberhardt’s Night of the Comet has built a small cadre of fans thanks to its breezy performances and blend of comedy and tongue-in-cheek science fiction. Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney are thoroughly likable as a pair of San Fernando Valley sisters who find themselves completely alone after the arrival of Halley’s Comet reduces their affluent community–and most of Los Angeles–to dust.
Their subsequent nonstop shopping spree is soon interrupted by predatory zombies, as well as a sinister scientific cabal (led by cult favorites Mary Woronov and Geoffrey Lewis) with designs on the girls. Stewart and Maroney are terrifically game as the heroines (especially Maroney, whose flair for bubbly comedy was never given another chance on screen), and Robert (Star Trek: Voyager) Beltran is also on hand as a fellow survivor and romantic lead. Fun for ’80s enthusiasts and sci-fi fiends who don’t mind a little fizz in their end-of-the-world scenarios. — Paul Gaita
Two girls from the Valley wake up to find that a passing comet has eradicated their world and left behind a mysterious red-dust and a pack of cannibal mutants. With the help of a friendly truck driver, the girls save the earth from a villainous “think tank,” karate chop their way through flesh-eating zombies, and, of course, find time to go to the mall. Written by Jaime Kidwell