Customer Ratings & Reviews

As a kid, I remember seeing the VHS box art for Jim Wynorski’s 1986 film CHOPPING MALL at the numerous visits my family paid to various mom and pop rental shops. Along with MANIAC, it’s the art I remember most from that timeframe, as I was still pretty young and it legitimately scared me. I would eventually see MANIAC in the early ‘00s, falling in love with the picture. Last night, I checked out CHOPPING MALL for the first time and while I wouldn’t say I fell in love, I definitely had a good time. The plot is pretty straightforward. A mall decides to utilize state of the art robots to patrol its corridors after close, defending the stores from would be burglars. Meanwhile, some young people decide to have a late night party at one of their father’s furniture stores on the robots’ first evening of activity. Unfortunately, after a rogue lightning strike, the robots have been freed from their preprogrammed restrictions and are now roving killing machines. Trapped inside with the robots by metal security doors (who knew malls needed this much protection?), our partiers have to fight to stay alive. Performances are about what you’d expect from this low budget affair. Broad, though not wooden or all that unpolished, everybody looks like they’re having a good time with Wynorski and cowriter Steve Mitchell’s script. There are even some recognizable faces. Genre icon Barbara Crampton is warm and screams admirably as valley girl Suzie, fan favorite Dick Miller has an extended cameo as a grumpy custodian, and Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov briefly reprise their roles from EATING RAOUL. The rest of the cast is filled with character actors who did plenty of work in the world of cult and genre flicks. One thing I didn’t expect was the cheeky sense of humor the film uses. Though not over the top or intrusive, there’s a streak of self-awareness that really heightens the enjoyment factor. The makeup and special effects are also very impressive. There are multiple fairly large explosions, a full body burn sequence, and a fantastic exploding head effect. Even the robots, though clunky, are not unbelievable. Plus there are a few nicely done stunts and a scene involving live tarantulas and snakes. Chuck Cirino’s lively electronic score gives the film a nice tempo and an appropriately computerized flavor. Shockingly, it was shot in a real mall. There’s some decently serious property damage on screen so I’m amazed they were able to have everything cleaned up every morning for opening. Jim Wynorski’s CHOPPING MALL is a pretty fun little slice of low budget ‘80s sci fi horror. Reading about the film, it seems like it was initially about twenty minutes longer so I’m very interested in what may have been cut. As it stands, at 77 minutes, it’s brisk and doesn’t overstay its welcome. The Vestron Video Collector’s Series blu ray has a pleasing look and contains a plethora of extras. I watched the newly filmed retrospective immediately after finishing the movie and found it both entertaining and informative. I’m very happy to have added the film to my collection. Recommended for fans of SHORT CIRCUIT, the original DAWN OF THE DEAD, and the EVIL DEAD series.

I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid. Really enjoyed seeing it again as an adult.

It's hard to go wrong with a shopping mall horror film from the 80s. Vestron put together a stacked package with this release. The transfer is excellent. Great late night viewing!

Chopping mall is one of those cult classics worth owning, vestron makes a great attempt to capture the true spirit of this classic great features and transfer

I'm an eighties kid, and as such I grew up in the era of dark, dank video rental stores offering dodgy low budget movies. Back then the internet was not a smart phone search away, and it was kind of a fun thing to take a gamble on a movie based solely on the cover and description on the movie case. Chopping Mall was one video cover that always caught my eye on the shelf with it's cool clever art, but I never did get around to actually renting as I always opted for some cheesy sci-fi or fantasy movie instead. Besides, I thought it was a" Friday the 13th" type slasher movie from the name. Well here we are in 2016, and I finally decided to take the plunge after watching a trailer on YouTube and learning that this was actually a shlocky sci-fi killer robot type thing in the vein of Terminator or Saturn 9. Nice! I guess in a way it was a good thing I waited because I don't think the movie even looked this spectacular when it showed in the theater. It has been fully restored picture wise, no scratches, dust or other things associated with retro movies. The clarity is awesome, and the colors look nice with lots of eighties neon. There's also lots of bonus material made especially for this release. As for the movie itself, it's a fun, corny movie that's a product of it's era. If you like eighties low brow humor, teen violence and nudity then this fits that bill. I'm glad I waited to see this improved cut of the movie, even if it took decades to see.

Still awesome to finally have this film in HD if you haven’t seen it do yourself a favor and give it a shot

Again great 80s cheesy horror movie to watch an great sci-fi

This is a quality guilty pleasure, the film itself still holds up to it's wacky 80's charms and gore. The cast of seasoned pros and young wannabes is having fun with the material and the director and production team have worked hard to present and excellent genre movie. The special features are exceptional, to me it was worth it just for the Vestron Logo on the packaging. It has been years since I had seen that logo. Found memories of wild action and horror films from a time gone by. Please treat yourself if you can find this little gem of a film and enjoy the second best exploding head from the 19080's. (Hint Scanners is 1st)

If you’re in the mood for a great exploitation B movie, then look no further than “Chopping Mall”! Originally called “Killbots”, this movie is about a group a people in a mall being stalked by three “state-of-the-art” security robots that have malfunctioned... you can’t make this stuff up! What follows is roughly 80 minutes of pure cheesy fun! Highly recommended.

I can only wonder what a film like this would do for a millennial and beyond. With the 80s aesthetic ressurected in so much of today's popular media, would younger folk derive enjoyment from 100% not from concentrate 80's robot mayhem? If not, their loss. For those who did grow up in the 80s with fond memories of trips to the video store, Chopping Mall will deliver the goods.

This movie was a blast from the start. It is now one of my favorite 80's horror movies and that's coming from a huge horror fan. The video quality on this blu-ray is so much better than that multi pack DVD most of us have from years ago. The special features were great as well. I highly recommend this.

I love this film. Its your classic young people against a threat (robots!) while in a unique setting, in this case a mall. Lots of cheesy lines, cheesy effects and cheesy acting. Fun special effects and a genuinely cool soundtrack. If you like 80s cult slasher films, pick this one up!

I hope I spelled Kelli's last name correctly. Kelli should have had a huge career. Gorgeous, talented, I could go on and on. I purchased this only because BestBuy.com had it for $17.99. A great price for a great film. It is a great snapshot of Kelli's beauty at her peak.

Chopping Mall is the perfect first entry in Lionsgate's new Vestron Video series of classic 80s/90s horror films. It's an 80s horror film, it's set in a shopping mall, and there are killer robots. So basically it's all kinds of awesome. Lots of terrific supplements too.

Chopping Mall is a true cult classic in every sense of the phrase. It's got all of the expected tropes of 80's horror comedy with some real cheeseball effects that ultimately make it a ton of fun. Highly recommended.

This is the best killer robot movie that has ever been made. They did a great job with the Blu-ray restoration definitely a fun watch.

It's a fun cheesy horror film from the past. If you enjoy these type of movies, it's a must own. The Blu-ray release has tons of special features. Great release overall, and decent picture quality!

This blu release is the first time Chopping Mall has been released to home video in widescreen. It looks 100 times better than the previously released dvd. A must buy for fans of this cult classic!

Chopping Mall is one of the better 80's horror movies. The killbots look like a obese Johnny 5. It's so cheesy & great it stands with the other greats of the 80's horror & that list goes on & on.

This is one of my favorite horror films of all time! I'm so happy! It comes in great! Totally worth the price!