Chopping Mall
After-hours mall revelers must outwit malfunctioning security robots in a brisk, gory blast of 1980s survival horror.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Graphic
- campy
- frantic
- visceral
- midnight movie
- cult horror marathon
What critics said
Critics generally regard it as a low-budget but entertaining cult horror premise whose killer robots and mall setting provide more appeal than its thin execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The young employees are trapped inside Park Plaza 2000 after midnight while security robots hunt them through stores and corridors.
The Protector robots are designed to neutralize unauthorized personnel but malfunction and begin killing people.
The film presents murderous mall robots, laser weaponry, and youthful after-hours partying with pulpy 1980s excess.
Secure-tronics controls an elaborate automated mall security system whose supposedly protective technology turns against shoppers and workers.
Films like Chopping Mall, and why
Westworld
killer machines, trapped civilians, and campy science fiction horror
Dawn of the Dead
claustrophobic survival horror staged inside a commercial shopping complex
Short Circuit
malfunctioning robots, retro-futurist technology, and playful genre tone
Maximum Overdrive
stylized killer technology and pulpy action-horror energy
Movie Details
- Director
- Jim Wynorski
- Release Date
- 1986-11-14
- Runtime
- 77 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (418)
Cast
- Kelli Maroney
- Tony O'Dell
- Russell Todd
- Karrie Emerson
- Barbara Crampton
- Nick Segal
- John Terlesky
- Suzee Slater
- Paul Bartel
- Mary Woronov
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Chopping Mall about?
- After-hours mall revelers must outwit malfunctioning security robots in a brisk, gory blast of 1980s survival horror.
- What is Chopping Mall like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Chopping Mall as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Chopping Mall violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Chopping Mall as graphic.
- What did critics think of Chopping Mall?
- Critics generally regard it as a low-budget but entertaining cult horror premise whose killer robots and mall setting provide more appeal than its thin execution.
- Which films are like Chopping Mall?
- Films with a similar feel include Westworld, Dawn of the Dead, Short Circuit, and Maximum Overdrive.
- How long is Chopping Mall?
- Chopping Mall runs 77 minutes.
- Where can I watch Chopping Mall?
- In United States, Chopping Mall streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
