Dead Kids, released in the U.S. as Strange Behavior, is streaming free with ads on Tubi, Plex, Roku, and Fawesome. Though set in Galesburg, Illinois, USA, the film was the first horror movie shot in Auckland, New Zealand.
The slasher horror mystery sci-fi thriller officially premiered on October 16, 1981, before receiving a wider theatrical release on November 13, 1981. It was later released in Australian theaters on June 17, 1982.
IMDb SYNOPSIS: In a small town in Illinois, normal high school kids are turning into ruthless killers seemingly overnight.
Written, directed, and co-produced by Michael Laughlin, co-written with Bill Condon, and starring Michael Murphy, Louise Fletcher, and Dan Shor.
Strange Behavior was originally intended to be the first film in a trilogy. It was followed by Strange Invaders, but the planned third installment was never made due to the poor box office performance of the second film.
The soundtrack features electronic music by Tangerine Dream. It also includes the songs "The Ritz" and "Jumping Out a Window" by Pop Mechanix, "Shivers" by The Birthday Party, and "Lightnin' Strikes" by Lou Christie. "The Ritz" and "Lightnin' Strikes" are heard at a teenage costume party, where several characters (including two enacted by Ngila Dickson and Peta Rutter) spontaneously perform a synchronized dance routine to "Lightnin' Strikes."
TV Spot:
Trailer VHS Quality:
Official Trailer HD:
Trailer International VHS Quality:
Trailer International HD:
Classic Party Scene From "Dead Kids" (aka "Strange Behavior", 1981):
Scenes from the movie "Strange Behavior aka Dead Kids" with Soundtrack by Tangerine Dream:
Movie Clip from 4K UHD release:
Dead Kids | Lou Christie - Lightnin' Strikes (Spacetoonz Cinemix) Music Video:
Jack-O's Review: Fantastic Halloween party scene even though the holiday is not mentioned. An eerie and mysterious synth score by Tangerine Dream. Gory scenes include knife stabbings & neck slashing, dead kid scarecrow with no eyes, bloody pissing, a dismembered hand in a sink and stumpy in the bathtub, syringe in an eyeball, and a killer in a Tor Johnson mask. A strange film with some scenes that kind of drag but I'll give it an extra star for the fun costume party dance scene. ★★★ @trickhorrortreater
More Reviews:
“Aside from some cack-handed editing in places, there’s really very little wrong with Small Town Massacre (aka Dead Kids). A neat and extremely underrated chiller that boasts enough of the necessary ingredients to sit amongst it’s slasher brethren from the period. I truly believe that Small Town Massacre is overlooked and somewhat mis-understood. It should stand much higher as a successful mix of cinematic styles and great performances from a note-perfect cast.” ★★★★ ASlashAboveDotCom.wordpress.com
“A homage to American horror films of the 1950s... You have to love when a movie totally stops to give you a synchronized dance scene, like a slasher film variant of the same kind of stuff that used to happen in 1950’s films like I Was a Teenage Werewolf. That song — Lou Christie’s “Lightnin’ Strikes” — was also covered by Klaus Nomi. Speaking of music, Strange Behavior also benefits from a score by Tangerine Dream. I really need to get on to writing a list of movies that thier music made even better. They rival Goblin for how many cult films they scored.” BAndSAboutMovies.com
“This is an 80’s slasher that is also a loving homage to the B-movies of the 50’s... Dead Kids is one of those movies that I somehow missed over all these years, which is too bad but better late than never I suppose. Without spoiling too much, I do love how it takes the slasher and gives it a sci-fi twist... It’s not a perfect movie, suffering from a few issues. The pacing is probably the most notable as it feels a little wonky. At times the film does experience some lulls as you go lengthy periods of time without any “action” sequences... The film does offset those issues by having a number of generally creepy moments... Dead Kids is a lot of fun and nicely blends genres from two different eras. If you haven’t seen this one yet, check it out. There’s a lot to enjoy.” Bloody-Disgusting.com
“The good news is that Strange Behavior is indeed unique. Until the very end, there’s hardly a predictable scene in view. It definitely goes against the grain of the horror film, circa 1981: the killings aren’t milked for gore, and aren’t the center of interest. This picture got a solid release when gut-buckets like City of the Living Dead were grabbing fan attention but playing mostly outside the mainstream.” DVDSavant at DVDTalk.com
“Unfortunately, Strange Behavior dips its fingers into too many storylines, and that's where it falls apart... The early-80s cheese is nicely in place... I'll give this flick 7 out of 10 aerobicizing chickens. It's a little good, a little bad, weirdly brutal...it's got chickens doing leg lifts and that (Tor Johnson) mask, what more can you ask? The alternate title for this is Dead Kids, and you just gotta love a movie with a title like that, even if it's the runner-up title.” FinalGirl.rocks
