Forgotten Favorites - The Club (1994)
The Club (1994)
The early 90’s was the time of some great Direct to Video horror. And when I say Direct to Video, I mean that lost friend VHS. Back in those days, groups like Full Moon were around and you’d get stuff that never got on the big screen that was better than most of the movies playing at your local theater. One of those little trinkets was a film called The Club that came out back 1994. I’d been out of high school for a year at that point (man…I feel old just now.) I had a movie habit, a bad one. And most of my pay went to the local video stores. That’s how I came across this one.
With not one single big name star, The Club manages to pull off a slick production and be entertaining. Harkening back to the twister endings of Tales From The Crypt and Twilight Zone, The Club tells the story of a prom night that’s cursed. The high school prom is taking place in a castle (why didn’t mine do that?) and the creepy principal Mr. Carver (played by the always awesome and underrated Kim Coates) is on the prowl.
Enter the mysterious and really pretty John Rotman. John has the Johnny Depp bangs going on and no one really knows him. But he knows everyone else. After some confrontations and trouble time suddenly stops…literally. Only six people are left in the castle and no one knows what’s going on…except John. It’s up to the nice guy and his pretty girlfriend to figure out the truth about John’s “Club” and everyone needs to figure out who they really are deep down inside. But that’s hard when people start dying and no one knows what’s real anymore.
The Club also stars Zack Ward. Zack has gone on to a pretty great career, starring in the TV series Titus as well as tons of other TV roles. It also has the lovely Andrea Roth as a rather “mature” looking high school senior. She’s gone on to many great roles as well, not the least of which is the estranged wife of Dennis Leary on the awesome Rescue Me.
But the real star of this show is Joel Wyner as John Rotman. He oozes a sleazy charm throughout the movie. He’s got a wicked gleam in his eye as he watches the kids seal their own fates. He knows he just has to sit back and watch the membership grow. It’s a great role and he eats it up with relish. The make-up job they do for the character is also a nice touch. Wyner also uses the name J.H. Wyman nowadays. He was executive producer on the Julia Roberts/Brad Pitt vehicle The Mexican and is also a director and writer.
Sadly, this is a HARD movie to find. There are rumors it’s on DVD in some areas, but the surest way to see it is to find a used copy on VHS. But it’s worth a watch…so join The Club.
