They're in your garden. They're on your BLT sandwich. And they're ripe for revenge! Yes, it's the ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES! An instant cult classic, made on a shoestring budget, KILLER TOMATOES is now available on DVD with a cornucopia of extras and bonus material to please even the stoutest of vegetarians!

Now while I'm confident all you loyal MAP readers can sing the catchy theme song in your sleep, perhaps there's one or two folks who need to know what KILLER TOMOTAOES is all about. Well, it seems that the government has been genetically creating a better, bigger beefsteak. What they didn't count on was that the tomatoes, sick & tired of their status as "vegetable", have declared war on mankind! Housewives, stockbrokers, and even little Timmy become victims of the tomatoes wrath. The President forms a crack team of specialists under the command of Mason Dixon to deal with the tomato problem. Meanwhile, the press hears about the tomato uprising, and reporter Lois Fairchild is sent to investigate, but the President's press secretary Jim and Mindmaker C.E.O. Mr. Swann try to convince the public there is no tomato threat by unleashing a publicity blitz. Dixon sends out his team to find the answers to the perplexing problem, and discovers the tomatoes are growing to monstrous sizes! Can Dixon solve the tomato puzzle before the militia's overrun and mankind is doomed by the red menace? Will Fairchild be able to reveal the truth to the threatened public? And will pasta sauce be a thing of the past if the tomatoes have their way?

ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES is a film that was ahead of its time when released in 1978. A parody of those great 1950's monster movies, KILLER TOMATOES added loads of non-sequiter humor and broad farce that helped future film spoofs such as AIRPLANE become hits. With a meager budget and a cast of mostly amateurs, the creators threw everything they had into the mix to get a laugh. Yes, the concept may be Ôstupid', but the cast and crew's sense of humor infuse this film with a sincerity and infectious style that you can't help but admire. And if that's not enough to convince you that KILLER TOMATOES is the pick of the crop, how many no-budget films do you know that have spawned four sequels, loads of merchandising, a theme song everybody knows, and a Saturday morning cartoon? Not even "Gilligan's Island" can make that claim! This DVD release presents KILLER TOMATOES full screen, and the picture quality is very good, considering the original production. There is little grain or wear evident - the images are clear and clean (except when the camera goes out of focus unexpectedly...oops.). The audio is very good as well, without any synch or buzz problems one might expect from such a low budget production. Shakespeare it ain't, but it is still darn funny.

Rhino has released this collector's edition of KILLER TOMATOES with a plethora of extras (also available in a movie only edition). You can watch the feature in one of three ways: normal, with commentary by producers John DeBello, Steve Peace, and Costa Dillon, or in 'tomato-mode'. This mode has icons that appear throughout the film allowing you to link to the same scenes in the original 8mm version of KILLER TOMATOES. The entire 8mm film, shot by the boys in college, is also included separately, as well as their first 8mm movie GONE WITH THE BABUSULAND, which inspired the TOMATO production. Both of these features have commentary by the trio, too. The original theatrical trailer is included, radio spots, production design, short features on the helicopters scene (the crash was real!), and three deleted scenes with commentary. More features are a look at the KILLER TOMATO legacy, reminiscences of the San Diego Chicken (who has a major role in the film's climax), a short on Killer Tomatomania, spoofs about "Where Are They Now?" and "Government Conspiracies", TOMATO trivia, available merchandise, and a salute to Beth, the slate girl on KILLER TOMATOES. Oh yes, and a sing-along for the film's wonderful songs, including the memorable theme. I highly recommend listening to the commentary; DeBello, Peace and Dillon are very likable guys and not only are their comments informative, but also you can't help but be inspired by three guys who had a goofy idea and made it work. The American dream...

Shunned by a humorless public when first released, ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES has rightfully ascended to the top of cult movies classics. This DVD is worth every minute of the over three hours of feature and bonus stuff included on the disc. KILLER TOMATOES is required viewing for anyone who considers themselves a cult movie fanatic. But be warned - you may never look at a BLT the same way again!