The problem of the miscast screenwriter(s) rears its ugly head in WARNING SIGN, a summer 1985 release that got lost in the shuffle. The summer of ‘85, as you may remember, included the releases of DAY OF THE DEAD and RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, both of which have some kinship with WARNING SIGN, as did the season’s many science-themed movies like WEIRD SCIENCE, EXPLORERS, BACK TO THE FUTURE and MY SCIENCE PROJECT.
WARNING SIGN (1985) Trailer
WARNING SIGN was the feature directorial debut of Hal Barwood, who co-wrote the script with his longtime partner Matthew Robbins. Other Barwood-Robbins screenplays include THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS (1974), the debut film of Steven Spielberg, and the Robbins helmed CORVETTE SUMMER (1978) and DRAGONSLAYER (1981). Based on WARNING SIGN, horror-science fiction filmmaking simply wasn’t in the Barwood-Robbins playbook; I tend to believe Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, another Spielberg vetted screenwriting duo, would have done wonders with WARNING SIGN, which in its present form qualifies as at best a good try.
The setting is a clandestine bio-weapons laboratory that supposedly exists as an agricultural research facility. One day a vial containing a deadly biological agent gets knocked on the floor and broken open, contaminating the whole facility. The security guard on duty, one Joanie Morse (Kathleeen Quinlan), has the lab locked down and sealed off, much to the consternation of her supervisor Tom Schmidt (G.W. Bailey).
Stationed outside the building is Joanie’s sheriff husband Cal (Sam Waterston), who’s tasked with keeping order in the face of an increasingly hostile crowd. In the meantime, the government employed Major Connelly (Yaphet Kotto) is called in to run damage control and craft a bogus cover story.
Inside the lab things grow increasingly dire. It seems the bio-agent contaminating the place causes people to go crazy, as is evident in the increasingly aggressive behavior of the afflicted lab employees. But Cal breaks into the building with Dr. Dan Fairchild (Jeffrey DeMunn), an alcoholic ex-employee who’s created an antidote. They endeavor to stave off the infected employees while attempting to discern why it is that Joanie seems immune to the contagion.
With livelier treatment the above could have resulted in a scary and exciting thriller a la THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN or THE CRAZIES. Unfortunately, the shockingly unimaginative narrative, marred by flavorless expository dialogue and perfunctory characterizations, ensures that the film never rises above subsistence level.
The first half is reasonably suspenseful, with technical details that feel authentic, while the second, in which the nastiness becomes apparent (meaning it’s when things should be picking up), isn’t. Many jump scares are fumbled by the inexperienced Barwood, who also insists on wedging in a sappy romantic angle that does nothing but distract.
Barwood proved quite wise, at least, in his casting choices. Kathleen Quinlan is quite strong, as usual (and as usual got very little recognition for her efforts), while Sam Waterson as her macho sheriff husband and Yaphet Koto as the by-the-book Major Connelly are both solid. Some star power might have livened things up, but in 1980s Hollywood the high concept was everything, and the concept in this case wasn’t nearly high enough to overcome the lassitude of the production.
Vital Statistics
WARNING SIGN
Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Hal Barwood
Producers: Hal Barwood, Jim Bloom
Screenplay: Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Editing: Robert Lawrence
Cast: Sam Waterston, Kathleen Quinlan, Yaphet Kotto, Jeffrey De Munn, Richard Dysart, G.W. Bailey, Jerry Hardin, Rick Rossovich, Cynthia Carle, Scott Paulin, Kavi Raz, Keith Szarabajka, Jack Thibeau, J. Patrick McNamara, Tom McFadden, Kyle Heffner, Meshach Taylor, Lori Hallier, Jeannie Epper