Chopping Mall
Directed by Jim Wynorski
Released: 1986
Starring Kelli Maroney, Tony O’Dell, Russell Todd, and Karrie Emerson
Running Time: 77 minutes
Reviewed by Eric Grubbs

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What happens when robotic security guards meant to protect the innocent go bad? Jim Wynorski's Chopping Mall addresses the possibility by using the slasher flick formula, but in a way that’s more entertaining than an attempt to rip off Halloween.

These Killbots (looking like they came straight out of an episode of the original "Battlestar Galactica") decide to destroy any human that’s still inside a large shopping mall after it has closed for the night. When a group of teenagers find themselves trapped inside the mall, they have to use their brains if they want to get out alive.

Yes, this is an 80s movie, with the hair, the clothes, and the music. But beyond that, there is a nice (and plausible) character arc where the repressed nerds end up becoming the heroes. Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet) is especially good as one of the last to survive.

Chopping Mall is not necessarily a cautionary tale of what happens when partying and sexual intercourse mix. Rather, it’s more about how rational thinking and survival are key to living until the sun comes up.