Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a 1978 comedy film directed by John De Bello and starring David Miller. The film is a spoof of B-movies. Made on a budget of less than USD $100,000, the story involves tomatoes becoming sentient by unknown means and revolting against humanity.

----------------------------------------
John Langbein (medrjel) from Dixie, USA
----------------------------------------

I will be the first to admit I absolutely ADORE this film. I absolutely love the sendup of horror films that seemed to exist up to that time. However, it really is a bad film.

I gave it a 5. Why, I think it is honestly a movie you will either love or hate. It is hard to be ambivalent about this film. The effects are cheesy, the dialogue silly, and the concept even sillier. Yet, I don't think it could of been pulled off any better. I think everyone should check this film out at least once, but do it with friends.

"Could someone please pass the ketchup?"

----------------------------------------
Le Froque
----------------------------------------

Some may call this the worst movie of all times, but if you have shots like "The Toxic Avenger", "Plan 9 from outer space" or "Dracula Vs. Frankenstein" in your collection this is exactly the right film for you! The humor in "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" appears like a cheap version of Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker-flicks a la "Airplane!" or "The Naked Gun", but always pretty entertaining and amusing! If you?re in search for the right stuff for your next party check this out - but don?t do the mistake and take this too serious in any way!!

----------------------------------------
jimtinder from US
----------------------------------------

"Tomatoes" has been unfairly maligned as one of the worst movies of all time. This is too bad, because the film is really a satire of cheap, bad sci-fi movies. So what better way to satirize a cheap, bad sci-fi movie than by unintentionally making one?

If you saw this movie as a child or teenager, scenes will be indelibly imprinted upon your mind. The guy taking a shower in a hallway; the dubbed voice of the Japanese scientist; the helicopter crash (which wasn't supposed to happen...the pilot came in at too steep of an angle and crushed the back rotor blade. The pilot lost control and crashed the copter. The producers, not wanting to waste this precious filming of an actual accident, put it in the film and instructed actor Jack Riley to pretend to crawl away from the smoldering wreckage); the tomato chasing a woman in a parking lot, with oh-so-noticeable wheels propelling it forward; ah, the magic of film.

Brought to you in part by future California state Assemblyman and State Senator J. Stephen "Rock" Peace.

----------------------------------------
junk-monkey (liam@merriol.freeserve.co.uk) from Highlands of Scotland
----------------------------------------

The trailers before the movie on my VHS copy are for a Hannah Barberra cartoon ("Yogi bear in the Arabian Nights" or something) which shows you who the marketing guys thought their target audience was and, taken on that kind of dumb stupid cartoon level, this is one of the funniest things I have seen for years. I laughed out loud several times whilst completely sober and on my own. Yes, its story structure is an utter mess, yes, the acting, directing, editing production values and sound (especially the sound) are awful, yes, a lot of the gags just don't work - the timing is all over the place sometimes jokes are rushed, other times they are stretched out way beyond their worth but as a whole "Tomatoes" is undeniably funny. I'm afraid I nearly wet myself when the Adolf Hitler line came as the payoff to a what looked like a lame running gag.

Reading some of the reviews here I find it hard to understand how anyone can be disappointed in this movie. It lays its stall out in the first two minutes. Girl is attacked by a tomato - then some of the funniest opening credits ever. It is so preposterous it defies criticism. This is the purest form of High Concept movie making. "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes"... unless you didn't actually KNOW what a tomato was how could anyone think this is anything other than what it is - a dumb, stupid, funny movie? and I defy anyone who watches this film not to have the theme song running around their head for days afterwards.

Think of this movie as being made by Matt Stone & Trey Parker (the guys behind South Park etc.) and you get the idea - though in my opinion "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" is a lot funnier than "Cannibal, the Musical" or "Orgazmo".

Definitely a movie to watch with your brain, and any critical faculties you may think you have, switched very, very off.

----------------------------------------
theumpire
----------------------------------------

Many have claimed this is the worst movie of all time. I would rather sit through this 100 times than watch 10 minutes of Titanic!! To rate this movie you must watch it for the way it was intended, pure unadulterated B-Grade movie garbage. Then you will find there is only one vote to give it,... 10/10

----------------------------------------
Tschibo from Biberach, Germany
----------------------------------------

Ok it's crap, but very funny crap.

It lacks so much logic, effects, story and talent that it's really worth looking at. One of those crap movies, that are even good by being crap. You know ;)

Watch it on a geek party with some beer and you will have lotsa fun

----------------------------------------
(ashspicefilms@yahoo.com) from USA
----------------------------------------

This film combinds funny jokes with funnier unintentional humor and the result is one of the funniest cult films ever. The rest of the series is o.k., but the original is amazing. Horrible effects galore. make sure you try to grab the original version and not the director's cut. The new version is remastered in better quality, but they altered the film and it just isn't as cool that way. my rating 5/5 and for directors cut 4/5

----------------------------------------
nycovom1 from California, U.S.A.
----------------------------------------

This film was perhaps THE big low-budget/cult/parody flick in its time. While it doesn't create belly laughs from start to finish, it does have some truly hilarious moments. My favorite scene has dozens of tomatoes just floating in a lake, attacking some unsuspecting summer-campers(believe me, you'll positively crack up when you see the underwater footage!). Also, watch for the sequence in which grown men blast with shotguns tomatoes that were obviously rolled at them off-camera.

