Spontaneous Combustion (1990) dir. Tobe Hooper, Black Owl Productions/Project Sampson/VOSC
Tobe Hooper's career was one of ups and downs, as we've said before. After his three picture deal with Cannon crashed and burned, what would he do without Cannon and also in the 90's?
1955
A hydrogen bomb is about to be tested. A married couple is strapped safely underground, ready to do their patriotic duty. The bomb is dropped and the bunker holds! Of course, the bunker wasn't the point of the test. No, Project: Sampson has a different outcome in mind.
Nine months later they have a son. Aside from the birthmark on his hand, little David is perfectly healthy.
Then his parents explode.
Project: Sampson leader Dr. Orlander (William Prince) swoops in and adapts the boy and renames him Sam Kramer, telling him his parents died in a freak drowning accident.
35 years later, Sam (Brad Dourif) is a well adjusted teacher in a small college. Yup, things are fine, expect that the birthmark on his hand is growing, his body temperature seems to increasing by the day, and people that anger him are bursting in flame.
Well, that is surely just random happenstance, right? Sam starts to have doubts after directly witnessing several people erupt into fire after having arguments with him, including a rude technician (John Landis). So clearly he isn't totally evil.
Things start spiraling out of control. Who can Sam trust and who is working with who?
You could have done three films from this mess, but Dourif saves every scene he's in. He's tormented, paranoid, and can chew scenery with barely moving his lips. Why couldn't the film served him better?
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