This is perhaps the only legitimately good (not so-bad-it’s-good) movie ever directed by Charles Band. TRANCERS was made for the late Band-fronted Empire Pictures in 1984, predating Empire triumphs like RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND, and lesser (and so more typical) efforts like TERRORVISION and SAVAGE ISLAND. TRANCERS’ qualities were such that it was the sole Empire release Band insisted on retaining in the wake of that outfit’s 1989 implosion, meaning it’s since become a Full Moon release.
…the only legitimately good…movie ever directed by Charles Band.
The scripters were Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson, whose other credits include the Empire releases ZONE TROOPERS, ELIMINATORS and ARENA, as well as THE ROCKETEER (1991) and the six sequels to TRANCERS. The best of those sequels, FYI, is the 24 minute TRANCERS: CITY OF LOST ANGELS from the 1988 anthology film PULSE POUNDERS (which also contained short film sequels to the Empire releases RE-ANIMATOR and THE DUNGEONMASTER). Reuniting the cast and crew of the original TRANCERS, it offers creditable continuations of the former film’s storyline, style and attitude. The same, I’m afraid, cannot be said of TRANCERS II (1991) TRANCERS III (1992), TRANCERS 4: JACK OF SWORDS (1994), TRANCERS 5: SUDDEN DETH (1994) or TRANCERS 6 (2002), all of which, frankly, suck.
Getting back to the original TRANCERS, its opening scenes are admittedly quite redolent of BLADE RUNNER, with a hard-boiled cop named Jack Deth operating in a gaudily lit future where he’s charged with hunting down and eliminating “Trancers,” zombie-like humans created by the evil Whistler. From there THE TERMINATOR becomes the major point of influence as Deth is sent back to Los Angeles during Christmas of 1985.
…its opening scenes are admittedly quite redolent of BLADE RUNNER…
Here time travel is accomplished by having one’s consciousness inhabit the body of a person living in a past era. Whistler takes overs the body of a 1985 police lieutenant in order to kill off a man whose offspring are fated to change the world for the better, while Deth inhabits the body of a middle-aged hipster.
From there THE TERMINATOR becomes the major point of influence as Deth is sent back to Los Angeles during Christmas of 1985.
In this guise Deth establishes a relationship with the hipster’s GF Leena, who works as an assistant to a shopping mall Santa Claus. The latter proves to be the first of several Whistler-created Trancers eliminated by Deth. Many more follow as he tracks Whistler, becomes addicted to PETER GUNN reruns, gets reprimanded by his superior (who takes the form of a young girl) and eventually saves the day.
The comedian and prolific supporting actor Tim Thomerson plays Jack Deth, which became his signature role. Thomerson is indeed quite strong, with an authentically hard-boiled air, and has been credited (by Band himself) with uncovering TRANCERS’ other major discovery: the 20-year-old Helen Hunt as Leena. It’s a thankless part but Hunt, whose first major film role this was (she’d previously worked primarily in television with Thomerson as one of her co-stars), makes the most of it.
Filmmaking wise this film was never too impressive, and the passage of time has done it no favors. The cheap looking special effects, accomplished primarily by Empire regular John Carl Buechler (with uncredited assistance by David Allen, another Empire favorite), are nothing special, and neither is the art direction (accomplished in part by a young Frank Darabont), which isn’t helped at all by direction that prizes speed and efficiency over craftsmanship.
The saving grace? The consistently imaginative and kinetic screenplay. The BLADE RUNNER-meets-THE TERMINATOR conception may not be terribly original, but Messrs. De Meo and Bilson have created something unique to itself, with a sense of manic invention that never flags and a narrative so incident-packed that boredom is never an option. With that in mind, the smartest move made by Band (and editor Ted Nicolaou, yet another Empire regular) was keeping the runtime to a fast and functional 76 minutes.
…a sense of manic invention that never flags and a narrative so incident-packed that boredom is never an option.
Vital Statistics
TRANCERS
Empire Pictures
Director: Charles Band
Producer: Charles Band
Screenplay: Paul De Meo, Danny Bilson
Cinematography: Mac Ahlberg
Editing: Ted Nicolau
Cast: Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt, Michael Stefani, Art La Fleur, Telma Hopkins, Richard Herd, Anne Seymour, Miguel Fernandez, Biff Manard, Pete Schrum, Barbara Perry, Brad Logan, Minnie Lindsay, Richard Erdman, Wiley Harker, Allyson Croft, Michael McGrady, Edward McClarty, Don Ross, Michael Heldebrant, Kim Sheppard