----------------------------------------
CelluloidRehab (lelnu@yahoo.com) from Hell's Kitchen, NYC
----------------------------------------

The easiest way to describe this movie is as a satire. The target of the satire is quite vast, from the US Government to corporate America. It is also not a stinging satire, but rather a silly one.

Think of this movie as a mix between the Kentucky Fried movie, Airplane and Police Squad series, done with a much smaller budget and not as funny. I can see how this movie is a satire of many sci-fi disaster movies from the 50's and 60's. I see this movie as a big influence on Tim Burton's Mars Attacks.

The plot is simple enough. Genetically engineered giant tomatoes go "crazy" and start attacking people and cities. At first there is a cover up and then it blows over into full blown war.

The movie runs the gamut of characters and characterizations : Lois "Fairchild" (a Lois Lane clone), a very ambitious Presidential Press Secretary, Clark Kent, Mason Dixon (FIA agent who hasn't worked since the Bay of Pigs), a useless President (who only seems to be able to sign his name and attack New York), an even inept Congress, a sleazy marketing CEO, and Mason's team consisting of an obese East German "female" swimmer, a scuba diver, a crazed WWII paratrooper and an African-American disguise expert (disguised as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Hitler and finally as a tomato). Did I also forget to mention, lots and lots of tomatoes? There are all kinds of tomatoes from small tomatoes, to giant plastic tomatoes, to smashed tomatoes, to tomato juice and finally to people dressed up as tomatoes.

On top of all this, you have a couple of musical numbers as well. They aren't that good and seem to be dubbed. The best tune is by far the theme of the movie ("Attack of the Killer Tomatoes"). It is way too catchy and you might end up humming or singing it in public. Be warned.

Most of the movie is quite amusing and shows the absurdity of various real life situations as well as various entertainment genres. I don't believe I was induced to laughter, but mostly smiled and scratched my head. I definitely recommend this movie for fans of B and C grade movies, but only as a rental.

-Celluloid Rehab

----------------------------------------
MrVibrating from Sweden
----------------------------------------

Attack of the killer tomatoes is low-budget's answer to summer blockbuster Snakes on a Plane. Technically, it's the other way around, since AOTKT came first, but whatever. It's dumb, it has a small cult following, and you understand the plot when you read the title.

Tomatoes, you know, the kind in salads, attack people. This is shown in the movie, mostly as tomatoes being thrown at people with tomatoes on the ground everywhere. This continues for an entire movie, which might sound repetitive, but there's other side-tracks of the story as well, which more often than not are very funny.

The production values are non-existent but the filmmakers do their best to cover them up("I'm sorry, gentlemen, for the size of this room", the general says and then all the scientists climb over each other to get a seat) There are lots of silly plot points and many totally unnecessary, some funny and some not. Whenever it gets draggy, there's usually something really funny just in time. That's not bad.

If you need to have this told to you, then you will not like this movie, but I'll tell you anyway: Do NOT take this movie seriously. Enjoy the musical numbers, the stupid "Jaws"-like tomato attacks, the crazy characters, and all the other details that in then end makes AOTKT a fun experience.

The helicopter crash in the early scenes was unintentional. You clearly see the helicopter's tail rotor blades accidentally hitting the ground which caused the helicopter to spin out of control and crash, with debris and the top rotor blades narrowly missing the policemen in the scene and the crew off camera. The pilot received minor injuries. After being pulled from the wreck, Jack Riley and George Wilson quickly ad-libbed the rest of the scene as the wreck was set on fire. The crash of the $60,000 rented helicopter used up more of the budget than all other aspects of the film combined.
------------------------

The giant ear muffs that the giant tomato is wearing at the end was actually two big bright green toilet seat covers.
------------------------

The song "Puberty Love" was performed by Matt Cameron, who would later go on to be the drummer for Soundgarden and Pearl Jam.
------------------------

The giant tomatoes were made out of foam.
------------------------

Shot on 35 mm Kodak 5247 negative stock film - very unusual for a low budget film at the time. Most low budget films were shot on positive stock film. The quality of the negative is one reason why many people thought the film cost more to make than it did.
------------------------

J. Stephen Peace did all of his own stunts. Moreover, Peace had a wooden board on wheels placed under his stomach for the scene in which he's dragged down the street by a car.
------------------------

Various relatives of the filmmakers were financial backers for the movie. Moreover, several family members of the filmmakers appear throughout the picture in small parts.
------------------------

The scene at the public water fountain was shot without a permit.
------------------------

Most of the army uniforms were purchased at Goodwill department stores.
------------------------

Film debut of Dana Ashbrook.
------------------------

The climax at the San Diego Stadium was shot in a single day. Moreover, all of the extras at the climax wore their own outrageous outfits.
------------------------

The press conference scene was shot in a high school auditorium.
------------------------

All of the crew members were non union.
------------------------

mutation|aggression by plant|musical|tomatoe|vegetable|low budget|parody|mad scientist|spoof|cult film|b-movie|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Australia:PG / Iceland:L / Spain:13 / UK:PG / USA:PG / West Germany:12