Tangerine Dream's evocative music gives way to opening moments that are shaped by silhouettes, dimly lit staircases, and dark corners. Not a bad way to be introduced to a horror movie. A young man, home alone, sits back in his room enjoying a cigarette he isn't supposed to have while listening to the radio. When the power goes out, he heads downstairs for a candle, tobacco in hand; it's the last one he'll ever get to enjoy. He's stabbed in the head several times, seemingly by one of his peers; we watch it happen on the wall, in shadows. We listen to his death throes while the wide-eyed psychopath extinguishes the candle's flame. There now, how's that for firmly establishing a mood? No doubt about it, it's a grabber.

As the film gets underway, a picture of a happy, friendly, carefree town is clearly painted for us. Well, as all of us dedicated horror fans know things are very rarely as they appear in places like this. The Mayor's son (kid at the beginning - Bill Condon) is missing and there's some uproar around town about it. If they only knew, right? Elsewhere in town, Pete Brady (Dan Shor) is in need of some fast cash, though he isn't having a lot of luck acquiring it. A close friend of his, Oliver (Marc McClure - remember the guy who played Jimmy Olsen in the Superman/Supergirl movies?), knows a way to make some quick cash. It seems that they are paying pretty well for volunteers over at Galesburg College. All you have to do is undergo two sessions and you get two hundred dollars. Pete accompanies his buddy to the college that day after school. He meets Dr. Gwen Parkinson (Fiona Lewis) who accepts him instantly; "We always welcome the chance for new blood." She instructs him to come back the following afternoon and takes Oliver away for his second "treatment."

A really bizarre scene comes out of nowhere to invade the movie here; Oli and Pete hit a party where nearly everybody is wearing costumes and all of these crazy party-animal teenagers do some synchronized early eighties-style dancing to the old Lightning Strikes song. Huh? Well, as inexplicable as that scene is, other more nefarious events are taking place elsewhere in the house. Fat Waldo (dressed up to look like Hoss from Bonanza) throws up into the sink while his thirteen year-old date, Lucy ("Lucy Brown gets around"), tells him to knock it off. A girl in a Flying Nun costume yearns for Pete's affections and declares quite openly that she isn't wearing any underwear. Man, I don't remember going to any parties this out-there back in the day. I suppose I should be grateful! Enough of this; a little bit later in the evening Waldo is in his car trying to coerce his date into living down to her reputation. Outside, a masked party guest (a Tor Johnson mask yet) approaches the car, knife in hand. An especially brutal attack leaves Waldo very dead and Lucy injured. The disguised murderer runs away and after retreating to a safe distance removes the mask. The killer, it was… it was…

Well, this leaves me in a difficult situation in terms of the rest of this piece. The flow is calculated and intentionally paced. It's a movie that builds with steady determination and gives you only a little bit at a time. I've decided to cut short the descriptive portion of this particular review in favor of a more standard plot overview. Let it never be said that I was the one who ruined a movie for potential fans! Now, what's probably already a heavy suspicion for most viewers is exactly the case. Those experiments at the local college, they leave the participants changed, and not for the better. To the folks at large it appears as though there is a serial killer at work, one whose standard procedure seems to be mutilation and viciousness. The sheriff is a certain John Brady (Michael Murphy), yep, Pete's dad. John has no clue that his own son has been drawn into his town's horrific secret. The murders continue and Pete is now a part of it. Before things get really bad, there's time for a little romance in the shape of Caroline (Dey Young), a receptionist for Doctor Parkinson. All of these scenes are intended to disarm the viewer; you fall into complacency and are then shaken out of it, hard. The murder scenes are jarring. Though Craig Reardon's special effects are not extravagantly gory, they're violent and very brutal. Some general investigating eventually leads John to Parkinson, but is it too late to stop that which has already been begun?

There is a voyeuristic quality about this one that helps to immerse you in the goings-on and keeps everything from ever getting too mundane. You feel like you are there and that's one of the best things a movie can do for us. There is a disquieting edge to everything taking place, and it's in this way that Strange Behavior succeeds in what it sets out to do. Atmosphere is the key to all the important elements on display - suspense, fear, horror, nervousness, etc. Without that you have very little, and fortunately director Michael Laughlin supplies plenty throughout. There are moments, particularly those scenes in the various medical chambers, that make you think you'll find the name David Cronenberg somewhere in the credits. It might be more associative than visual, but it's still present, and that's definitely a compliment. In no way does that mean that Laughlin is lacking his own style, he isn't, and I credit him for the restraint applied in the storytelling that helped to make Strange Behavior such a memorable movie. It's on a perfectly even keel with itself and never once do you get the impression that Laughlin was even close to misjudging the balance that he needed to achieve what he did. The performances are all strong, though Louise Fletcher did seem a little flighty and it was difficult to tell if she was supposed to come across that way. Doesn't matter, it worked and that's what counts in the end. Fiona Lewis was the real standout and I wish she'd had a few more opportunities to be quietly sinister. I loved those moments.

The disc is equally satisfying and well stocked with features-o-plenty. The new digital transfer is presented 2.35:1 (16x9) and finally seeing the entire film is fantastic. It definitely puts to shame previously available versions (released as Dead Kids) which looked ugly and were massively cropped. The print isn't perfect, but it's pretty dang close. There are several sound options as well. The film proper can be enjoyed in English or in Spanish, your choice. There is an isolated musical score, and finally the commentary. Director Laughlin is not present, but Bill Condon (associate Producer and Co-Writer with Michael Laughlin), Dey Young and Dan Shor are and they're definitely enjoying revisiting the film, particularly Condon, though Young has trouble with the violent scenes. There's a lot of interesting information shared, a few laughs, and a lot of little anecdotes concerning the people involved. The conversation flows naturally and there is rarely a quiet moment. Two very short deleted scenes are included, with or without commentary, and even though nothing major happens it's nice to be able to see them. The extras you can always count on are present - photo gallery, filmographies, an American and an Australian trailer for the film. Lastly, there's a trailer gallery that includes, aside from the two already mentioned, Patrick, Thirst, and most surprisingly, Syngenor.

Oh yeah, skip the vapid, unofficial remake, Disturbing Behavior.