Directed By: Sean S. Cunningham 

Written By: Stephen Gyllenhaal

Story By: Stephen Gyllenhaal and Brian Taggert 

Cinematography: Steven Poster 

Editor: Rita Roland 

Cast: Shannon Presby, Lori Loughlin, James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Eddie Jones, John Philbin, Tom Atkins, Brad Sullivan 

Newly orphaned siblings Abby and Loren McWilliams arrive in a small Florida town to help their Aunt Fay and Uncle Charlie run a family-owned amusement park, and they find that the town is terrorized by a local street gang.

This is definitely a film of its time. A film that is mostly a thriller towards the end turns into an action film in a small town. 

It has James Spader as a southern redneck, a gang leader in Florida, who is a Sharp dresser and has died beach, blonde, hair and eyebrows that almost make him look like an albino. You wonder why his character would hang out with them whom his gang seems to be made up of as they come off more southern redneck stereotypes than he does.

The title gives it away that this story is about a brother and sister, whose parents passed away and who move in with an uncle who may or may not be using them for labor and money to open up his own amusement park. They try to fit in the school, but the local gang takes a liking to the sister and begins to harass her, and when her brother tries to defend her, he becomes their other.

Throughout the film, each of them gets back at one another and ups the ante until the inevitable finale when the gang takes it too far and the brother and sister have to defend themselves against them and any hope of the police getting involved seems absent as there is a sheriff, but he seems to be the only cop we see throughout the film And the teachers seem to turn a blind eye to everything.

The film isn’t bad it it sometimes feels a little ridiculous, but it stays entertaining and seems perfect for its teen audience as long as no one asks too many questions. The film could be easily forgettable and typical of its time, though it has some ridiculous curveballs that keep the audience interested. It is not truly a time capsule of time and genre.

It stays away from being exploited though at times it seems like it’s going that way, and part of the fun is seeing well-known actors playing supporting roles in this film.

It’s definitely a film that has a certain audience, though you can enjoy some more absurd elements that make it a perfect popcorn movie to look back upon. 

Through it all this is more a film to watch for James Spader‘s strange performance amongst the other absurdities. as it is so random yet so captivating a hint of things to come in a showcase a bit of his range. Though also for a villain, he seems to be filmed like a heartthrob more than even the heroic character of the film

Grade: C