Blades (1989)

Tall Grass Golf Course, a big charity tournament, a country club owner who refuses to close it down due to lawnmower murders to golfers (and a kid caddy pulled into the weeds while going after runaway golf balls); a former star golfer, Roy Kent (Robert North whose head hangs low and eyes look sad, really carrying a depressed demeanor most of the film) who took up drinking and began to fail at his career decided to stay close to what he loves, taking the job of a pro, much to the chagrin of hard-working, dedicated Kelly Lange (Victoria Scott)...Kelly had been expecting the job, instead being a golfer during the charity game. Norman Osgood (William Towner) will not close or even postpone the charity game, not even deterred by a number of savage deaths by the lawnmower, driving around on its own, seemingly unencumbered by issues with fuel.

Deke Slade (Jeremy Whelan) is a former country club employee claiming the lawnmower is the thing responsible for the bloodshed while the authorities believe he is operating the machine and truly behind it all. When the lawnmower attacks a pro in the middle of the tourney, Deke will be asked to find it while Roy and Kelly want to help.

Obviously Deke is Quint from "Jaws", while Osgood is the mayor, Roy is Chief Brody and Kelly is sort of Hooper. The charity is the 4th of July disaster and the country club the beach. There is even the Hooper-wants-to-look-inside-the-shark scene where Roy wants to make sure the lawnmower believed to be the killer has its bag investigated for body mulch. Deke is wisened and determined, grizzled and man-of-few-words hunter giving orders.

For a Troma flick (distributed by them), this isn't overtly silly and totally exaggerated. It actually keeps a straight face and tone, with some silly scenes, obviously, sprinkled throughout. I was actually a bit taken aback by how seriously the film is often directed. If this was Kaufman and Herz actual production and directed by them, I'm sure "Blades" would be so much more over the top. Human mulch and "POV" are how the film shoots the lawnmower murders. Often the film cuts whatever corners it can to somehow not make this even more ridiculous. The premise, though, is just too outrageous to ever critique with any merit...though the film carries on with its lawnmower killer as Roy dumps hay bales off the top of Deke's van to "lure" the "monster" to it with help from smiley-face yellow balloons. I kid you not.

The golf course is ground zero as our heroes ready for the big showdown with the beast of a mower looking to ground them into chuck...this was indeed thought up as a reasonable conclusion to a movie. I love being a kid from the 80s who grew up with this stuff. Deke's "Quint Indianapolis story" is about how his father was found dead by the very lawnmower he used and was decommissioned.

Troma seems to have released some of their content for Tubi in April and I'm loving it.