There have been movies made over the last hundred years or so that have earned the right to be called a classic. Rambling off a few examples one might mention “Casablanca”, “Citizen Kane”, “Gone With the Wind”, and “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” (Cue reader’s double take here) That’s right, I said “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” Sure, some may scoff at my labeling that film a classic, but you really have to understand the film in order to appreciate its ‘Classicivity’ (Classic-ness? Classiculatory Merit?). I watched the movie the other night for the first time in twenty years. I had forgotten what a darn fine film it was. “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” has it all, offering up horror, action, passion and show tunes. Even the magnificent battle sequences, pitting man against tomato, are amongst the most explosively gut-wrenching ever committed to film. Both the filmmakers and myself have to question why an Academy Award nomination wasn’t forthcoming.

“Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” was originally released in 1977, and at the time it was dismissed as no more than a silly low-budget comedy. It was kind of a pre-cursor to the type of humor that the Zucker Brothers would use shortly after in the “Airplane / Hot Shots / Naked Gun’ series, even going so far as to create credits, that you HAVE to read.

No one had foreseen the fact that it would spawn several sequels and accumulate fans that would nearly outnumber that of “Star Wars” (if you use the following mathematical formula: 1 AOTKT Fan = 1,000,000,000 SW Fans). There is even talk of a new big budget sequel, which I would love to see. I can just imagine a giant CGI tomato fighting the CGI good guy ‘Matrix-style’, in a CGI battle to the death, mano a tomato. Oh, how the CGI goose bumps they do rise.

I really want to thank the folks at Rhino Home Video for releasing a long overdue Special Edition of “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.” I couldn’t believe all the love and care they took in making sure that fans of the film were taken care of. Along with the full-length version of the film, the DVD boasts a ton of extras.

Among them is a feature-length commentary by writer / director John DeBello, writer / producer / actor Steve Peace, and writer Costa Dillon. The entire commentary is very laid back and often quite funny. And as you might imagine from the making of a low-budget film like this, the stories of the ‘things gone wrong’ are priceless. If you wish, you can watch the movie in ‘Tomato Mode’, which allows you to click on a variety of odd shaped icons that will take you to short behind the scenes features.

The extra features are so numerous that they are separated into two categories, ‘Extra Features’ and ‘Bonus Materials’. Under either of these is huge a variety of ‘stuff’ about the film. There is a lengthy documentary about the making of the film, complete with tons of new interviews from many of the cast and crew. There are also a few deleted scenes to check out, as well as trailers and radio spots.

One of the more interesting features is a look at the ‘infamous’ helicopter crash scene that nearly took the life of actor Jack Riley (“The Bob Newhart Show”). Many have wondered over the years how the scene was shot to look so incredibly real. The answer, of course, was that it WAS real. It seems the helicopter was just supposed to land, and when it started spinning out of control, the cameraman had the wherewithal to keep shooting. It was later written into the script.

If you happen to have a lot of time to kill, the features go on an on, including the two original 8mm films that were eventually re-shot as the full-length “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes”, ‘sing-alongs’ of all the songs in the film, a chance to hear the San Diego Chicken reminisce about the filming of the movie, and even a feature about the one-time clapper girl who went on to be a big wig at Four Square (the production company behind the film and subsequent sequels).

And the list goes on and on. Whatever you do, make sure to watch every single extra on the disc. Some of them aren’t quite what you think and are in fact quite a treat for those with a sarcastic sense of humor.

Even the packaging is worth the cost of this Special Edition set. Holding the disc is a really nice black cardboard box embossed with a ‘Killer Tomato’ on it. And when you open the box, it contains not only the disc, but also a foldout representation of the original poster. What more could you ask for?

Though most people might still dismiss “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” as useless drivel as opposed to the classic I claim it is, I can only say to them, “You say Tomato, I say Tomato.” (Use your imagination…)

Directed by: John DeBello
Starring: David Miller, George Wilson, Sharon Taylor, ‘Rock” Peace, and Jack Riley
Specifications: Full Frame
Studio: Rhino Home Video
Release Date: Available
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Attack of The Killer Tomatoes a B+.