Mind Benders (1987) coming from Vinegar Syndrome

[whiteberry]

Frankie and Crash run the most popular high school radio show in town, keeping the students buzzing with rock 'n' roll music and rebellious influences. But when Principal Borden decides the good times are rolling too freely, he brings in the mysterious Dr. Gunbow to implement a new Behavioral Modification Program. Almost immediately, the school's radio station is commandeered by agents of the program, and shortly thereafter, the students start displaying increasingly disturbing and zombie-like behavior while developing a newfound taste for violence against anyone who won't conform. Realizing that whatever is going on is forcibly changing their friends, Frankie and Crash take it upon themselves to find out what Dr. Gunbow is up to and the ultimate goal of his mind-bending conspiracy.

An over-the-top and zany sci-fi comedy oozing with mid-80s aesthetics, actress-turned-director Eugenie Joseph's (finishing director of Spookies) crackpot Canadian cult classic, MIND BENDERS stars Skip Lackey (Once Bitten), Lee Tergesen (TV's Oz, Weird Science) in his first on-screen role, along with veteran character actor Roy Thinnes (Airport, Rush Week). Produced by notorious New York exploitation filmmaker Jack Bravman (Snuff), Vinegar Syndrome Archive presents the worldwide Blu-ray debut of MIND BENDERS, newly scanned and restored from its 35mm original camera negative and featuring the first-ever on-camera interview with director Eugenie Joseph!

directed by: Eugenie Joseph
starring: Skip Lackey, Lee Tergesen, Roy Thinnes, Françoise Robertson, Sarah Hayward, Gregory Calpakis, Robert Dubac
1987 / 87 min / 1.85:1 / English Mono

Additional info:

• Region Free Blu-ray
• Scanned and restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
• Commentary track with director Genie Joseph and writer/actor Skip Lackey
• Commentary track with James Branscome and Nick Vance of the Cinematic Void Podcast
• "High Tension High: The Making Of Mind Benders" (37 min) - a making-of documentary featuring interviews with producer Jack Bravman, director Genie Joseph, writer/lead actor Skip Lackey, and actors David Kener and Bill Curry
• Reversible sleeve artwork
• English SDH subtitles

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collecti...s/mind-benders

Mind Benders (1987) [Vinegar Syndrome Archive Blu-ray Promo Trailer] - YouTube

VHS:

[JupiterMission]

Anybody pick this up? Thoughts? What's the movie like?

[gimmeshelter]

Originally Posted by JupiterMission

Anybody pick this up? Thoughts? What's the movie like?

I thought it was pretty bad but I still enjoyed watching it
No nudity, really overly broad comedy, but it has a certain nostalgic appeal that I liked. The ending was fun but the budget on the whole movie was about $7.50 CAD.

[Dr. Phibes]

I didn't hate it, but if I had watched it before I certainly wouldn't have bought it. Same with D For Demons, kind of a dud month for VSAs for me. The main problem for me was that the two main guys just weren't very funny or particularly likeable, which is pretty major for this kind of movie. I did like the girl of the group, she reminded me a bit of Corinne Bohrer. Also, the alien dude on the cover looks pretty cool, but it's only in the movie for like 45 seconds.