Blades (film)

Lore & Background

The film was shot over eight weeks in Villas, New Jersey. Rondinella stated that the idea for Blades came about during production of Girls School Screamers, when Finegan mentioned it as a future project. Rondinella and Pace were hired by Finegan to write the script, which they completed in nine days. The film's plot follows a series of murders at the Tall Grass Country Club's golf course, initially blamed on a former club member, Deke Slade, who claims a larger lawnmower is attacking people by itself. After a sentient lawnmower kills golfer Squire Evans during a televised tournament, Roy Kent and Kelly Lange release Deke from prison and devise a plan to destroy the mower. Deke reveals the mower was once owned by his father, a former greenskeeper decapitated by it after being fired. The plan fails, Deke is killed, but Roy successfully puts a golf ball onto an explosive device on the mower, causing it to explode.

Reader's Guide

Blades stands as a cult oddity within Troma Entertainment's catalog, notable for its deliberate parody of Jaws transposed to a golf course setting. The film's premise—a possessed lawn mower committing murders—reflects Troma's signature blend of horror and absurdist comedy. Though not a major commercial success, its release on DVD in 2004 as part of a triple feature and on Blu-ray in 2021 by Vinegar Syndrome has sustained its niche audience. The film is primarily remembered for its low-budget creativity and as an example of 1980s horror-comedy exploitation cinema. Its legacy is tied to Troma's brand of offbeat, independent filmmaking.

Did You Know?

• The script was written in nine days by Rondinella and Pace.
• The film is an intentional parody of Jaws.
• The possessed lawnmower was once owned by Deke Slade's father, a former greenskeeper decapitated by it.

Plot & Narrative Structure

The story unfolds at Tall Grass Country Club, where a string of gruesome killings on the golf course threatens to derail a nationally televised tournament. The murders begin with two teenagers found mangled in a field, followed by club member Mr. Simpkins near the same hole. Club owner Norman Osgood is desperate to suppress the news, while police chief Charlie Kimmel is brought in to investigate. Former celebrity golfer Roy Kent takes it upon himself to track down clues—oil stains, mowed paths, a busted golf ball. When a caddy is killed, the entire club launches a chaotic maniac hunt, wrongly convicting Deke Slade for merely trying to start a lawnmower. Deke's claim of a self-attacking mower is dismissed as madness. The truth emerges during the tournament itself, when a sentient lawnmower invades the course and kills golfer Squire Evans. Roy, Kelly Lange, and Deke ultimately devise a baiting plan using balloons and hay bales, though Deke perishes in the attempt. Roy finishes the job by puttingting a golf ball onto an explosive device placed on the mower, sending it into a fiery explosion.

Production & Creative Origins

Blades originated as a casual mention by producer John P. Finegan during the production of Girls School Screamers, a project he shared with Thomas R. Rondinella and William R. Pace. When Finegan brought it up as a potential future project, Rondinella and Pace expressed enthusiasm and were subsequently hired to pen the screenplay. The writing process was remarkably swift—the trio completed the script in just nine days. Principal photography spanned eight weeks on location in Villas, New Jersey. Rondinella later described the film as a deliberate parody of Jaws, transplanting the iconic monster-in-the-water structure onto a sunlit golf course with a murderous piece of garden equipment. The film was distributed by Troma Entertainment, the cult-film studio known for its low-budget, irreverent productions, and Rondinella also handled editing duties alongside his directorial role.

Cast & Character Dynamics

The ensemble cast anchors the film's blend of horror and comedy. Robert North plays Roy Kent, a former celebrity golfer who becomes the course's newest professional and the de facto investigator. Victoria Scott portrays Kelly Lange, his assistant professional, who proves resourceful enough to devise the sugar-in-the-gas-tank plan when the van engine fails. Jeremy Whelan brings pathos to Deke Slade, the wrongfully accused former club member whose father was decapitated by the mower in what appeared to be a suicide the day after his firing as greenskeeper. Charlie Quinn plays police chief Charlie Kimmel, who orchestrates the ill-fated course-wide maniac hunt. William Towner is Norman Osgood, the club owner fixated on protecting the tournament's reputation, while Holly Stevenson appears as his wife Beatrice Osgood. Supporting roles include Bill Kimble as Sonny Fagan, Lee Devin as golfer Squire Evans, and Hank Berkheimer as Malcolm Simpkins.

Release & Home Media Legacy

Despite its 1989 theatrical run under Troma Entertainment's banner, Blades found a wider audience through home video in the years that followed. Its first DVD appearance came on January 27, 2004, packaged as a triple feature alongside two other Troma titles, Blood Hook and Zombie Island Massacre—a fitting grouping for fans of the studio's brand of over-the-top genre filmmaking. The film's most significant home-media milestone arrived in October 2021, when Vinegar Syndrome issued a Blu-ray release. This edition featured newly commissioned bonus material, including an audio commentary track with director Rondinella and co-writer Pace, as well as a making-of documentary that gathered interviews with Rondinella, Pace, and producer Finegan. These extras offered viewers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the film's rapid nine-day script process and its eight-week New Jersey shoot, cementing Blades' place in Troma's cult catalog.

Gallery