Body Bags (1993) (TV)

Directors:

John Carpenter
Tobe Hooper

Writers (WGA):

Billy Brown (written by) &
Dan Angel (written by)

Release Date:

8 August 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror | Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

Zip yourself in tight!

Plot:

Three short stories in the horror genre The first about a serial killer The second about a hair transplant...

Plot Keywords:

Accident | Transplant | Investigation | Sociopath | Tense

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

John Carpenter	...	The Coroner (segment "The Morgue")
Tom Arnold	...	Morgue Worker #1 (segment "The Morgue")
Tobe Hooper	...	Morgue Worker #2 (segment "The Morgue")
Robert Carradine	...	Bill (segment "The Gas Station")
Alex Datcher	...	Anne (segment "The Gas Station")
Peter Jason	...	Gent (segment "The Gas Station")
Molly Cheek	...	Divorcee (segment "The Gas Station")
Wes Craven	...	Pasty Faced Man
Sam Raimi	...	Dead Bill (segment "The Gas Station")
David Naughton	...	Pete (segment "The Gas Station")
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Stranger (segment "The Gas Station") (as Buck Flower)
Lucy Boryer	...	Peggy (segment "The Gas Station")
Roger Rooks	...	TV Anchorman (segment "The Gas Station")
Stacy Keach	...	Richard Coberts (segment "Hair")
David Warner	...	Dr. Lock (segment "Hair")

Also Known As:

John Carpenter Presents 'Body Bags'
John Carpenter Presents 'Mind Games' (USA) (cable TV title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Germany:18 (cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:R | UK:18 | USA:R | Spain:18 | Finland:K-18 (2002) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1994) | Iceland:16

Company:

187 Corp.

Trivia:

Was made as the pilot episode for a proposed anthology series to air on Showtime, but Showtime pulled the plug.

Quotes:

The Coroner: Ah, body bags. You see, if it's murder, suicide or a nasty accident, they put them in here.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Halloween (1978)

Soundtrack:

ALMOST CUT MY HAIR

Three Tales of Horror and Fun

Director John Carpenter narrates three stories as a walking corpse that must have been a real bad stand-up comic in life. The humour is generally very sophomoric(one scene depicts a rather bosomy lady corpse having troubles being slid in and out of the dead body drawer), but Carpenter actually handles the material very well. Carpenter also directs two of the stories, and Tobe Hooper(The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) directs the third(as well as has a small role as a mortician). The stories each are very different in style, mood, and tone, and each has something to offer in terms of entertainment. The first is probably the most derivative in terms of plot, but also for me was the most frightening. Sexy(very sexy) Alex Datcher plays a woman taking a new job at a 24hr open gas station in a town where many women/people have been killed in serial fashion. Carpenter holds no punches as he tries to make us jump from our seats. Although this story is predictable, it has a lot of suspense. The second story was a funny tale about a balding man that goes to a weird place for hair implants only to discover that he is being used in some horrifying way. Pure laughs with this one as Stacy Keach plays the hair-obsessed man with comic aplomb. David Warner also does a great job playing the Hair Doctor. Sexy Sheena Easton and Debbie Harry also help(they are quite good at teasing hair I'm sure!. The third story is the best-written and directed one as it tells the story of Mark Hamil, a baseball player that loses his eye in an auto accident and has it replaced with the eye of a serial killer. Naturally the eye takes over the rest of the body(shades of The Hands of Orlac here). A very eerie, taught piece of storytelling. All three stories are populated with the greats of the horror genre like John Agar, Roger Corman, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, and a host of other recognizable faces. Great to see Twiggy again! Body Bags is just plain fun fare. There is no statement trying to be made, no overall theme, just some honest laughs mixed with some honest scares amidst the backdrop of a little sex and lots of guts.