Film
Return of the Killer Tomatoes!
- Parody
- Science fiction
- Light-hearted
- Strange
A gloriously stupid sci-fi comedy about killer tomatoes disguised as humans mounting a second invasion. It's intentionally absurd, goofily made, and swings for laughs with the confidence of something that knows exactly how ridiculous it is. Perfect for anyone who loves bad-taste B-movie humor and doesn't mind a film that's more interested in its own silliness than coherence.
If you liked this
Evil Dead II1987
Bruce Campbell fights deadites with slapstick violence and one-liners. It's energetic, knowing horror-comedy that proves campy effects and ridiculous scenarios can be genuinely entertaining when executed with committed enthusiasm.
But The humor is extremely broad and the plot barely exists. It's also visually grimy in ways that haven't aged well, and Campbell's mugging can feel exhausting if you're not in the mood.

The Toxic Avenger1984
Trashy, violent, unapologetically crude superhero parody that loves its own garbage aesthetic. It's got practical effects charm, genuine weirdness, and understands that bad taste can be a form of sincerity when you're weird enough.
But Aggressively ugly to look at, genuinely offensive in places, and the humor lands on shock value as much as wit. Not for anyone who thinks taste is non-negotiable.

Chopping Mall1986
Mall-set killer-robot siege film that's aware of how silly the premise is and commits fully to it. Great synthesizer score, practical effects enthusiasm, and a cast having way too much fun with nothing at stake.
But The plot is tissue-thin and the dialogue is deliberately dumb. If you need character development or narrative coherence, you're watching the wrong film.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Return of the Killer Tomatoes!
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Eat My Dust1976
Both are Corman-adjacent low-budget comedies where the fun of making weird things on screen matters more than narrative sense. The killer tomatoes inherit Corman's gleeful acceptance of constraint as creative fuel.
Roger Corman car-chase youth comedy that's interested in stunts, gags, and speed over plot. It's got genuine filmmaking ingenuity in its practical work, is completely unpretentious, and moves like something alive.
But The script is basically nonexistent and the dialogue exists to fill time between set pieces. Corman's low budgets show everywhere and some crude sexual humor hasn't aged.

More like this (7)
Night of the Comet1984
Post-apocalyptic sci-fi comedy anchored by two Valley girls surviving a comet that kills most of Earth. Smart script underneath the humor, genuine affection for its characters, and it's energetically made on a shoestring budget.
But The tonal shifts between horror and comedy are jerky, and the third act gets bogged down in plot mechanics. Some dated 80s attitudes toward women that feel uncomfortable even when framed as jokes.

Little Shop of Horrors1986
Dark musical comedy about a carnivorous plant and a meek florist. Frank Oz directs with complete visual control, the songs are genuinely great, and it's anchored by real affection for its characters beneath the gore.
But If musicals aren't your thing, the constant songs will feel like friction. The 1986 ending also feels tacked-on and compromised compared to the stage version.

The Fly1986
Cronenberg's body-horror remake treats teleportation accident as romantic tragedy. It's genuinely moving under the grotesque imagery, Jeff Goldblum gives a committed performance, and it's visually inventive in ways that hold up.
But The practical effects are relentlessly gross and the sex scenes are uncomfortable. If you hate watching bodies degrade in detail, this will make your skin crawl.

Ghostbusters II1989
Broader and sillier than the original, but the chemistry between Aykroyd, Murray, and Hudson still works. Ramis delivers perfectly timed deadpan, the Statue of Liberty sequence is genuinely impressive, and it doesn't overstay its welcome.
But The plot is recycled from the first film and the attempts at emotional stakes fall flat. Bill Murray clearly wasn't interested, which shows in scenes that should matter but don't.

Tremors1990
Monster-siege film set in Nevada desert with genuine charm and character work. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward have real chemistry, the creature design holds up, and it treats its B-movie premise with craftsmanship instead of apology.
But The action scenes can drag and the romance subplot adds nothing. Some of the humor feels dated and not all the practical effects blend smoothly with what came after.

Innerspace1987
Spy comedy about a miniaturized pilot inside a grocery-store clerk's body. Spielberg's direction is playful and fast, Dennis Quaid and Martin Short have real comic timing, and the effects are genuinely impressive for 1987.
But The plot gets convoluted in the final act and the movie's frenetic energy eventually becomes grating. Short's performance is broad in ways that wear out their welcome by the end.

Brain Damage1988
Both are 1988 films where practical creature effects and low budgets generate comedy from earnestness about ridiculous premises. They share a register where disgust and affection occupy the same space.
Frank Henenlotter's body-horror comedy about a man hosting a parasitic creature that gets him high. Genuinely bizarre, visually unhinged, morally grubby, and absolutely sincere about its own grotesquerie—no winking.
But It's stomach-turningly gross in ways beyond effects—the sexual imagery is uncomfortable and the joke structure is fractured. The creature puppetry is impressive but the film itself feels diseased.

People
Cast
Anthony StarkeChad Finletter
George ClooneyMatt Stevens
Karen M. WaldronTara Boumdeay
John AstinProf. Gangreen- Steve LundquistIgor
Michael VillaniBob Downs- J. Stephen PeaceWilbur Finletter
- Frank DavisSam Smith
- Harvey WeberSid
John De BelloCharles White- Costa DillonPrison Guard / Man in parking lot / SAG representative / Product placement customer / Reporter
- Deborah GatesWoman In parking lot
Directing
- John De BelloDirector
Writing
- Costa DillonWriter
- J. Stephen PeaceWriter
- John De BelloWriter
- Stephen AndrichWriter
Production
- Samuel WarrenCasting
- Lowell D. BlankLine Producer
- J. Stephen PeaceProducer
Recommended by
The Terminator Was Pontios, Club Dread, Comic Book: The Movie