Spontaneous Combustion (film)

1990 film by Tobe Hooper

Brad Dourif
Cynthia Bain
Jon Cypher
William Prince
Melinda Dillon

CinematographyLevie IsaacksEdited byDavid KernMusic byGraeme Revell

Production
companies

Black Owl Productions
Project Samson
VOSC

Distributed byTaurus Entertainment

Release date

February 23, 1990 (1990-02-23) (U.S.)

Running time

97 min.CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Spontaneous Combustion is a 1990 American science fiction horror film directed by Tobe Hooper. It was written by Tobe Hooper and Howard Goldberg, based on a story by Hooper, and is a co-production between Henry Bushkin, Sanford Hampton, Jerrold W. Lambert, Jim Rogers and Arthur M. Sarkissian.

It was nominated for best film in the 1991 Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Awards.^[1]

Plot

Sam learns that his parents were part of an atomic bomb experiment. As an adult, Sam discovers he has the power of pyrokinesis. He is able to control fire and electricity, but with terrible consequences to his body afterwards.

Cast

Brad Dourif as Sam Kramer/David Bell
Cynthia Bain as Lisa Wilcox
Jon Cypher as Dr. Marsh
William Prince as Lew Orlander
Melinda Dillon as Nina
Dey Young as Rachel
Stacy Edwards as Peggy Bell
Brian Bremer as Brian Bell
Barbara Leary as Amy Whitaker
Michael Keys Hall as Dr. Cagney
Joe Mays as Dr. Persons
John Landis as Radio Technician
André de Toth as Vandenmeer (uncredited)
Mark Roberts as Dr. Simpson
Dick Warlock as Mr. Fitzpatrick
Paul Barresi as hospital security Guard
Tegan West as Springer

Critical reception

Spin magazine, while writing, "no one makes bad movies as deliriously entertaining as Tobe Hooper, whose career continues its spectacular downward slide with Spontaneous Combustion", gave the film an overall favorable review.^[2] John Kenneth Muir, in his book Horror Films of the 1980s, wrote, "Spontaneous Combustion commences on a high note of creativity and wit, but then promptly goes down in flames."^[3] Writing for DVD Talk, critic Kurt Dahlke described the film as "a weird bit of burn injury pornography (so to speak) that otherwise comes off as an oddball Cable TV drama," noting a "lack of attachment to the characters, little in the way of dynamic tension, a needless and off-putting cameo by director John Landis [...] Spontaneous Combustion is, to put it mildly, painfully stupid."^[4] Critic Loron Hays wrote in movie review site Reel Reviews that the film's story "is all Hooper. So, too, are the faults in the film," and noted that Dourif's performance was "unhinged" and "watching Dourif completely spiral out of control as he flexes power over electricity is one enjoyment of the film."^[5] Writing in RogerEbert.com, Simon Abrams described Dourif's performance as "unhinged in a way that makes this otherwise stillborn 1990 post-atomic-age creature feature fitfully compelling."^[6]

References

^ "Spontaneous Combustion (1990) - Awards". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
^ Barr, Ty (May 1990). "Video Rewind". Spin: 66. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
^ Muir, John Kenneth (23 March 2007). "Spontaneous Combustion". Horror Films of the 1980s. McFarland. p. 769. ISBN 978-0786428212. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
^ Dahlke, Kurt. "Spontaneous Combustion". DVD Talk. DVDTalk.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
^ Hays, Loron. "Spontaneous Combustion (1990) - Blu-ray Review". Reel Reviews. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
^ Abrams, Simon. "A Tale of Two Chainsaws: Humor and Horror in the Films of Tobe Hooper". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC. Retrieved 2023-10-19.