“...young me wouldn’t have enjoyed this movie the way I enjoy it today. I’m sure the scare scenes would have been entertaining, but lines like “You been doing experiments on fat girls?” wouldn’t have tickled my fancy back then, as I was not yet a fan of nonsensical dialogue (or of actor Michael Murphy, who effortlessly delivers the line). I probably also would have scoffed at, say, the interminable 10 minute dance sequence (set to Lou Christie’s “Lightning Strikes” - great tune), instead of marveling at its Raw Force-esque levels of “why in the hell is this party scene still on but oh God please never end”... There are so many peculiar moments in the movie that I stopped writing them down in my notes... I just really dug the movie’s laid back charm... One thing that DID bug me was the abhorrent editing. There are at least four points in the movie where I thought the DVD was just skipping around at random, as scenes would shift seemingly in the middle of a conversation.” Horror-Movie-A-Day.blogspot.com
“Verdict: Better known here in the US as Strange Behavior the under seen Dead Kids (1981) is bit of an odd psychological horror film with some great atmosphere and fun slasher elements that while not perfect is a nifty little creeper. Severin have spruced this one up with a brand new hi-def transfer and new value-added extras. Not a flawless watch by any means but a perfectly entertaining slice of Ozploitation horror. 2.5 outta 5” ★★½ McBastardsMausoleum.blogspot.com
“Indeed, Dead Kids is one odd duck. Full of all the gruesome stuff horror audiences began to crave by this point (a needle-to-the-eye bit still makes me squirm), the film is also outfitted with bizarre flourishes that give it an offbeat gait right up until its awkward stumbling to the finish line, where the movie abruptly ends. Severin has been on an Ozploitation kick lately, and Dead Kids represents another fine Blu-ray upgrade for fans who have been stuck with a decade old DVD at this point. A pair of commentaries headlines the extras, one featuring Condon, Shor, and Dey Young, while Laughlin supplies the other (via Skype!). Two trailers and an isolated soundtrack fill out the disc, which will hopefully bring attention to this cool oddity that belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Aussie schlock from this era.” Oh-The-Horror.com
“Strange Behavior is graced with a great script (by director Laughlin and Bill Condon) that is chock-full of interesting, quirky characters and unexpected events taking place. Wrongly labelled as a slasher film in the 80s, instead what we have here is an enjoyably original and sometimes silly mish-mash of several horror and sci-fi themes, remarkably gelling together superbly as a whole.” SexGoreMutants.co.uk
“These are likable, relatable kids who want to do their best and find love. As with Night of the Creeps, you enjoy spending time with these characters even outside the more traditional genre stuff. I’m not joking when I say that the use of the Christie song is right behind Blue Velvet’s “In Dreams” sequence and “Sister Christian” in Boogie Nights as the more memorable and evocative uses of popular songs in a movie. The horror / sci-fi element of the film is handled deftly as well... While Louise Fletcher and Michael Murphy seem wasted, Dan Shor and Dey Young make for compelling protagonists and Fiona Lewis is superb as the icy cold and sinister scientist. I wonder why Young didn’t have more of a career. She’s ridiculously cute in a girl next door manner and is a perfectly capable actor as well. At least we have this and Rock ‘n’ Roll High School as two cult classics to testify to her enduring screen presence. Writer Michael Condon later directed fine if more uptown productions such as Kinsey and Gods and Monsters.” TeenageFrankensteinBlog.wordpress.com
YouTube Reviews:
The unauthorized sequel to the 1981 thriller. Shot on-location in Galesburg, IL with an 8mm video camcorder in 1996. This cut is a shortened version of the original release, preserving scene-order while shortening a couple of particularly long sequences.
Dead Kids 2 was shot on location in Galesburg, Il in 1996. Responding to the cult classic psychological thriller ca. 1981, "Dead Kids", aka, "Strange Behavior"; set in the Illinois college town of Galesburg, independent artists Cyrus Khazai and Eric Andersen recruited their friends to help produce the unauthorized sequel. Armed with an 8mm video camcorder, a DAT recorder, and a budget of about $100, Khazai and Andersen produced a full feature length video movie which continues the storyline set forth in the original. Ultra-campy and strangely disturbing, the sequel amusingly recycles the iconic imagery of the Michael Laughlin original.
Watch Dead Kids 2 (1996) - director's cut - Part 1:
Watch Dead Kids 2 (1996) - director's cut - Part 2:
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