Welcome to Galesburg, Population: Dead Teenagers
Some movies ease you into their world. Strange Behavior just shoves you headfirst into a Midwestern murder spree like you accidentally wandered into the wrong high school reunion — the one where the science club and the serial killer are the same person. It’s part slasher, part mad-scientist melodrama, and part After School Special warning you not to take free pills from a stranger in a lab coat.
If this was supposed to be a homage to ‘50s pulp horror, it’s the kind where everyone involved smoked a carton of unfiltered Camels and forgot the plot halfway through.
Mayor’s Son Turned Cornfield Scarecrow: A Promising Start?
The film opens with Bryan, the mayor’s son, getting murdered and posed as a scarecrow — which honestly feels like a deleted scene from Children of the Corn. Then Chief John Brady (Michael Murphy) starts investigating, but instead of stopping a killing spree, he somehow manages to let his own kid wander straight into a mind control experiment run by a university that clearly skipped the ethics review process.
If your idea of a competent small-town police chief involves ignoring glaring red flags while your son volunteers for creepy eye injections, you’re in luck.
Mind Control: Now With 100% More Peeing Blood
Pete (Dan Shor), our fresh-faced teen protagonist, needs money for college, so he signs up for “scientific research” at the local university. And by research, we mean “we’ll drug you, hypnotize you, and inject mystery juice directly into your eyeball.” Within days, Pete’s vomiting, urinating blood, and probably developing enough internal damage to qualify for three malpractice suits — but he still keeps showing up for appointments.
It’s unclear if the film is about evil science or just a PSA for why teenagers shouldn’t have decision-making rights.
The Murder Scenes: Equal Parts Shocking and Silly
In between the science hijinks, masked killers roam around stabbing people like they’re being paid per puncture. One poor kid gets stabbed outside a pool party while his girlfriend is shoved into the water — cue our heroes rushing to help her, while the killer just shrugs and walks away. Later, a mom finds her son being dismembered in the bathroom (and somehow takes the time to phone her friend about it mid-murder) before getting her own throat cut.
The film treats these moments with the seriousness of a toothpaste commercial — dramatic, but weirdly cheery.
Le Sange: The Villain Who Can’t Stay in His Coffin
The whole mess traces back to Dr. Le Sange (Arthur Dignam), a legless mad scientist who was supposed to be dead but instead faked his demise and hid out in a lab like a Bond villain on a budget. He’s obsessed with mind control because, apparently, killing your enemies the normal way is just too pedestrian.
The film tries to build him up as a genius manipulator, but most of his evil plan consists of hypnotizing teens into stabbing the wrong people. By the time we get to the climax, he’s wheeled in like the least intimidating final boss in horror history.
The Big Twist: Soap Opera Science
Just when you think it’s over, Pete stabs Le Sange in the throat — not because he’s a mindless drone, but because surprise! Le Sange is his real father, thanks to an affair with Pete’s mom. That’s right: 90 minutes of science-gore nonsense just to land on a paternity reveal straight out of Days of Our Lives.
The movie ends with Pete healed up, attending his dad’s wedding like the whole “tried to kill you under hypnosis” thing is just water under the bridge. No therapy needed, apparently.
Why It Doesn’t Work (Even for Cult Fans)
Strange Behavior wants to be a genre-bending homage to both slasher flicks and ‘50s sci-fi paranoia, but it’s like watching two drunk magicians try to saw the same assistant in half — it’s messy, confusing, and someone’s definitely bleeding. The tonal shifts are whiplash-inducing: one minute we’re in full mad-scientist mode, the next we’re watching awkward teen romance, then suddenly there’s a stabbing in the bathroom followed by a dance number.
Yes, there’s literally a random, upbeat dance sequence in the middle of a murder investigation. Because why not.
Final Diagnosis: Dead Kids, Dead Logic
There’s a reason this movie’s also called Dead Kids: by the end, you’ve stopped remembering their names and just started counting bodies. The science subplot is both too ridiculous to take seriously and too central to ignore. The murders are sporadic and lack real tension, the killer reveal is muddled, and the final twist lands like a soap opera cliffhanger nobody asked for.
If you like your horror with unintentional comedy, eyebrow-raising plot holes, and the general feeling
